Jan. 12, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 22nd-ranked Navy wrestling team won six of the 10 bouts, including five extra-point matches to cruise to a 31-16 victory over EIWA foe American Saturday evening at Bender Arena in the nation's capital. The win snaps the Mids' two-match losing streak while improving to 2-0 in EIWA action this winter and 2-3 overall. Meanwhile, American, who wrestled its third dual in the last four days, dropped to 2-11 overall and 1-3 in EIWA competitions.

Redshirt sophomore Jasen Borshoff gave American the early lead by virtue of come-from-behind one-point victory over Navy rookie Allan Stein (Portland, Maine) in the evening's first match at 125 pounds. Stein held a 3-2 advantage heading into the final period, but was warned for the second time in the match for stalling and Borshoff was awarded a point to knot the match. Borshoff, meanwhile, managed to free himself from Stein's grasp following the penalty and earned the 4-3 decision.

The AU lead, however, would be short-lived as two-time NCAA qualifier Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) took AU freshman Matt Mariacher to task at 133 pounds where he earned the 17-2 technical fall at the seven-minute marker and gave the Midshipmen a 5-3 lead.

Second-year American standout Kyle Borshoff followed in his older brother's footsteps by giving the Eagles the lead once again. Borshoff shut out Navy sophomore Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) en route to a 6-0 victory that put American back on top, 6-5.

The see-saw affair continued, as Navy freshman Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) improved to 25-7 on the year by pinning AU sophomore Nick Pitas at 3:30. Saddoris is now tied for fourth on the Mids' all-time freshman wins list, alongside teammate and team captain Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) who turned in 25 wins during the 2004-05 campaign. The Saddoris win also gave Navy the lead for good, as the Mids would go on to win four of the final six matches.

Battling injuries throughout the year, junior 157-pounder Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.) returned to the mat Saturday where he defeated AU senior Christopher Sout, 5-2.

Ranked 10th in the country at 165 pounds, American sophomore Mike Cannon was tough for senior Jason Coyne (Trafford, Pa.) of Navy to handle. Cannon cruised to the 14-4 major decision, trimming Navy's lead to four, 14-10.

Stolpinski, ranked No. 9 nationally, took a step closer to becoming the Mids' all-time wins leader by posting a technical fall over AU sophomore Jonathon Powell. Stolpinski earned a 17-2 win at the five-minute mark and now owns 126 wins over his collegiate career and stands tied for second with Mark Conley (1999-02). Greg Gingeleskie holds the record with 127 wins between 1996-99. Meanwhile, Stolpinski is just three wins off recording 30 wins for a third-consecutive year.

Junior Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) turned in a sensational performance at 184 pounds where, in just his second collegiate dual, he pinned redshirt freshman Andy Semple at 5:34, giving Navy a 25-10 advantage. The fall was just the second fall in Caldwell's favor in his three seasons on the mat and first since winning his season opener by virtue of a pin at the Eastern Michigan Open.

Defending national champion and current No. 1-ranked 197-pounder Josh Glenn of American earned six points for the Eagles by defeating Philip Neese (Lexington, S.C.). The match was Neese's first competition of the year.

Navy heavyweight Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) was awarded a win by forfeit in the finale, as American did not have a wrestler to match up against the Navy junior.

#22 Navy 31, American 16
125 - Jasen Borshoff (A) dec. Allan Stein (N), 4-3 (A3, N0)
133 - Joe Baker (N) tech fall Matt Mariacher (A), 17-2 (7:00) (N5, A3)
141 - Kyle Borshoff (A) dec. Glenn Shober (N), 6-0 (A6, N5)
149 - Bryce Saddoris (N) fall Nick Pitas (A), 3:30 (N11, A6)
157 - Joel Ahern (N) dec. Christopher Sout (A), 5-2 (N14, A6)
165 - #10 Mike Cannon (A) major Jason Coyne (N), 14-4 (N14, A10)
174 - #9 Matt Stolpinski (N) tech fall Jonathon Powell (A), 17-2 (5:00) (N19, A10)
184 - Casey Caldwell (N) fall Andy Semple (A), 5:34 (N25, A10)
197 - #1 Josh Glenn (A) fall Philip Neese (N), 3:39 (N25, A16)
285 - Scott Steele (N) forfeit (AU) (N31, A16)