HAMPTON, VA - The Newberry College Wolves men's wrestling team closed out the Virginia Duals on Saturday with a split in their final two duals, falling in a narrow decision to Findlay University before rebounding with a convincing win over Frostburg State to secure a third-place finish in the tournament.

Round Three: Findlay 22, Newberry 21

Newberry battled down to the final bout in a tightly contested matchup against Findlay, ultimately coming up just short in a 22-21 decision.

The Wolves earned key wins throughout the lineup, starting at 133 pounds where Caiden Pelc picked up a decision (17-11). At 141, Cole McCullough delivered one of the biggest moments of the dual, recording a first-period fall just 43 seconds into the bout to give Newberry a crucial six points.

Newberry continued to build momentum in the middle weights. Matt Hoelke controlled his match at 157 with an 11-1 major decision, and Bo Perkins followed with a dominant technical fall at 165 (17-0, 4:31) to push the Wolves ahead.

Despite Newberry's strong performances, Findlay capitalized on bonus-point victories in the remaining bouts, edging the Wolves by a single point in one of the closest duals of the tournament.

Third-Place Match: Newberry 30, Frostburg State 17

The Wolves responded with authority in the third-place match, defeating Frostburg State 30–17 to close the weekend on a high note.

Newberry jumped out to an early lead behind back-to-back technical falls. At 125 pounds, Ricky Springs earned a technical fall (17-2, 7:00), followed by another technical fall at 133 from Pelc (2-4, 6:08).

After Frostburg State answered in the middle of the lineup, Newberry regained control with strong performances from Hoelke, who secured an 8-0 major decision at 157, and Perkins, who followed with a 12-2 major decision at 165.

At 184 pounds, Hayven Jenkins sealed the dual with a clutch 12-11 decision,  John Parker won with a fall to seal the win for the Wolves. 

With the win, Newberry finished the Virginia Duals with a 3-1 overall record and claimed third place at the Virginia Duals. The Wolves will compete next on January 15th at Coker University.