Four Hokies placed in the competitive Las Vegas Open, with action wrapping up on Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.In other action on Saturday, the Hokies also competed in the Davidson Open, in Davidson, N.C., where freshman Brock LiVorio won the 133-pound title and Tech took 11th with 29 points.
In Las Vegas, Freshman Jarrod Garnett lost to the top-seeded Rollie Peterkin from Penn in his first match of the day, 12-5, but rebounded to defeat third-seeded Marcus Orozco from Cal Davis, 6-4, to earn a trip to the consolations finals against second-seeded Anthony Robles from Arizona State. In the third-place match, Garnett fell to Robles 18-1, and took fourth place in the bracket.
At 141 lbs., sophomore Chris Diaz reeled off three straight victories, including a 5-4 victory over Chris Drouin from Arizona State, who defeated Diaz yesterday, to secure a trip to the consolation finals. Diaz faced second-seeded Kellen Russell from Michigan and dropped a heartbreaker, 3-1, with Russell scoring a takedown in sudden victory for the win. Diaz finished fourth in the bracket.
Sophomore D.J. Bruce and freshman Pete Yates both placed for the Hokies, at 197 and 149 lbs., respectively. Bruce was pinned by Cam Simaz of Cornell in the first match of the day, but came back to earn a major decision over Matt Powless of Indiana, winning 17-4 and capturing seventh place. Yates was pinned by seventh-seeded Matt Kyler of Army at 3:54, to take eighth place in the bracket.
The Hokies also completed a successful tournament at the Davidson Open on Saturday. Tech placed 11th in the tournament, racking up 29 points.
Freshman Brock LiVorio highlighted the tournament, sweeping through the 125-pound bracket to take the title. The Irwin, Pa., native won the final match against Campbell’s Trevor Smith via a major decision, taking the bout 17-4.
At 157 lbs., Andre Johnson upset No. 1 seed Rashaad Saunders of UNC-Pembroke in his first match, and rode the momentum all the way to the bracket’s final. Johnson lost a close decision, 5-3, to UNC-Pembroke’s Mike Williams in the championship, but still took runner-up in the bracket.
Tech’s Nick Murray, wrestling unattached, also won the 149-pound crown, pinning Dale DeBacco of Newberry in 45 seconds.
Tech will take two weeks off and return to the mat for the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. on Dec. 29-30. Results will be posted on hokiesports.com following the meet.
Las Vegas Results
125: #5 seed Jarrod Garnett (4-2, 4th place)
First Round: def. Matt Stoll (Embry Riddle), fall 2:46
Second Round: def. Michael Martinez (Wyoming), fall 2:46