Wrestling earns split decision in pair of weekend matches

The wrestling team made an impressive showing in a pair of meets at Cameron Indoor Stadium this weekend and came away with a split decision.

Duke (5-5, 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) smacked Gardner-Webb Friday night, 26-9, behind a five-point technical fall and three four-point major decisions, and fell Sunday afternoon to North Carolina, 30-10. Duke kept nearly every match close Sunday and made a major improvement on the 27 and 34-point losses it suffered the last two years against the Tar Heels.

"We wrestled pretty well, and we're pretty satisfied," coach Bill Harvey said. "This year, we've had a feeling like we've been where we want to be. We've been getting better and better as the season goes on, and we know that by this part of the season with the ACC, we're wrestling tougher teams."

After a loss at 118 lbs. put the Blue Devils in a 3-0 hole Friday, junior Chris Heckel initiated a Duke rally at the 126-lb. weight class. Heckel jumped all over Gardner-Webb's Ben Mobley, grabbing a 7-0 first-period lead with a takedown and two near falls, and continued to pummel his opponent in the later stanzas. With a 16-2 advantage entering the third period, Heckel elected to take the bottom position. He made an escape, earning himself a 15-point advantage and a technical fall and giving Duke a 5-3 lead in the overall meet.

"At 126, Heckel really went out and got it," Harvey said. "This is the time of year when things start coming together and you start thinking about ACCs, and Heckel really wrestled well."

Freshman Cameron Stock's 7-2 triumph at 134 lbs. put the Blue Devils ahead 8-3, and at 142 lbs., senior Dan Covatta quickly scored a pair of takedowns and a near fall to seize a 7-2 first-period edge on Gardner-Webb senior Chris Austin. Austin squeaked by Covatta last year, 7-6, but Covatta turned the tide Friday, registering a 15-4 win and stretching his team's lead to 12-3.

"[In 1996] Dan depended too much on one move," Harvey said. "Now he'll go with one move, then another move, then another one. He's getting in three or four different moves, and the [opponent] can't just count on seeing the same move."

The Bulldogs cut Duke's lead to six with a victory at 150 lbs., but sophomore Matt Mapes put the Blue Devils ahead 16-6 with a major decision at 158 lbs. Mapes held a huge advantage in riding time throughout the match, so, although his escape in the final half-minute gave him only a seven-point lead, he earned an additional point on riding time that won him the major decision, 13-5.

"Matt [Mapes] wrestled aggressively and did a good job," Harvey said. "He's been off the last couple of weeks, but he came back real well against Gardner-Webb and kept it up [against UNC].

"Jacob Hart wrestled very well. He had the kid on his back, and there were a few times where he could've had a pin. He was in control, he cradled his man a couple of times and he wrestled a good match."

Duke matched up poorly with the Tar Heels at the top weight classes, as freshman heavyweight Alex Hunt had to face UNC's three-time All-American, Justin Harty, who pinned Hunt. Overall, however, Harvey was encouraged by his team's ability to stack up with the top club in the ACC.

"We've got to feel positive coming out of this," Harvey said. "We feel like, come Mar. 8 and the ACC Tournament, we'll be ready to compete with anybody."