Feb. 18, 2006

• Navy 24, Army 9

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The 19th-ranked Navy wrestling team won seven of 10 matches, including two by extra margins, to defeat rival Army, 24-9, on Saturday night at Alumni Hall in front of 1,801 fans and a national-television audience. The win moves Navy's record to 13-2 overall, equaling the sixth-best mark in school history. The victory also increased Navy's series lead over the Black Knights to 40-5-5 all-time. Navy has won six in a row against Army and have an outstanding 38-1-5 record against Army in the last 44 meetings between the two teams.

"I am very proud of the way we wrestled tonight," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who now owns a 6-0 mark against Army. "We were very sound physically, technically and strategically. We had a great week of preparation and it showed tonight. We won a lot of matches in the third period tonight. When things get tough in the end, that is where preparation pays off and we were very prepared tonight."

Navy started the match on a high note as freshman Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) and sophomore Spencer Manley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) scored a tech fall and major decision, respectively, to give Navy a 9-0 cushion after just two matches. Baker, who is ranked 19th in the country in one national poll, jumped out to a 12-2 lead after one period against Army junior Frankie Baughan, and cruised to a 19-4 tech fall for his seventh straight victory. The two had met just two weeks ago, with Baker squeaking by for a 10-9 decision at the All-Academy Championships. Manley followed with an 11-2 major decision over Whitt Dunning. Two weeks ago, Manley defeated Dunning in the third-place match at the A-A Championships, 7-1. Manley has now won four matches in a row and seems to be turning it on at the right time.

"That was about as good of a start as we could have hoped for. They set the tone for the evening," said Burnett. "The two were the aggressors and took it to their opponents. I think tonight we saw the real Joe Baker. He knew what he wanted to do and got it done."

After Army's Patrick Simpson won a tough 4-1 victory over Matt Gulosh (Stow, Ohio) at 149 pounds, Navy's John Jarred (Kansas City, Mo.) scored a key 7-2 victory over Brian Rowan at 157 pounds. Rowan had defeated Jarred at the All-Academy Championships, 4-3, two weeks ago, but Jarred dominated from the start, scoring three takedowns to claim the decision. The win moved Jarred's record to 33-8 on the season, pushing him into a tie for 15th place on the single-season wins list. Jarred's win gave Navy a 12-3 lead after four weights.

Army cut into the lead with an 8-2 Jon Anderson victory over Craig Dziewiatkowski (Aurora, Ill.), but Navy's 174-pounder Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) ended any Army comeback with a 5-3 overtime victory over Chad Marzec. Stolpinski tallied a third-period takedown to force overtime, then took down Marzec 31 seconds into overtime for the key victory. Stolpinski's win pushed the Navy lead to 15-3.

Jonny Kane (Portland, Maine) and Chris Pogue (Chesapeake, Va.) then avenged losses two weeks ago with victories on Saturday night at 184 and 197 pounds to put the match out of reach. Kane knocked off Luke Calvert, 10-7, and Pogue scored a 3-2 victory over Charles Martin. Kane had lost to Calvert in the All-Academy finals, 9-5, but scored three points late in the third period for the victory on Saturday night. Meanwhile, Pogue and Martin went into the third period tied at one, but the Navy senior tallied a takedown with 40 seconds left, then held on for the win, Martin had defeated Pogue, 5-4, at the All-Academy Championships.

"I am really pleased with the way Jarred, Kane and Pogue wrestled," said Burnett. "They turned losses two weeks ago into wins and these wins should give them confidence heading into the EIWA Championships."

Navy senior heavyweight Tanner Garrett (Tulsa, Okla.) continued his record-breaking senior season with a 3-2 victory over Michael Sprigg. Garrett scored a first-period takedown and held on for the victory over a defensive-minded Sprigg. The win increased Garrett's record to a nation's best 39-2, moving him into second on the Navy single-season victories list. The win was Garrett's 110th of his career and increases his record to 74-7 since the start of last season. Army's William Simpson won the last match of the night, a 5-4 decision over Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.), holding off a spirited third-period rally by the Navy junior. Usztics trailed 3-0 after two periods, but scored two takedowns to tie the match. Simpson, however, accumulated over three minutes of riding time to seal the victory.

With the win, Navy improved to 13-2 overall. Just six times prior to this season, Navy has had a record of 13-2 or better. During those seasons, Navy finished no worse than second at the EIWA Championships.

The win also enabled Navy to clinch at least a tie in this year's Star-Game series. Navy currently owns a 11-6 record in Star Games with just men's and women's outdoor track and field, lacrosse, baseball and tennis remaining.

Navy will now have two weeks to prepare for the 102nd EIWA Championships on March 4-5, in Bethlehem, Pa.

#19 Navy 24, Army 9 (Match started at 133 pounds)                     133 - #19 Joe Baker (Navy) tech fall Frankie Baughan, 19-4 (5:43)141 - Spencer Manley (Navy) major dec. Whitt Dunning, 11-2149 - Patrick Simpson (Army) dec. Matt Gulosh, 4-1157 - John Jarred (Navy) dec. Brian Rowan, 7-2165 - #20 Jon Anderson (Army) dec. Craig Dziewiatkowski, 8-2174 - Matt Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Chad Marzec, 5-3 (overtime)184 - Jonny Kane (Navy) dec. Luke Calvert, 10-7197 - Chris Pogue (Navy) dec. Charles Martin, 3-2HWT - #5 Tanner Garrett (Navy) dec. Michael Sprigg, 3-2125 - William Simpson (Army) dec. Alex Usztics, 5-4

# GO NAVY #