CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Five Navy wrestlers reached the podium en route to guiding the Midshipmen to a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear, Wednesday at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga. It's the second straight year Navy has put together a top-five finish at one of the nation's premier tournaments and the fourth time since the tournament debuted in 2004.

Top-ranked Penn State (216.5 tournament record) paved the way with 12 medalists, including six individual champions, in winning the team crown by 28 points over second-place Oklahoma State (188.5). The Cowboys had nine placewinners and accounted for the four remaining individual champions. Rounding out the top five were No. 23 Iowa State (104) in third, followed by Stanford (82.5) and Navy (75.5).

"I am very proud of the way this team competed over the last two days," said fifth-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt.  "The Southern Scuffle is another elite event on our schedule and the Naval Academy wrestlers did not disappoint in their performance.

"The team really came together through our training camp and the experience gained through this competition. The lessons learned and bonds built among teammates will serve them well as we move into our dual meet season."

The Highlights
• Five of Navy's 15 wrestlers who competed at the 2019 Southern Scuffle placed among the top eight.
• Two-time NCAA qualifier Nicholas Gil was the Mids' top placewinner with a third-place finish at 141 pounds.
• Navy's other four medalists (Aslan Kilic, Jared Prince, Tanner Skidgel, Joshua Roetman) appeared in the seventh / eighth-place matches in their respective weight classes.
• Ranked 18th nationally, Nicholas Gil (Sr, Crystal Lake, Ill.) turned in a 5-1 record and suffered his only loss of the two-day tournament to Stanford's Real Woods (unattached) by a 3-1 count in the semifinals.
• Gil leads the team with an 18-4 record this winter and is now just four wins shy of becoming the 16th wrestler in school history to reach 100 wins. He stands 96-37 all-time.
• After serving as the Mids' starter at 125 pounds a year ago, Aslan Kilic (So, Marietta, Ga.) has battled injury throughout the early portion of this season.
• In fact, Kilic returned to the mat for the first time since competing at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open on Nov. 11.
• Despite losing his opening match of the tournament (19-5 major to Missouri's Cevion Severado), Kilic regrouped and won five in a row.
• He concluded the tournament with a 5-2 record and marked the first tournament of his career in which he placed.
• Jared Prince (Jr, Safety Harbor, Fla.), who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday, entered the tournament ranked 17th at 149 pounds and finished the competition with a 5-2 record. He won his first three matches (two by fall) before dropping a tough 4-3 decision to 10th-ranked Brady Berge of Penn State in the semis. He captured a 15-3 victory over Appalachian State's Matt Zovistoski in the seventh-place bout.
• Taking eighth at 165 pounds was second-year standout Tanner Skidgel (Tulsa, Okla.).
• Skidgel managed a 4-3 record en route to earning a medal for the first time in a varsity tournament.
• Placing among the top eight for the second time this season was Joshua Roetman (Jr, Kotzebue, Alaska), who took eighth at 197 pounds.
• Roetman, who took third at the Navy Classic earlier this year, put together a 3-3 record, dropping matches to top-ranked Bo Nickal of Penn State and a 3-1 decision to 18th-ranked Randall Diabe of Appalachian State in the seventh-place match.
• Two of Navy's top wrestlers in the wins column this season failed to place. Casey Cobb (So, Nampa, Idaho) came into the tournament with a 12-4 record at 133 pounds, but fell out early with back to back losses after opening the competition with a 2-0 mark. Meanwhile, 17th-ranked Spencer Carey (Jr, Ringwood, N.J.) recorded a 3-2 mark at 174 pounds in coming up short to medal.

Quick Takes from the Coach
• "Nicholas Gil led this team and battled for every point he earned for this team finish. He carried the day and the team followed him by producing five placewinners."

• "Tanner Skidgel stepped onto the national stage this week and will certainly rise in the national rankings with his performance."

• "Jared Prince wrestled his best match of the season in his seventh-place bout and I see him gaining momentum coming through this event."

• "The depth we have at several weight classes is very encouraging. We have some great competitors at every weight, but the parity and competitiveness of guys like Jacob Allen, Casey Cobb, Logan Treaster Aslan Kilic and Cody Trybus are exactly the seeds of what makes a great team."

• "I believe the greatest attribute of this team right now is the hunger it has to get better and the commitment it has to put in the work it takes to make adjustments and improve.I am equally proud of the effort of this staff to develop each athlete in their areas of excellence as it fits into our team
approach to how Navy wrestling competes.

What's Ahead
• The Mids will wrestle their first EIWA dual of the 2018-19 campaign when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa. on Saturday to face Bucknell. Action is set for 2:00 pm at Davis Gym. There will be a free live video stream of the match available on the Patriot League Network and NavySports.com(.)
• Navy will also send a handful of wrestlers to Lancaster, Pa., to compete in the David H. Lehman Franklin & Marshall Open on Saturday beginning at 9:00 am.


