From the beginning of the UPenn Invitational, the Blue Devils were counted out.
Duke (2-1 in dual meets) had only one ranked wrestler in all 10 weight class brackets. The tournament was not considered a team event as the Duke grapplers competed individually.
But the team didn't let poor seeds at the competition hinder its success. The Blue Devils proved they were an underestimated team, with four wrestlers placing within the top-five of their respective brackets.
Two of the freshmen especially stood out in their matches. Freshman John Barone had the best day for Duke, starting with the number five seed and managing to take third place at the 174-pound weight class.
Barone lost to the eventual champion in the semifinal match and built on his success at the Citadel Open two weeks ago when he took first place.
The other freshman who placed, Voris Tejada, finished with fifth place in the 149-pound class despite facing what head coach Clar Anderson said was the toughest competition of the tournament.
"He drew the first seed in the first round and lost by one point," Anderson
said. "He beat the third ranked wrestler--he just did outstanding."
Bryan Gibson at 133 and Dan Fox at 184 finished fourth and fifth, respectively,
adding to Duke's better-than-expected performance.
"I don't want to come down on anybody today," Anderson said. "We're
real pleased with [our] effort and performance."
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