The third period and overtime were the downfall for Duke"s wrestling team as it lost 25-11 to Virginia Tech Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Duke (2-2, 1-1 in the ACC) lost four matches during which its wrestler was leading late in the match. Those defeats were too much for the Blue Devils to overcome.
'I thought we did well,' head coach Clar Anderson said. 'The match was a lot closer than the score indicated. If we got even two of those tight matches it could have been a different outcome.'
The key matches took place in the 149, 165, 184 and 285-pound weight classes. At 149, with the Hokies (10-4, 2-0) leading 4-3, Duke"s Philip Wightman held a 7-6 lead going into the third period, but a reversal by Tyde Prater earned the Hokie the 8-7 victory. Duke"s Steve Smith faced Chris Stith, ranked 20th nationally in his weight class, at 165. Smith led in the third period, but Stith used three takedowns to pull ahead and eventually win 11-9. That decision--along with Wightman"s loss and a previous Hokie pin--put Virginia Tech ahead 16-3 in the team score.
Defending ACC Champion and Duke co-captain Frank Cornely led Steve Borja 2-0 in the second period and 3-2 in the third, but a stalling call in the final seconds sent the 184-pound bout into overtime. Borja took advantage of a tired Cornely and earned a takedown for a 5-3 victory. Saturday"s win and Borja"s close 2-1 loss to second-ranked Paul Bradley of Iowa last week earned Borja ACC Wrestler of the Week honors.
'Cornely wrestled a really tough kid,' Anderson said. 'His conditioning isn"t up there with the other guys yet, but once he gets there he will be very tough.'
The close losses frustrated Anderson, who admitted that moral victories are only marginally satisfying.
'It was disappointing to lose but you can see that we are making improvements,' Anderson said. 'We felt that we were on the verge of beating them. I am not sure that we had the confidence before the match to fully believe we could beat them. My hope is that these guys come out of it thinking "I know I can beat these guys next time."'
Duke earned three individual victories in the match, with freshman Wesley Kuser showing his potential in an 8-4 victory at 141 pounds. Levi Craig and Mark Thompson also earned victories for the Blue Devils.
'Wesley has a unique mat sense,' Anderson said. 'He is very competitive and wins a lot of close matches. He has a mental edge over his opponents to win matches and capitalize on opportunities. That is a tough thing to coach.'
After the loss, Duke stands at 1-1 in ACC play.
'Everything we are doing right now has an impact on the ACC Tournament,' Anderson said. 'We are on a path right now where we could do very well.'
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