The wrestling team dropped its two initial matches Saturday at the North Carolina State Duals, but earned the season's first victory with a convincing win in the day's third and final meet.
The Blue Devils' top individual performances came from the team's upperclassmen. Senior Tom Cass and juniors Adam Benitez and Mike Mitchell each swept their three matches, while senior Tommy Hoang also impressed, going 2-1 on the day.
Saturday's third match was another close contest but, for the first time this season, Duke came out on top beating Franklin & Mitchell 25-19.
Benitez, Cass and Mitchell each closed out the day undefeated, while Hoang earned his second win, pinning his opponent, Will Filbert, in a lightning quick 50 seconds.
Juniors Tim Marcantonio and Andrew Herbert all logged victories.
"I was especially impressed with Tom Cass' wrestling Saturday," Mitchell said. "He was really tough and really technical."
The competition's first match, which pitted Duke against The Citadel, was the low point of the day for the Blue Devils. With the team's only wins coming from the weekend perfect trio, the Bulldogs drubbed Duke, 26-10. Mitchell, last week's wrestler of the week in the ACC, continued to dominate the 165-pound weight class, walking away with a major decision over The Citadel's James Rose.
"Mike Mitchell is the backbone for us," Benitez said. "He's the constant."
The second match was a closer loss, with the Blue Devils falling to East Stroudsburg, 19-15. In this match the trio was joined by Hoang and Ben Balmages, who also earned victories over their Bulldog counterparts.
"Our heads just got more and more into it," said Benitez. "The second match had been really close, and that motivated us."
Despite the fact that neither picked up a win, the Blue Devils received quality performances from sophomore Roy Williams and freshman Brandon Foose. In the second match against East Stroudsburg, both came within two points of winning--matches that would have given the Blue Devils a victory.
"I thought they did real well," Benitez said. "For Foose to stay in those matches and never let it get away from him is really impressive, especially for a freshman."
The wrestling team gets some time off before heading to Boise Creek for its next competition, a dual meet against Gardner-Webb Jan. 22.
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