DANVILLE, Va. — The No. 15 Averett University wrestling team earned another impressive 53-5 victory over Bluefield College on Tuesday night in the Grant Center.
 
Averett (9-0) started off with a 12-0 advantage following forfeits at the 125 and 133-pound weight classes as senior Sam Braswell (ranked No.1 in the nation by d3wrestle.com) and junior Joseph Jones picked up victories. 
 
Senior Brandon Woody (ranked No. 6 in the nation by d3wrestle.com) tied the team lead with his 12th victory of the season with a second period pin over Ethan Young, while senior Caleb Harmon put together a dominating senior night performance at 149 pounds with a first period fall over Pablo Maltez to give the Cougars a 24-0 edge. 
 
Bluefield (2-9) got on the board in the 157-pound weight class with a 16-0 tech fall victory over freshman Tommy Baldwin who made his dual debut for the Cougars. 
 
However, that was all the scoring the Rams could put together as senior Will Merritt made the most of senior night, tech falling Kyle Neal 17-1 in impressive fashion and sophomore George Moseley pinned Zachary Silver in the first round to extend the Cougars lead to 35-5. 
 
Freshman Zion Carpenter tied Woody and freshman Alex Turley for the team lead with 12 victories on the year with a first period pin over Francisco Vasquez, pushing his season total to 11 wins by pin, tying Turley for the team lead as the pair both rank towards the top of the national rankings.  
 
The Cougars benefitted from another forfeit at the 197-pound weight class as sophomore Billy Baldwin picked up the victory and fellow sophomore Trent Ragland pinned Jaxon Bast in the second period to ice the 53-5 victory. 
 
Averett's 53-point victory on Tuesday marked the third time this season that the Cougars have put up 50-plus points in a dual, having done so against Emory & Henry College to begin the year and Southern Virginia University last time out. 
 
In exhibition action senior David Shelton Jr. put on a show, pinning Bluefield starter Kyle Neal in the third round, while Silver defeated freshman Anthony Reese by pin and freshman Jamar Christian who trailed 4-1 heading into the second period capitalized on a Bluefield mistake and pinned Bast in the second round. 
 
Additionally, the Cougars honored three seniors as part of Tuesday evenings dual as Harmon, Merritt and Frank Blevins were all recognized prior to the match. 
 
The Cougars return to action on Feb. 10 when they host Liberty University at 6 p.m. in dual action.
 
Match-by-match results:
125 Sam Braswell def. unknown, For.
133 Joseph Jones def. unknown, For.
141 Brandon Woody def. Ethan Young, Fall 5:34
149 Caleb Harmon def. Pablo Maltez, Fall 2:31
157 Creed Lumpp def. Tommy Baldwin, TF 16-0 6:19
165 Will Merritt def. Kyle Neal, TF, 17-1 6:05
174 George Moseley def. Zachary Silver, Fall 1:47
184 Zion Carpenter def. Francisco Vasquez, Fall 1:34
197 Billy Baldwin def. Unknown, For.
285 Trent Ragland def. Jaxon Bast, Fall 4:48
 
Extras:
149 David Shelton Jr. def. Kyle Neal, Fall 6:10
165 Zachary Silver def. Anthony Reese, Fall 4:09
285 Jamar Christian def. Jaxon Bast, Fall 3:44