Wrestlers show improvement despite low finish at Bethlehem

Although they placed a mere 14th out of 16 teams at the Sheridan Invitational, the Duke wrestlers weren't disappointed with the final standings. The tournament, held in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this past Saturday, severely tested the Blue Devils' skills because they came up against some of the best competition in the nation, including three teams in the top 10 and 30 wrestlers ranked at the top of their respective weight classes.

Of the teams present, Oklahoma came out on top with 151 points. Lehigh finished 20 points back in second place. These results were expected, because both schools are near the top of the national rankings.

"This was definitely the toughest tournament we'll be in," coach Clar Andersen said. "I was very pleased with my wrestlers' performances."

The Blue Devils accomplished an exceptional feat by winning four of their first round matches by pins. This was an improvement from last year's tournament, when only one wrestler won a match in the entire event. In addition to these four pins, the team racked up three more to bring the final pin number to seven.

"All of our wins were pins which was incredible," said sophomore Deuce Harris.

The quality of the tournament's competition enabled Duke to bring its wrestling to a higher level. Many wrestlers believe that, while their record doesn't reflect their ability, they still wrestled well.

"I wasn't pleased with my placement," said sophomore heavyweight Alex Hunt, "but I feel I've improved since the last tournament."

Leading the Blue Devils with two pins was senior Chris Heckel. Although he lost in an early round to the fifth ranked wrestler in the nation in a 6-4 sudden death overtime, he managed to finish the tournament with three wins and two losses, earning him a sixth place mark in the 126 lbs. weight class. Other pins were recorded by seniors Jesse Raia and Dion Santo and freshman Bill Morris.