LAS VEGAS, Nev. - A 10-5 decision over Cal State Bakersfield's Adam Fierro clinched fifth place for senior team captain Peyton Walsh (Glen Allen, Va.), while the Navy wrestling team placed 26th among 37 teams at the 33rd edition of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational held Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Conference Center.

One of the nation's premiere events, this year's field included 11 teams ranked among the top 20, while better than 80 wrestlers currently ranked in the top 25 at their respective weights were also be in action. Second-ranked Minnesota placed seven among the top eight, including two champions, en route to winning the team title. Meanwhile, No. 7 Ohio State finished second followed by No. 6 Virginia Tech, No. 15 Iowa State and No. 3 Cornell.

"The Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational gave all of our guys a good look at what the highest level of competition is like at the college level," said first-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt.

One of two Navy wrestlers to advance into the second day of competition, Walsh put together a 5-2 record en route to his fifth-place finish. Seeded 10th, Walsh opened the tournament on Friday with a 4-1 victory over Bucknell's Robert Schlitt. His win by fall over 16th-ranked Jesse Stafford of Air Force just before time expired (6:42) catapulted the two-time NCAA qualifier in the quarterfinals against third-ranked and second-seeded Michael Morena of Iowa State. Walsh's hopes of claiming the 165-pound title were snapped, however, when Morena dealt Walsh a 14-8 loss and he would drop to the consolation bracket.

Walsh regrouped and scored a 5-2 decision over ninth-seeded Chandler Smith of Army and edged NC State's Max Rohskopf to advance. Fifth-seeded and 12th-ranked Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa would post a 5-1 win over the future Marine Corps officer, sending Walsh to the fifth-place bout against Fierro. Walsh's 10-5 win over Fierro marked his fourth top five finish of the season and he is the only Navy wrestler to place in every tournament this year.

"Peyton did a great job leading the team with his consistent effort," said Sharratt. "He has continued to improve each week and I think he will climb in the national rankings after the fight he brought to Vegas this weekend."

Meanwhile, Navy rookie 174-pound Jadaen Bernstein (Glen Gardner, N.J.) faced one of the toughest draws among his Navy teammates, but picked up two of the biggest wins of his career. Bernstein opened with a 6-4 win over 20th-ranked Ray Waters of Arizona State before posting a 5-2 victory over eighth-ranked Bryce Hammond of Cal State Bakersfield. Bernstein, however, would succumb to ninth-ranked Blaise Butler of Virginia in the quarterfinals, 8-5, before bowing out of the tournament with an 8-0 loss to 17th-ranked Pete Renda of NC State.

"Jadaen had a coming out party with his victories over a couple nationally-ranked opponents this weekend," added Sharratt. "As a freshman, he battled deep into what is possibly the toughest tournament in the country outside the NCAA Championship."

Senior 197-pound Paul Rands (Cary, Ill.), sophomore 141-pound Taylor French (Forsyth, Mont.) and freshman 149-pound Corey Wilding (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were the only other Navy wrestlers to win at least two matches.

"As a team, we validated the fact that the skills we have been training to improve upon will produce a victory at this level," said Sharratt. "Each athlete needs to continue to grow and develop the ability to impose their will on our opponents. All of the guys gained confidence in their ability after facing the stacked field of competition they saw this weekend. This is a team of committed young wrestlers who took advantage of the learning opportunity this event offered."

The Mids, who begin final exams next week, return to action next Saturday when they travel to Philadelphia to face Drexel. Action is set for 7:00 pm at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.


### Go Navy ###