WEST POINT, N.Y. — The 24th-ranked Army wrestling team (8-3, 7-1 EIWA) won seven of the 10 matches, including the final four, to earn a 22-10 victory over Navy (6-4, 3-3 EIWA) Saturday afternoon at Christl Arena.
The Highlights
• Army won the first two matches of the evening (125 and 133), before team captain
Nicholas Gil and two-time NCAA qualifier
Jared Prince put together back-to-back victories at 141 and 149 pounds. Prince's 10-2 major decision over Noah Hanau gave the Mids their first lead at 7-6.
• Army and Navy exchanged wins at 157 (Army's Lucas Weiland, 6-0) and 165 pounds. First-year Navy starter
Tanner Skidgel earned a hard-fought 4-0 victory at 165 pounds over 20th-ranked Cael McCormick.
• There were four lead changes over the course of the match before Army took the lead for good with a 7-3 win by Ben Harvey over 20th-ranked
Spencer Carey at 174 pounds.
• Eighth-ranked 197-pound Rocco Caywood sealed the Army victory by dealing Navy's
Joshua Roetman his first dual loss of the season, 8-1.
• Both
Nicholas Gil and
Jared Prince improved to 3-0 in the Star Match, while Skidgel is 1-0.
• The win by
Nicholas Gil was the 103rd of his career, giving him sole possession of 13th on Navy's all-time wins list.
• Navy is now 49-9-5 all-time against Army, including 22-7-3 in matches staged at West Point.
• Army pushes ahead, 9-8, in the annual Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA with seven remaining Star Games - Women's Tennis (3-30 at West Point), Men's Outdoor Track & Field (4-6 at Annapolis), Women's Outdoor Track & Field (4-6 at Annapolis), Men's Lacrosse (4-13 at Annapolis), Women's Lacrosse (4-13 at Annapolis), Men's Tennis (4-13 at West Point) and Baseball (4-20-21 at Annapolis).
Thoughts from Head Coach Joel Sharratt
• Going into today's dual, you knew there were several key matchups based on the history and course of the regular-season competition. Our lightweights have been growing and improving from week to week and I felt the first two bouts were extremely important to get us off to the right start and establish early momentum.
•
Jacob Allen went in as an underdog if you look at ranking, but he did not take a backseat and will use this experience to be prepared for what's ahead in challenging for conference opportunities.
•
Casey Cobb was in scoring position and on his finish he was caught by surprise with a little roll through and that moment of hesitation made a big difference in the bout.
• Nick Gil is a true leader who was leather with his attacks, but felt he wanted more for the team. He wrestled very solid and it's a good finish to his regular season. I am proud of the way he silenced the gym by going out and being the constant aggressor.
•
Jared Prince showed his wrestling IQ deep in the third, as he had one point to score to earn a major. He was patient and worked as long as he could to seek a pinning position before ultimately closing out with the major.
•
Quentin Hovis has come a long way this season in personal growth and I look forward to him entering the EIWA 0-0 as a dark horse who has a ton of ability.
•
Tanner Skidgel is a hammer and remains a physical smashing machine. He wrestles wide open, unbridled and aggressive every time he goes on the mat. In a match that featured two competitors with very similar records, he went out and was the clear and dominate aggressor.
•
Spencer Carey had several opportunities after going out early and scoring, dominating position and instilling fatigued. He will take the experience of this match forward into an open door opportunity for him to earn a spot to the NCAA Tournament.
•
Anthony Cable has served a veteran role among the team and was in on solid shots that he has to finish to get to the next level. I believe tonight helps him understand he can compete at this level with some small and effective changes in disciplined position.
• I believe
Joshua Roetman made a Hail Mary move early in his match to give the team the opportunity to win. He dropped six points in a high-risk position and battled back to a 1-1 draw the rest of the way.
•
Thomas Ott was unable to get to the legs and that cost him tonight against a fairly aggressive light heavyweight. This style conflict was a challenge for him to adjust to in the match and he will need to adjust in two weeks to stay alive in the postseason.
What's Ahead
• Navy will have nearly two weeks to prepare for the 2019 EIWA Championship slated for March 8-9. Â
• Binghamton will serve as the host with action taking place at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. Opening-day action is set for 11:00 am, while Saturday's semifinals and wrestlebacks are due to start at 10:00 am.
#24 Army 22, Navy 10
125 | Trey Chalifoux dec over
Jacob Allen (NAVY),12-6
133 | Lane Peters dec over
Casey Cobb (NAVY), 7-4
141 | #13
Nicholas Gil (NAVY) dec over Corey Shie, 10-5
149 |
Jared Prince (NAVY) major dec over Noah Hanau, 10-2
157 | Lucas Weiland dec over
Quentin Hovis (NAVY), 6-0
165 |
Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) dec over #20 Cael McCormick, 4-0
174 | Ben Harvey dec over #20
Spencer Carey (NAVY), 7-3
184 | Noah Stewart dec over
Anthony Cable (NAVY) , 6-0
197 | #8 Rocco Caywood dec over
Joshua Roetman (NAVY), 8-1
285 | Bobby Heald major dec over
Thomas Ott (NAVY), 18-6
### Go Navy ###