Team Standings
1.  216.5 - Penn State
2.  188.5 - Oklahoma State
3.  104.0 - Iowa State
4.  82.5 - Stanford
5.  75.5 - Navy
6.  71.5 - Lock Haven
7.  70.0 - Duke
8.  54.5 - Ohio
9.  48.5 - Virginia Tech
10.  46.5 - Cal State Bakersfield
11.  45.5 - Northern Colorado
12.  43.0 - Appalachian State
13.  41.0 - Rider
14.  37.5 - Binghamton
       37.5 - Chattanooga
16.  27.5 - George Mason
17.  26.0 - Drexel
18.  24.5 - Air Force
       24.5 - Edinboro
20.  21.0 - The Citadel
21. 19.0 - Lehigh
22.  17.5 - Columbia
23.  8.0 - Gardner Webb

Navy Results
125 - Jacob Allen (2-2, DNP)
• def #20 Fabian Guttierrez, Chattanooga / Dec / 3-2
• lost to Luke Werner, Lock Haven / Dec / 9-10
• def Trevor Giallambardo, Ohio / Major / 14-4
• lost to Shakur Laney, Ohio / Dec / 3-8

125 - Aslan Kilic (5-2, 7th place)
• lost to Cevion Severado, Missouri (unattached) / Major / 5-19
• def Arick Shankles, Edinboro / Major / 11-3
• def Devin Schnupp, Penn State / Dec / 7-6
• def Richie Koehler, Rider (unattached) / Major / 12-4
• def Brody Teske, Penn State (unattached) / Med Forfeit
• lost to Jakob Camacho, NC State (unattached) / Dec / 4-9
• def Gabriel Townsell, Stanford / Med Forfeit

125 - Logan Treaster (1-2, DNP)
• lost to Alex Mackall, Iowa State / Dec / 3-7
• def Paxton Rosen, Campbell (unattached) / Dec / 4-2
• lost to #20 Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga / Fall / 5:41

133 - Casey Cobb (2-2, DNP)
• def Charles Kearney, The Citadel / Major / 10-2
• def Anthony DeCesare, Air Force / Dec / 3-2
• lost to #10 Austin Gomez, Iowa State / Major / 4-14
• lost to Todd Small, Iowa State (unattached) / Dec / 3-10

133 - Cody Trybus (2-2, DNP)
• lost to Collin Gerardi, Virginia Tech (unattached) / Dec / 4-8
• def Brandon Loperfido, Lock Haven / Dec / 6-4
• def Jake Huffine, Chattanooga / Dec / 3-1
• lost to Todd Small, Iowa State (unattached) / Dec / 6-10

141 - #18 Nicholas Gil (5-1, 3rd place)
• def Travis Layton, Rider / Dec / 4-1
• def Ryan Leisure, Iowa State / Dec / 3-2
• def DJ Fehlman, Lock Haven / Dec / 9-6
• lost to Real Woods, Stanford (unattached) / Dec / 1-3
• def Chris Debien, Chattanooga / Dec / 2-1
• def Cameron Kelly, Ohio / Dec / 3-2

141 - Kyle Trybus (0-1, DNP)
• lost to #4 Ian Parker, Iowa State / Major / 2-10
• (lost to) Travis Layton, Rider / Med Forfeit

149 - #17 Jared Prince (5-2, 7th place)
• def Ethan Leake, Northern Colorado (unattached) / Fall / 4:24
• def Gino Esposito, North Carolina / Fall / 3:12
• def Tejon Anthony, George Mason / Dec / 8-3
• lost to #10 Brady Berge, Penn State / Dec / 3-4
• def Jonathan Millner, Appalachian State / Tech Fall / 18-3
• lost to Requir Van der Merwe, Stanford / Dec / 3-4
• def Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State / Major / 15-3

157 - Quentin Hovis (1-2, DNP)
• lost to Jordan Robison, Northern Colorado / Dec / 6-5
• def Angel Najar, Appalachian State / Fall / 1:26
• lost to Kolby Ho, George Mason / Dec / 5-6

157 - Scout Skidgel (0-2, DNP)
• lost to Paul Fox, Stanford / Dec / 1-8
• lost to Nick Vestal, Ohio / Dec / 4-5

165 - Tanner Skidgel (4-3, 8th place)
• def Colston DiBlasi, George Mason / Dec / 5-2
• lost to Mason Manville, Penn State / Dec / 2-6
• def Fritz Hoehn, Edinboro / Fall / 2:07
• def Billy Higgins, Northern Colorado (unattached) / Dec / 6-1
• def Tyler Marinelli, Gardner Webb / Dec / 2-0
• lost to Shane Griffith, Stanford (unattached) / Dec / 0-2
• lost to Mason Manville, Penn State / Dec / 4-8

174 - #17 Spencer Carey (3-2, DNP)
• def Cody Surratt, Air Force / Major / 13-2
• lost to Vincent Deprez, Binghamton / Dec / 4-3
• def Barrett Blakely, Appalachian State (unattached) / Fall / 0:19
• def Jeremiah Kent, Missouri (unattached) / Dec / 11-10
• lost to Trent Hidlay, NC State (unattached) / Dec / 0-6

184 - Anthony Cable (3-2, DNP)
• lost to Matthew Waddell, Oklahoma (unattached) / Dec / 2-6
• def Christian Salter, Gardner Webb / Major / 10-2
• dec Martin Duane, The Citadel / Major / 12-4
• def Stanley Smeltzer, Virginia Tech / Med Forfiet
• lost to Dalton Robertson, Northern Colorado / Dec / 2-3

197 - Joshua Roetman (3-3, 8th place)
• def Jake Johnson, Chattachooga (unattached) / Fall / 1:59
• def Austin Harris, Oklahoma State / Dec / 4-0
• lost to #1 Bo Nickal, Penn State / Fall / 1:47
• def Ethan Laird, Rider / Major / 10-2
• lost to Dylan Reynolds, Edinboro / Dec / 2-3
• lost to #18 Randall Diabe, Appalachian State / Dec / 1-3

285 - Thomas Ott (2-2, DNP)
• lost to #16 Matt Voss, George Mason / Dec / 2-7
• def Jarrod Snyder, Cal State Bakersfield / Dec / 3-2
• def John Borst, Virginia Tech / Dec / 3-1
• lost to Cary Miller, Appalachian State / Dec / 3-4


### Go Navy ###