HAMPTON, Va.
— In Day 1 of the Virginia Duals, the five-seeded Averett University wrestling team split duals, falling to the four-seeded Liberty University in the opening round, 25-14, but bouncing back with a dominant 33-12 over eight-seeded Apprentice School on Friday.
Dual 1
Junior
Sam Braswell, who is ranked sixth in the country at 125 pounds, started things off with a 25-8 tech fall over Liberty. Sophomore
Easton Halliday then won by forfeit at 133 pounds to give Averett an early 11-0 lead.
After a loss by decision at 141 pounds, junior
Brandon Woody, who is ranked sixth and eighth in the nation at 141 pounds, moved up to 149 pounds and earned an 11-6 victory by decision to extend Averett's lead back out to 14-3. However, the Flames then won the final six matches in the dual to hand the Cougars the 25-14 loss in the opening round of the tournament.
Dual 2
No. 6 Braswell again got things started in Averett's favor at 125, earning a 22-8 win by major decision to give Averett an early lead. After a loss by pin at 133, No. 6/8 Woody also won by major decision, 16-2, as the Cougars retook the lead at 8-6. Junior
Caleb Harmon then won by tech fall, 17-1, at 149 to extend the lead out to 13-6.
Sophomore
Tony Blackman built off that momentum with a 16-0 tech fall victory at 157, while junior
Will Merritt followed that up with a win by injury default, which gave the Cougars a commanding 24-6 lead. After a loss by decision at 174 pounds, freshman
Isaiah Deck won by forfeit at 184 to give Averett a 30-9 lead with just two bouts remaining.
A loss by decision at 197 cut into Averett's lead at 30-12, but freshman
Trent Ragland earned a 4-0 victory by decision at heavyweight to give the Cougars a 33-12 win over Apprentice.
Averett returns to action for Day 2 of the Virginia Duals on Saturday at 4 p.m. and will face the loser of the Waynesburg University vs. Ferrum College dual. A win in that dual would move the Cougars into the third-place dual at 8:30 p.m., while a loss would move them into the fifth-place dual at 6 p.m.
