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ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy wrestling team (7-2, 1-1 EIWA) closed out the home portion of its dual schedule with a 23-10 loss to Old Dominion (5-9, 1-5 MAC) Friday evening at Alumni Hall. Old Dominion won seven of the 10 bouts, including three one-point decisions, en route to securing its fifth win of the season while the Mids suffered just their second loss of the 2016-17 campaign.

"As a coach, I always believe in finding ways to win," said third-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. "Our guys have been working unbelievably hard at improving in every aspect of the sport. Tonight, however, was just not acceptable in representing their capabilities. The key takeaway is we know how talented these guys are and without a senior in the lineup and two backups, we just did not find ways to win the close ones."

"Every wrestler has to be working to build his lead and always find a way to win. Casey Cowan stepped up and had a chance to put away a talented transfer that added some strength to the Monarch lineup, but we had our chance and just did not close the door. Brant Leadbeter was strong tonight and also had a chance to put his guy away but time ran out."

The Monarchs scored the evening's first points when heavyweight Will Hilliard built a 3-0 lead in the second period and held off Navy's Thomas Ott (So / Lewes, Del.) for a 3-2 victory.

The Mids, however, bounced back and took their lone lead of the match behind a 14-6 major decision by 125-pound Brant Leadbeter (Jr / Owings, Md.). After heading into the final period with the match deadlocked at 6-6, Leadbeter broke the tied with an escape 20 seconds into the period and secured the bonus point win by scoring a takedown and a four-point near fall with under a minute to go in the match. The win marked Leadbeter's first dual win of the season.

ODU redshirt freshman Alex Madrigal shut out Navy's Cody Lambert (So / tulsa, Okla.) at 133 pounds and the 8-0 major decision by the Madrigal sparked a four-match run by the Monarchs and a 17-4 advantage with just four matches remaining. Two of the four OSU wins were by one point. Kevin Budock dealt 2016 NCAA qualifier Nicholas Gil (So / Crystal Lake, Ill.) a 4-3 loss at 141 pounds, while Navy's Corey Wilding (Jr / Pittsburgh, Pa.) scored a takedown at the final whistle, but would come up short in a 5-4 decision against ODU senior Michael Hayes.

Navy received a giant boost in confidence when 165-pound Drew Daniels (Jr / Overland Park, Kan.) dealt 19th-ranked Seldon Wright a 5-3 loss. Tied at two going into the final period, Daniels broke free in just three seconds to go up 3-2 before scoring the match-winning takedown with just 22 seconds remaining. Wright did trim the deficit to two with an escape with under 10 to go, but he would fall short in defeating Daniels.

"The strongest victory this evening was by Drew Daniels, who pushed through a tie and was capable of scoring many more times with just a couple of small adjustments."

Daniels pointed to "staying in good position" as the key to his win over Wright. "Having confidence in myself and knowing my shots would work when given the opportunity," added Daniels.

The third-year starter, first at 165 pounds, also pointed to Sunday's title win at the All-Academy Championship as encouragement towards his quest to securing an NCAA Tournament bid.

"Sunday's win absolutely gave me confidence moving forward and really since the winter break I have been wrestling well," said Daniels.

The Mids won its second straight match after 16th-ranked Jadaen Bernstein (Jr / Glen Gardner, N.J.) edged out Antonio Agee in a frustrating match at 174 pounds. Agee was called twice for stalling in the opening period and went on to bide his time, giving little room for Bernstein to seek an advantage.

The Monarchs claimed the final two matches of the evening as ranked wrestlers Jack Dechow, #9 at 184 pounds, and Kevin Beazley, #15 at 197 pounds, scored wins over Navy's Michael Coleman (Jr / Hudson, Ohio) and Steban Cervantes (Jr / Chula Vista, Calif.), respectively.

Meanwhile, prior to the match Navy honored its nine senior squad members and their families for their commitment to the program over the last four seasons.

"It was an honor to be on the mat with our athletic director, Mr. Gladchuk tonight as we said farewell to our 2017 seniors," said Sharratt. "These guys are just months away from taking leadership roles in the service of our country and I am confident they are well prepared to meet the challenges our country faces everyday.

The Midshipmen return to action next Wednesday when they travel to Fairfax, Va. to battle George Mason beginning at 7:00 pm at the Recreation and Athletic Complex. A live stream (paid subscription) will be available via George Mason All-Access at gomason.com(.)

"Our best wrestling is ahead of us and tonight was a small setback," said Sharratt. "It's what we learn from it that will show the resolve of the 10 starters in our lineup going forward."

Old Dominion 23, Navy 10
285 | Will Hilliard decision Thomas Ott (NAVY), 3-2
125 | Brant Leadbeter (NAVY) major decision Steven Simpson, 14-6
133 | Alex Madrigal major decision Cody Lambert (NAVY), 8-0
141 | Kevin Budock decision Nicholas Gil (NAVY), 4-3
149 | Michael Hayes decision Corey Wilding (NAVY), 5-4
157 | Larry Early major decision Casey Cowan (NAVY), 19-5
165 | Drew Daniels (NAVY) dec #19 Seldon Wright, 5-3
174 | #16 Jadaen Bernstein (NAVY) decision Antonio Agee, 4-3
184 | #9 Jack Dechow dec Michael Coleman (NAVY), 8-2
197 | #15 Kevin Beazley dec Steban Cervantes (NAVY), 10-4

### Go Navy ###