The competition never got any easier for the wrestling team, as it once again failed to place higher than third individually at the UNC Invitational Saturday.
Senior Tom Cass took third place in the 184-lb. weight class, matching sophomore Daegan Smith's third-place finish at team-competition Bloomsburg Invitational a week ago.
"Considering the few people we had, we did well," Smith said. "We had a lot of injuries."
The Blue Devils have been plagued by injuries so far this season, with at least two wrestlers out for the year. Sophomore Jason Gorski, a consistent competitor at 149-lbs, failed to compete in the tournament due to injury after a strong fifth-place showing in Bloomsburg.
The meet was the Blue Devils' last of the semester, allowing Duke a look at the competition that awaits it in January. The Blue Devils faced the always-strong Tar Heels, who decimated their opponents with four first-place and five second-place honors. Virginia Tech took UNC's leavings for four championships and one runner-up.
"[The open meet] gave us a look at a lot of the teams we'll see later," Smith said. "It gives us a look at who we'll wrestle later on."
These future opponents include ACC-champion favorite UNC, as well as VPI, James Madison, Elon College, Appalachian State and UNC-Greensboro. The Blue Devils will compete against Appalachian State in January for their first dual meet of the season and then Duke will face UNC-Greensboro a week later.
Sophomore Harry Clarke placed fourth in the 141-lb. weight class after winning his first two matches then dropping his third. Demoted to the consolation bracket, Clarke won his first match but was pinned in the third-place match.
Three different Blue Devils finished in fifth place in their respective weight class: Junior Sean Meakim in the 133-lb. weight class, Smith in the 197-lb. class and Alex Hunt in the heavyweight division.
Meakim defeated Appalachian State's Lamar Hanna for his placing, having posted a 3-2 record before his fifth-place match.
Smith, meanwhile, lost his final match, falling to third-place finisher Pat Hollwood of The Citadel. Smith lost in the second round of his division, but recovered with two straight wins before the loss to Hollwood.
Freshman Michael Mitchell finished in sixth in the 165-lb. class, going 3-3 in the division before forfeiting his final match against North Carolina's Jake Reynolds. Seven other Blue Devils competed without placing.
And while the results certainly weren't spectacular, for now, Duke looks forward to improving during the break. Duke next returns to action next semester at the Old Dominion Quad meet on Jan. 9 in Norfolk, Va.
"We have a little bit of a break to make weight until January," Smith said. "Now I'm just trying to improve my technique."
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