The Cavalier mat men’s successes during Winter Break were marred by several losses as they continued their toughest schedule in program history, falling to 5-6 on the season while sustaining several injuries and dropping out of the top 25 for the first time this season.
Virginia wrapped up 2008 limping away from the Dec. 29 and 30 Southern Scuffle with a seventh-place finish despite missing four key wrestlers because of injury, most notably senior All-American Rocco Caponi and junior Ross Gitomer, who was lost for the season. No. 10 sophomore Chris Henrich fared well at the Scuffle, placing second at 174 pounds, but suffered his first loss of the season after starting 23-0.
No. 20 freshman Jedd Moore, meanwhile, earned a fourth-place finish in the 157-pound weight class as he continued his stellar start to his collegiate career. Sophomore Nick Nelson, junior Brent Jones and Gitomer rounded out the Virginia place-winners at the competition. Jones posted his 29th career fall at the Scuffle, moving him into sole possession of second place on Virginia’s all-time falls list.
“Some of our individual weight classes have outperformed what our expectations were,” coach Steve Garland said. “We didn’t win the war at that tournament, but we won a lot of individual battles.”
So far this season, the freshman class — especially Moore — has been the driving force behind much of the team’s success. The freshman class also garnered an individual honor during Winter Break: Matt Bonson was named ACC Wrestler of the Week after his three wins at Virginia Duals. This marks the second time a Cavalier freshman has received the honor, with Moore having been recognized earlier this season.
“The freshman class has done an excellent job coming right in and not taking crap from anyone, stepping right in and doing what they have to do,” Henrich said. “It has motivated the rest of us as well.”
At the Virginia Duals, the Cavaliers split matches against Navy and Clarion Jan. 9 and lost to No. 24 Kent State Jan. 10. Virginia fell in a hole early against Navy after forfeiting the bout at 125 pounds because of injuries and was not able to recover. In the second match, though, the Cavaliers won six of the nine bouts en route to soundly beating Clarion. Once again, the Cavaliers could not overcome a forfeit in the 125-pound division against Kent State despite wins from Jones and Moore.
“It has been hard to tell [how good the team is] because we have been so choppy,” Garland said. “We’ve had some guys do some really great things, but we have also had some major setbacks because we cannot get that momentum going without our full lineup in.”
Despite their mediocre record, the Virginia mat men have put on impressive performances on the road against top-25 opponents. The Cavaliers have shown they can persevere and remain positive despite not having their full lineup in for most of the season. The goal for Garland and the team from the beginning of the season has been to perform well at ACCs and at Nationals. The team is not overly concerned with its dual meet record considering the circumstances.
“The key is going to be seeing how our nationally ranked guys pan out,” Garland said. “ACCs and Nationals is what matters. Our goal is to do the best we can at the dual meets. The wins will come.”
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