Oct. 29, 2005

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy wrestling team held its annual preseason Blue-Gold exhibition match on Saturday afternoon, with the Gold rallying for a 19-15 victory over the Blue. The Blue team jumped out to a 15-6 lead after six matches, but the Gold claimed the last four matches to overtake the Blue squad and come away with a 19-15 decision.

"I thought we looked really good today," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "Our conditioning looked great and we were very competitive. I thought the experience paid off for the older guys, and it is something the younger guys can learn from. It was good wrestling for a program on the rise. We have areas to work on, but it was a very positive experience for us."

Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.) opened the match for the Blue team with a 9-2 decision over freshman Caleb Levee (Mandeville, La.). Usztics scored a five-point takedown and near-fall at the end of the match to claim the victory. At 133, junior Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) pinned sophomore Branden Beasley (Alexandria, Va.) in 2:37 to give the Gold a short-lived 6-3 advantage.

Blue, however, won the next four matches to take a 15-6 cushion after 165 pounds. At 141, sophomore Spencer Manley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) defeated freshman Ricky Tippett (White Marsh, Md.), 3-1, thanks to a second-period takedown. At 149 pounds, junior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.) defeated senior Matt Gulosh (Stow, Ohio), 7-1. At 157 pounds, senior Adam Brochetti (Kittanning, Pa.) knocked off sophomore Justin Jacobs (LeRoy, Mich.), 9-3. Craig Dziewiatkowski (Aurora, Ill.) ended the Blue run with an 8-1 decision over Robert Johnston (Satellite Beach, Fla.) at 165 pounds.

Gold started its rally at 174 pounds, when Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) looked very strong in a 12-0 major decision over freshman Jesse Feinsod (Colorado Springs, Colo.). At 184 pounds, Jonny Kane (Portland, Maine) scored a five-point takedown and near-fall late in the match to claim a 9-4 victory over Chris Pogue (Chesapeake, Va.).

Senior Andrew Adams (Dublin, Ohio) and freshman Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) competed in perhaps the best match of the day, as the Gold's Adams knocked off Moyer, 7-4, in the second tiebreaker. Adams secured the victory with a takedown in the second tiebreaker, after Moyer nearly won the match late in the third period.

Lastly, at heavyweight, Tanner Garrett (Tulsa, Okla.) started his senior season off with a bang, defeating sophomore Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.), 5-2, thanks to a third-period takedown.

Navy will open the regular season next Saturday at the Eastern Michigan Open, starting at 9:00 a.m., in Ypsilanti, Mich.

GOLD 19, BLUE 15
125 - Alex Usztics (Blue) dec. Caleb Levee, 9-2
133 - Brad Canterbury (Gold) pinned Branden Beasley, 2:37
141 - Spencer Manley (Blue) dec. Ricky Tippett, 3-1
149 - John Cox (Blue) dec. Matt Gulosh, 7-1
157 - Adam Brochetti (Blue) dec. Justin Jacobs, 9-3
165 - Craig Dziewiatkowski (Blue) dec. Robert Johnston, 8-1
174 - Matt Stolpinski (Gold) major dec. Jesse Feinsod, 12-0
184 - Jonny Kane (Gold) dec. Chris Pogue, 9-4
197 - Andrew Adams (Gold) dec. Tyler Moyer, 7-4 (tb 2)
HWT - Tanner Garrett (Gold) dec. Ed Prendergast, 5-2

# GO NAVY #