Garnett advances to semis of Las Vegas Open

December 5, 2008

Four other Hokies continue action tomorrow in consolation brackets

LAS VEGAS – Freshman Jarrod Garnett advanced to the semi-finals of the 125-pound bracket at the Las Vegas Open on Friday, and four other Hokie wrestlers remain alive in consolation brackets at the end of day one of the tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. Tech racked up 42 points on the first day, and sits in 14th place.

Garnett looked impressive wrestling at 125 lbs. The Newark, Del. Native pinned his first two opponents, Matt Stoll of Embry Riddle and Michael Martinez of Wyoming, in 2:46. Garnett then came back to earn a major decision against Ohio State's Nikko Triggas and ensured himself a trip to the semi-finals, where he will face top-seeded Rollie Peterkin of Penn.

No. 13 seed Pete Yates scored a major decision, blanking Justin Morill of Utah Valley in his opening match, 8-0, and followed that performance up with an upset over No. 4 seed Jake Patacsil of Purdue at 149 lbs., winning a 9-4 decision in the second round. The Conyers, Ga., native fell to fifth-seeded Cesar Grajales of Penn in the quarterfinals and will wrestle in the consolation bracket tomorrow against Pittsburgh's Mark Powell, the 14th seed in the bracket.

At 197 lbs., D.J. Bruce earned another upset victory for the Hokies, by taking a 6-5 decision in overtime in his opening match. Bruce then advanced to the quarterfinals with 7-5 tie-breaker decision over Donovan McMahill in the second round. The Lombardi, Ill. fell to the fourth-seeded Richard Starks of Army, 16-1, but will continue wrestling in the consolation bracket tomorrow.

Also still in the tournament are 141-pounder Chris Diaz and heavyweight David Marone in the consolation bracket for the Hokies. Diaz dropped a 4-0 decision to Arizona State's Chris Drouin in his second match of the day, but battled back to defeat Juan Archuleta of Purdue, 7-4, and Andre Hernandez of Indiana, 3-1. Marone also fell in his second match, to the top seed in the heavyweight division, Kyle Massey of Wisconsin. The Broomfield, Colo., native regrouped though, and won his next two matches to stay alive in the tournament.

Nebraska leads the tournament field with 74 points, followed by Minnesota and Boise State in second and third place, respectively.Minnesota tallied 59.5 points, while Boise State earned 56 points.

The meet resumes tomorrow at noon. Results will be updated throughout the day on hokiesports.com.

Day One Results

125: #5 seed Jarrod Garnett (3-0)

First Round: def. Matt Stoll (Embry Riddle), fall 2:46

Second Round: def. Michael Martinez (Wyoming), fall 2:46

Quarterfinals: def. #5 seed Nikko Triggas (Ohio State), MD 12-4

Semi-Finals: vs. #1 seed Rollie Peterkin (Penn)

133: Jared Jones (0-2, ELIMINATED)

Pigtails: lost to #6 seed Matt Fisk (Lehigh), TF 16-1

Consolations: lost to Grant Lowther (West Virginia), MD 8-0

141: #13 seed Chris Diaz (3-1)

First Round: def. Edgar Mercado (Dickinson State), TF 15-0

Second Round: lost to #4 seed Chris Drouin (Arizona State), 4-0

Consolations: def. Juan Archuleta (Purdue), 7-4

Consolations: def. #5 seed Andre Hernandez (Indiana), 3-1

149: #13 seed Pete Yates (2-1)

First Round: def. Justin Morrill (Utah Valley), MD 8-0

Second Round: def. #4 seed Jake Patacsil (Purdue), 9-4

Quarterfinals: lost to #5 seed Cesar Grajales (Penn), 4-3

Consolations: vs. #14 seed Mark Powell (Pittsburgh)

157: #10 seed Jesse Dong (1-2, ELIMINATED)

First Round: def. Tyler Davis (Wyoming), MD 14-2

Second Round: lost to #7 seed Tyler Safratowich (Minnesota), fall 4:26

Consolations: lost to Kody Hamrah (NC State), 6-2

165: Matt Epperly (1-2, ELIMINATED)

First Round: def. #13 seed Ethan Headlee (Pittsburgh), 6-4

Second Round: lost to #4 seed Zach Shanaman (Penn), 6-3

Consolations: lost to Dustin Noack (Cal Davis), 5-3

174: Anthony Trongone (3-2, ELIMINATED)

Pigtails: lost to Eric Starks (Arizona State), 5-4

Consolations First Round: def. Ziad Kharbush (Brown), 9-5

Consolations Second Round: def. David Rella (Ohio State), med.

Consolations: def. #7 seed Kurt Swartz (Boise State), 6-6 tb

Consolations: lost to Jesse Feinsad (New Mexico), 6-3

184: #10 seed Tommy Spellman (1-2, ELMINATED)

First Round: def. Casen Eldridge (Utah Valley), 5-2

Second Round: lost to #7 seed Anthony Biondo (Michigan), fall 5:34

Consolations: lost to #3 seed Vince Jones (Nebraska), fall 1:50

197: D.J. Bruce (2-1)

First Round: def. #5 seed Cody Gardner (Ohio State), 6-5 (OT)

Second Round: def. Donovan McMahill (Western State), 7-5 tb

Quarterfinals: lost to #4 seed Richard Starks (Army), 16-1 TF

285: David Marone (3-1)

First Round: def. Sam Zylstra (Boise State), 10-6

Second Round: lost to #1 seed Kyle Massey (Wisconsin), 6-1

Consolations: def. Peyton Henderson (Dakota Wesleyan), de

Consolations: def. Ricky Alcala (Cal Davis), 10-6

For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Wrestling).