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Wrestling routs Duke, 30-9

No. 14 Cavaliers score 31st consecutive dual win inside Memorial Gymnasium

<p>No. 2 senior Nick Sulzer won for the 110th time in a Virginia uniform Friday night against the Blue Devils. He currently has the fifth-most victories in program history. </p>

No. 2 senior Nick Sulzer won for the 110th time in a Virginia uniform Friday night against the Blue Devils. He currently has the fifth-most victories in program history. 

No. 14 Virginia wrestling downed Duke, 30-9, Friday night in an energetic Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers war machine ran at full efficiency, winning seven of the evening’s 10 contests against the Blue Devils and picking up bonus points in five matches.

In the 125-pound bout, junior Nick Herrmann set an example the rest of the Cavalier team (9-3, 1-0 ACC) would follow. Herrmann was aggressive and controlled the flow of the match, riding out Blue Devil (5-4, 1-2 ACC) freshman Thayer Atkins for the last 40 seconds to secure the 13-5 major-decision victory.

Virginia coach Steve Garland urged his team to be the drivers of the action Friday.

“We talk about going out and taking the match to the other guy and scoring in our best positions immediately,” Garland said. “Every single guy, even those that lost, did that tonight.”

No. 13 sophomore George DiCamillo continued the surge at 133 pounds. Once again, DiCamillo was the aggressor and scored seemingly at will. DiCamillo nearly pinned freshman Mitch Finesilver in the first period but settled for a 19-4 technical fall in the third.

Virginia lost its first match at 141 pounds. Junior Justin Van Hoose, filling in for injured No. 15 senior Joe Spisak, battled sophomore Evan Botwin the full seven minutes but lost, 9-8. Van Hoose was fighting for a match-winning takedown as the clock expired. Garland challenged the call, but it was too close to overturn.

Redshirt freshman standout Andrew Atkinson returned the Cavaliers to their winning ways in his 157-pound showdown with senior Immanuel Kerr-Brown. Atkinson led Kerr-Brown 3-2 after two closely contested periods. The down man in the third, Kerr-Brown tied the match 3-3 with a late escape, but Atkinson’s riding-time advantage gave him the 4-3 decision victory.

“I do my best when I’m relaxed,” Atkinson said. “When I’m relaxed I can get to my spots, get my shots, and winning every position — top, bottom and neutral. My success is both mental and physical. I have to tie the two together and get to my offense.”

Atkinson is now 7-4 for Virginia in dual meets this season, and twice fell to nationally ranked opponents. He has won three of his last four and was vital to the Cavaliers’ success at the Virginia Duals.

Virginia scored 11 team points in the next two matches. It was more of the same from second-ranked senior Nick Sulzer. He dominated redshirt freshman Jake Faust en route to a 24-7 technical fall. The victory was the 110th in Sulzer’s illustrious career and is the fifth most in program history — one behind Rocco Caponi.

No. 5 junior Blaise Butler supplied the fireworks in a thrilling victory. Butler threw junior Trey Adamson to the ground in one lightning-quick, vicious motion, then drained Adamson’s will to fight with a vice-like head and arm, which ultimately led to a pinfall with a minute remaining in the first.

The Cavaliers had already sealed the victory, but the Blue Devils refused to go quietly. Duke sophomore Jacob Kasper rallied from a deficit to defeat redshirt freshman Tyler Askey, 3-2.

Two ranked wrestlers clashed at 197 pounds. No. 20 Virginia junior Zach Nye held the lead into the third period, but No. 7 junior Conner Hartmann scored two points on a heel trip in the final minute to win, 5-3.

But Virginia was able to end the night on a high note. Junior Patrick Gillen scored four points in the third period and collected more than two minutes of riding time to pull away and defeat junior Brendan Walsh, 6-1.

Friday’s victory marked the Cavaliers’ 10th consecutive win against Duke and 31st straight dual victory inside Memorial Gymnasium.

Ninth-ranked Pittsburgh looks to end that streak Sunday. Garland wants his wrestlers to continue the aggression and intensity that has been on display since the Virginia Duals.

“We can’t make the mistake of thinking we’re good and then taking our foot off the gas,” Garland said. “We need to worry about how we’re competing and how we’re fighting, and the wins will happen. We can’t think that we deserve anything on the mat. We have to battle for everything.”

Virginia and Pittsburgh get going at 1 p.m.

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