Michael Keefe Leads Wrestlers at Season Opener
BOONE, N.C. --- All-America wrestler Michael Keefe led the Mocs to a win, a tie and a loss Sunday at the Atlantic Coast Conference-Southern Conference Mat Jam in the season-opening event for UTC.
Keefe, ranked fifth in the nation at 141 pounds, was the only UTC wrestler to win in all three duals, which were held at Appalachian State University.
The Mocs, ranked 24th nationally, began the day with a 32-3 victory over Duke. A 24-15 loss to No. 28 North Carolina followed, and UTC concluded the competition with a 21-21 tie to SoCon foe Appalachian State. The results against the Mountaineers do not count in the SoCon standings.
Keefe, a junior from Ringgold, Ga., scored a 13-5 major decision over Duke’s Philip Wightman in the opener. He edged Vincent Ramirez of North Carolina, 5-4, then posted a 17-6 technical fall over ASU’s Marcus Cox.
The dual with Duke was nearly a shutout for the Mocs. The only match UTC lost was a 7-6 decision at 174, with Turner Rooney getting past UTC’s T.J. Sayers. Nebraska transfer Matt Keller registered a fall in his first match for UTC, pinning Duke’s Michael Degli Obizzi in the first period at 133. Wayne French added a major decision at 149.
Also posting victories for the Mocs against Duke were Adam Rains (125), Jake Yost (157), Daniel Peterson (165), Lloyd Rogers (184), Wes Taylor (197) and Zach Tramel (285).
The Mocs, now 1-1-1 on the season, suffered two pins in the North Carolina match which proved to be the difference. Yost, Peterson and Matthew McKee (184) joined Keefe in the victory column against the Tar Heels.
In the tie with the Mountaineers, the Mocs scored three falls and recorded an overtime win, but a flagrant misconduct disqualification by Peterson at 165 tacked on six points for ASU, and a 5-3 overtime win by David Hazell over UTC’s Tramel at 285 forged the team score tie.
Rains, Keefe and Wes Taylor (197) all won by fall over ASU. Keller, ranked 12th, bested Terreyl Williams, 5-1, and Wayne French (149) defeated Eric Burns 2-0 in overtime.
UNC went 3-0 in the event. ASU was 1-1-1, VMI 1-1 and Duke went 0-3.
UTC will compete in the Northeast Duals in Albany, N.Y., on Nov. 26.
Chattanooga 32, Duke 3
125 - Adam Rains (UTC) def. Kellan McKeon (DU), 6-2
133 - Matt Keller (UTC) def. Michael Degli Obizzi (DU), Fall (1st)
141 - Michael Keefe (UTC) def. Philip Wightman (DU), 13-5 (MD)
149 - Wayne French (UTC) def. Zach Weisberg (DU), 8-0 (MD)
157 - Jake Yost (UTC) def. Cameron Harms (DU), 10-6
165 - Daniel Peterson (UTC) def. Aaron Glover (DU), 9-4
174 - Turner Rooney (DU) def. T.J. Sayers (UTC), 7-6
184 - Lloyd Rogers (UTC) def. Dan Fox (DU), 3-2
197 - Wes Taylor (UTC) def. Patrick Keenum (DU), 8-5
HWT - Zach Trammel (UTC) def. Mike Tunick (DU), 6-3
North Carolina 24, Chattanooga 15
125 - Bobby Shaw (UNC) def. Adam Rains (UTC), 7-6
133 - Evan Sola (UNC) def. Matt Keller (UTC), 6-2
141 - Michael Keefe (UTC) def. Vincent Ramirez (UNC), 5-4
149 - Chris Ramos (UNC) def. Wayne French (UTC), 4-3
157 - Jake Yost (UTC) def. Brian Baglio (UNC), 5-4
165 - Daniel Peterson (UTC) def. Deon Barrett (UNC), 7-6
174 - Alex Maciag (UNC) def. T.J. Sayers (UTC), Fall (2nd)
184 - Matthew McKee (UTC) def. Daniel Llamas (UNC), Injury Default
197 - David Dashiell (UNC) def. Wes Taylor (UTC), 7-4
HWT - Spencer Nadolsky (UNC) def. Zach Trammel (UTC), Fall (1st)
Appalachian 21, Chattanooga 21
125 - Adam Rains (UTC) def. Adam Wilson (ASU), Fall (1st)
133 - Matt Keller (UTC) def. Terreyl Williams (ASU), 5-1
141 - Michael Keefe (UTC) def. Marcus Cox (ASU), 17-6 (tech fall)
149 - Wayne French (UTC) def. Eric Burns (ASU), 2-0 (OT)
157 - Scott Ervin (ASU) def. Jake Yost (UTC), 1-0
165 - Lee Roper (ASU) def. Daniel Peterson (UTC), DQ (Flagrant Misconduct) 174 - Neal Martin (ASU) def. Matthew McKee (UTC), Fall (2nd)
184 - Aaron Barnette (ASU) def. Lloyd Rogers (UTC), 4-1
197 - Wes Taylor (UTC) def. Josh Carroll (ASU), 15-0 (tech fall)
HWT - David Hazell (ASU) def. Zach Trammel (UTC), 5-3