After getting swept away by No. 22 Appalachian State, the Blue Devils looked to gain some momentum in their next dual meet and avoid a third straight loss.
Unfortunately for Duke, not even a major decision from their nationally-ranked heavyweight could salvage a victory at Navy.
Sixth-ranked Jacob Kasper began his heavyweight matchup with the Blue Devils trailing 17-13 and came up with a 10-1 major decision to give Duke enough points to even the overall score at 17. But on a third-criteria tiebreaker, the Midshipmen came out on top in total points 66-60 to earn the victory at Wesley Brown Field House in Annapolis, Md.
Despite coming up with five victories in 10 matchups Sunday, the Blue Devils could not come up with the overall win.
“It's disappointing,” Duke head coach Glen Lanham said. “A lot of guys need to take more buy-in. It's coming down to our heavyweight, and you've got to get a fall or tech them. The kids are running and not wrestling.”
Kasper's continued dominance gave the Blue Devils (2-5) a chance to even tie the match after the final bout. The redshirt junior was up against Thomas Ott, who got called for stalling four times to give Kasper an early 4-1 advantage. Eventually, Kasper picked up four nearfall points by getting a takedown, then held on for a 10-1 major decision and his 21st straight win.
Duke also got off to a strong start in the 125- and 133-pound weight classes. Junior Thayer Atkins seized an early 4-1 lead against Brant Leadbeter, then despite surrendering the early lead dominated the second and third periods for a 15-7 major decision at 125 pounds.
With his team already up 4-0, redshirt junior Cole Baumgartner pulled out a tight win against Cody Lambert. The Navy competitor fought back from a 6-2 hole to cut the deficit in half late before Baumgartner earned another escape to make the team score 7-0 with a 7-4 decision.
But the Midshipmen (10-1) responded with wins of their own at 141 and 149 pounds.
Blue Devil sophomore Zach Finesilver, an NCAA championship qualifier last year, never found a rhythm at 141 pounds, dropping a 15-4 major decision to make the team score 7-4. Duke senior Xaviel Ramos battled hard at 149 pounds, but dropped a 9-5 decision to Corey Wilding to even the score through four bouts.
Although senior Jake Faust put Duke back on top with a 4-0 decision at 157 pounds against Zach Elvin, that was the Blue Devils' last lead of the day.
Freshman Garrett Neff dropped a 12-4 major decision in the 165-pound weight class to give Navy its first advantage, setting the stage for a critical matchup at 174 pounds.
Duke's second top-15 wrestler, senior Connor Bass, could not deliver in the matchup, falling to No. 17 Jadaen Bernstein. In a rematch from the 2016 Southern Scuffle, Bernstein avenged a loss by taking down Bass 8-3 to put the home team up 14-10 with just three bouts remaining. Bass has been in a funk recently, dropping a 12-2 major decision to Appalachian State's Nick Kee in Tuesday's loss. He is now 15-7 this season, including a 4-4 mark against ranked foes.
“[Connor] has got to get his head back in it,” Lanham said. “These are some tough matches but that's the same way it's going to be at nationals. He has just got to get his focus back and be ready to wrestle. It definitely hurt him tonight. He wasn't focused and he wasn't ready for a long match.”
Junior Alec Schenk earned a 6-4 decision against Michael Coleman at 184 pounds to cut the deficit to one, but classmate Luke Farinaro dropped a 6-2 decision in the next matchup at 197 pounds to give Navy its 17-13 lead.
Despite Kasper's late heroics, the Blue Devils will now have to try to bounce back from a third straight loss as their grueling dual-meet season continues. Duke will average two duals per week until Feb. 18, continuing Wednesday at Old Dominion.
“It's a long stretch, but that's how the season is,” Lanham said. “It's a long grinding stretch but you've got to be ready for the grind.”
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