Jan. 20, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A week after upsetting 12th-ranked Lehigh, the Navy wrestling team returns to action with two duals this weekend as it will host Liberty on Friday night, and then make the short trek to the University of Maryland to meet the Terps on Saturday afternoon. Friday's dual with the Flames will begin at 7 p.m. at Halsey Field House.
Liberty brings an overall record of 6-5 into Friday night's dual, while Maryland is 9-3 on the season. The Mids are 2-1 overall, with their only loss coming at No. 8 Oklahoma on Jan. 7.
After of last weekend's upset win, Navy head coach Bruce Burnett is mindful of a letdown that can sometimes follow big wins and reminded his team of that this week.
"The attitude of the team is good right now," said Burnett, who enters the weekend with 98 career victories. "We have to be good every time we go out and we're facing two very good teams this weekend. Liberty is good and Maryland was ranked earlier in the year - they are solid from top to bottom.
"For us, it always comes back to being technically sound, in good shape and ready to wrestle. If our guys let down a little, we can get beat. I think our guys will be ready, but that is what it comes down to. We have a great nucleus of guys that get ready to wrestle every week."
The Mids were certainly ready to go last week in their upset of Lehigh as Mason Bailey (165), Matt DeMichiel (174) and Luke Rebertus (184) all scored consecutive one-point upset wins over ranked opponents that turned out to be the difference in the dual. Bailey defeated No. 18 Brandon Hatchett, 5-4, DeMichiel defeated No. 9 Austin Meys, 6-5, and No. 18 Rebertus scored a 5-4 win over No. 5 Robert Hamlin.
After a pair of Lehigh wins at 197 and 285 cut the Navy lead to just three points at 15-12, Aaron Kalil got a major decision over Mitch Berger in the ninth bout of the night to seal the win.
The win by Rebertus over the then ninth-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds vaulted him all the way to No. 8 in the most recent InterMat poll. He enters this Friday's dual at 21-5 overall and 3-0 in duals.
Bryce Saddoris, who won by fall in last Friday's dual, jumped two spots in the InterMat poll and is now ranked No. 6 at 157 pounds. The team captain is now 24-4 overall and 3-2 in duals.
Saddoris is scheduled to take on Maryland's 13th-ranked Kyle John (23-6) on Saturday in the only bout of the weekend between wrestlers ranked in the InterMat top-20 poll.
Friday and Saturday's matches mark the first of back-to-back weekend duals for the Mids, who will host North Carolina and Rutgers next weekend. While duals on consecutive days can sometimes be challenging for teams, Burnett knows just how important they are in preparing the Mids for their end of the season run.
"If you're going to compete on a national level, your body is going to be beat up by this point of the season," said Burnett. "If your body is not getting ready now, then by the end of year you will not be ready to compete at a higher level."
Admission to Friday night's match with Liberty is $6 for adults and $3 for students (18 & under). Tickets for elementary and middle school students will be just $2.
Navy (2-1) - Projected Lineup
125: Aaron Kalil (17-8/1-1) or Jericho Urmenita (1-3/1-3)
133: Allen Stein (9-11/0-2) or Tyler Sackett (8-10/0-1)
141: Dustin Haislip (2-4/0-2) or Joe Locksmith (8-7/0-1)
149: Eric Filipowicz (11-10/1-2) or Zach Basich (9-7/0-0)
157: No. 6 Bryce Saddoris (24-4/3-0) or Matt Jackson (8-5/0-0)
165: Mason Bailey (11-10/1-1) or Robby Neill (1-2/0-0)
174: Matt DeMichiel (16-5/1-0) or Oscar Huntley (17-10/2-0)
184: No. 8 Luke Rebertus (21-5/3-0)
197: Greg Prioleau (6-9/0-2) or Chance Rauscher (5-9/0-1)
285: Mike Landis (9-8/1-1) or Dan Miller (11-8/0-1)
Liberty (6-5) - Projected Lineup
125: Robert Jillard (12-8/2-2) or Joel Stafford (6-4/4-2)
133: T. J. Mitchell (8-11/4-1) or Nathan Nelson (3-8/0-0)
141: Seth Hicks (7-9/2-3) or Joey Montgomery (6-8/4-2)
149: Peter Crawford (4-6/0-1) or Eric Reger (0-4/0-2)
157: Julian Colon (10-9/3-3)
165: Chad Porter (11-7/3-2) or Eli Sanchez (1-11/0-4)
174: Royal Brettrager II (10-8/6-2)
184: Aaron Kelley (3-2/3-2) or Marcus Nielson (2-5/1-3)
197: Aaron Thompson (9-7/8-3)
285: Josh Pelletier (10-5/7-3) or Jake Wright (0-0/0-0)
Maryland (9-3) Projected Lineup
125: Shane Gentry (13-0)
133: Lou Ruland (13-7) or Joey 141: Jon Kohler (14-5)
149: Ben Dorsay (22-11)
157: No. 13 Kyle John (23-6)
165: No. 5 Josh Asper (21-2)
174: No. 17 Mike Letts (19-5)
184: Corey Peltier (14-6)
197: Christian Boley (14-9)
285: Spencer Myers (18-6)
