The Blue Devils rolled out wrestling mats in Krzyzewskiville last weekend to decide their starters with an intrasquad scrimmage.
This weekend, they will see how the new lineup fares in its first competition of the season.
Duke will travel to Salem, Va., to compete in the Southeast Open hosted by Virginia Tech Sunday. The Blue Devils are eager to start their season, and many returners will look to repeat a slew of successful finishes from last year’s bout in Virginia. The event used to be called the Hokie Open.
“I’m glad to get [the season] rolling,” Duke head coach Glen Lanham said. “We had a great summer, but this is year five for me… I’m coaching this year like this is a make or break year.”
The Blue Devils have more or less established their likely lineup for the weekend, marked by several athletes’ transitions into higher weight classes. Jacob Kasper made the largest jump after started for the Blue Devils at 184 pounds during his first two seasons before moving to the heavyweight class. Kasper now weighs in at about 230 pounds—the redshirt junior will go up against athletes as heavy as 285 pounds this season.
“He put in some hard work. I didn’t think he could do it,” Lanham said. “He can do it. He’s got the strength, his numbers are through the roof—his squat, his bench—so I’m excited for him to get out there on his first go and see what he’s got.”
Senior Connor Bass, who captured the 2015 Hokie Open title in the 157-pound weight class, has also moved into a new weight class. Last week, the Yorkville, Illl., native won the intrasquad match at 174 pounds against junior Alex Schenk, who started five matches for Duke last year.
Alex Belaia-Martiniouk at 197 pounds and either Araad Sarrami or Tyler Patrick in the 184-pound weight class will also make new appearances in the team's lineup this week. Sarrami wrestled unattached in the heavyweight division and notched a fall at last year’s Hokie Open but lost by decision to Patrick in the Blue-White scrimmage this year.
In the lighter weight classes, the Blue Devils return Thayer Atkins at 125 pounds. The Dallas native finished fourth overall at last year’s Hokie Open, advancing to the third round before losing to Virginia Tech’s Joey Dance, who begins the season ranked third in the weight class.
Cole Baumgartner, Zach Finesilver, and Xaviel Ramos all notched pins in the Blue-White scrimmage at the 133-, 141-, and 149-pound weight classes, earning all three athletes a likely spot in this weekend’s starting lineup. Baumgartner will be the only one of the trio new to the Southeast Open, where Finesilver finished fifth at 141 pounds last year as a redshirt freshman.
Lanham and his staff welcomed seven new freshmen this offseason, ranging in weight class from 125 pounds to heavyweight. One of the rookies, Garrett Neff, could make a big splash after wrestling at 157 pounds this offseason. His older brother Spencer is a senior who competes at 184 pounds for Duke.
The Southeast Open will—as usual—welcome a wealth of talent, starting with the host school and four other ACC programs. Virginia Tech finished fourth at the NCAA championship in March and boasts six top-10 wrestlers across six different weight classes.
For a team that went 1-4 in ACC play last season, the Blue Devils will look to get out ahead against its conference opponents early this season. Duke will get its fair share of top competition before opening the dual season against Oregon State Nov. 12.
Update: This story was updated to reflect the name change from the Hokie Open to the Southeast Open.
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