2019 NCAA qualifiers Spencer Carey (Sr / Ringwood, N.J.) and Tanner Skidgel (Jr / Tulsa, Okla.), along with freshman Jacob Koser (Dillsburg, Pa.) placed among the top three in their respective weight classes to lead the Navy wrestling team to a seventh-place finish at the 18-team Navy Classic held Saturday at Wesley Brown Field House in Annapolis.

Virginia Tech, meanwhile, joined Navy (20 times), West Virginia (6) and Lock Haven (2) as multiple winners of the Navy Classic. The Hokies bested second-place Campbell by just nine points (116-107) to become the eighth different team to win the tournament crown in the last eight years (2012 Kent State, 2013 Wisconsin, 2014 Chattanooga, 2015 Princeton, 2016 Indiana, 2017 Navy, 2018 Michigan State, 2019 Virginia Tech).

The 18-team field was the largest in the 42-year history of the Navy Classic, while it featured 25 nationally-ranked wrestlers, including at least one at each weight class.

"Today's event was a really strong opportunity for 25 guys to gain invaluable Div-I wrestling experience," said sixth-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt.  "The tournament was the deepest field in decades for the event and it gave our top guys a strong test and in a tournament format that required real grit and determination to battle through each of the ten loaded weights.

"As a team, we must continue to improve in all areas, but I like what I saw today in competive fire and zeal among our athletes. This group is showing constant improvement and many of the young guys opened some eyes today."

The Highlights
• 25 wrestlers took the mat for the Mids with three placing among the top six in their respective weight classes.
• Tanner Skidgel, ranked 10th by Intermat at 165 pounds, methodically weaved his way through the tournament by way of four 2-point decisions, including back-to-back 5-3 sv decisions over Michigan State's Drew Hughes and Campbell's Quentin Perez (No. 17) to earn a place in the finals. Skidgel would settle for second, as 2019 All-American and seventh-ranked David McFadden of Virginia Tech dealt the second-year Navy starter a 9-3 loss in the championship bout.
• Team captain Spencer Carey, ranked 16th at 174 pounds, raced through the bracket with little resistence, earning three of his four wins by way of tech fall (1) or major decision (2). Carey faced Edinboro's Jacob Oliver in the finals and shortly after taking a 4-3 advantage late in the second period, Carey fell victim to an injury and was unable to continue the match.
• 197-pound Jacob Koser won his first three matches of the day by a combined 31-4 mark before dropping a 4-2 decision in sudden victory to 16th-ranked Jordan Pagano of Rutgers in the semifinals. Pagano scored the match-winning takedown with just 14 seconds left in the one-minute sudden victory period. Koser, however, bounced back and dealt Michigan State's Nick May an 18-2 tech fall loss (3:09) to capture third place.
• Casey Cobb (133), Wyatt Long (141), Cody Trybus (141) and Andrew Buckley (184) fell just a win shy of placing among the top six.
• Cody Trybus had sixth-ranked and returning All-American Kyle Shoop of Lock Haven on the ropes in the second round, as Shoop took a 3-2 advantage early in the third period with an escape. Trybus knotted the match as Shoop was called for stalling late in the third period, but Shoop won the match with the point for riding time.

More from Coach Sharratt
• "Tanner Skidgel showed just how mentally tough he is. He won several battles to earn his spot in the finals and ultimately took another step toward solidifying himself among the nation's elite at 165."

• "Spencer Carey had a great day with his bouts leading to the finals. He was really on his "A" game with motion, points on the board and rock solid defense.  His injury in the finals was a regrettable finish to the day, but he is a driven competitor who will bounce back quickly."

• "Jake Koser did not disappoint Navy fans in his first home event. He has been improving every week and it was impressive to see him sustain his tenacity over multiple matches against stiff competition today. His medal match was probably his most dominant performance of the day and that's impressive to be that strong that deep into the event."

What's Ahead
• Navy returns to dual action on Dec. 6 when it plays host to longtime in-state rival Maryland at Alumni Hall (7:30 pm).
• The Mids own a 56-11-3 series advantage, including a 33-5-1 mark in matches wrestling in Annapolis.
• Navy has won seven straight in the series, including last year's 31-6 victory over the Terps in College Park.

### Go Navy ###