Dec. 30, 2009
Final Southern Scuffle Brackets 
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Senior Scott Steele (Towson, Md.) finished as the runner-up at heavyweight and junior Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) turned in a strong third-place effort at 157-pounds to lead the Navy wrestling team to a 10th-place finish at the 2009 Southern Scuffle, held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.
The Midshipmen produced a pair of placewinners and a total of 65.5 points to place 10th in the highly-competitive tournament, which featured seven teams ranked in the NWCA Top-25. EIWA foe Cornell crowned three individual champions and successfully defended its team title with 164 points, a 12.5-point advantage over second place and sixth-ranked Minnesota.
Indiana fell in at third with 131.5 points, followed by Edinboro in fourth (97.5) and Virginia in fifth (96.5). Navy finished only three points behind ninth-place North Carolina (68.5).
Steele advanced to the championship bout in the heavyweight category for the third-consecutive season, after claiming a 3-0 decision against 16th-ranked Josh Arnone of Cornell in his first match of the day and knocking of North Carolina's Ziad Haddad in the semis by a 6-4 count.
The two victories set up a showdown between Steele and the top seed, sixth-ranked Nathan Everhart of Indiana. While Everhart would prevail in a close 3-2 win, there is much for Steele to take from this year's run to the finals.
In his first action since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in last year's final bout, Steele produced four victories (running his career record to 69-21), but more importantly, laid the groundwork for what could be a very successful spring for the heralded Navy heavyweight.
Saddoris, meanwhile, produced a 5-1 mark over the course of the two-day competition, placing for the third time at the event in as many appearances.
The junior All-American made his way to the semifinals after earning a two-point victory (6-4) over Kent State's Mallie Shuster in the opening match of the day, but would suffer a narrow 5-3 setback to the eventual winner Thomas Scotton of North Carolina, who recently knocked off Saddoris by an identical 5-3 count at last week's Reno Tournament of Champions.
The Spring Creek, Nev. native would bounce back in emphatic fashion, however, easing past Ohio's Clay Tucker, 8-1 in the consolation semis and then earning a hard-fought 3-2 win over fourth-ranked Matt Moley, a returning All-American at 157 for Bloomsburg.
Saddoris is now 18-8 on the year, with four wins over ranked opponents, and nearing his 100th career win with his career mark now at 96-28 (.774).
After the Southern Scuffle, the Midshipmen open the New Year against regional rival, visiting American on Jan. 8 at 7:00 p.m.
2009 Southern Scuffle Final Team Standings1 Cornell 1642 Minnesota 151.53 Indiana 131.54 Edinboro 97.55 Virginia 96.56 Ohio 85.57 Kent State 75.58 Bloomsburg 749 North Carolina 68.510 Navy 65.511 Penn 62.512 Army 6013 Cal State Bakersfield 55.514 Michigan 5415 Old Dominion 5316 Liberty 3917 Air Force 3218 George Mason 31.519 North Carolina State 3020 Gardner-Webb 29.521 Lock Haven 2722 UNCG 26.523 Hofstra 24.524 Appalachian State 20.525 Duke 18.526 Virginia Tech 16.527 The Citadel 12.528 Boston U 1029 Princeton 9.530 Sacred Heart 731 Campbell 4.5
***GO NAVY!***
