PHILADELPHIA - The Virginia Tech wrestling squad produced a solid first-session performance Thursday at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, winning six of seven matches as the Hokies sit in the top 10 early on.
The highlight of the round came from Pete Yates at 165 pounds, who upset 11th-seeded Aaron Janssen of Iowa, 4-2. Yates got a takedown late to pull the big win for the Hokies over a Tom Brands-coached wrestler. Jarrod Garnett, seeded 12th at 125 pounds, got the Hokies off to a good start with a solid win over Brad Pataky of Penn State and then freshman Devin Carter, seeded ninth, picked up another major decision, this one over Ian Paddock of Ohio State. Chris Diaz shut out Mike Greck of Millersville at 141 pounds and Jesse Dong, seeded fifth at 157 pounds, picked up a solid win over a tough Matt Cathell of Kent State. Heavyweight David Marone gutted out a tiebreaker win over Blake Rosholt of Oklahoma State but Brian Stephens fell to seventh-seeded Mario Mason of Rutgers in the first round at 149 pounds.
Below are the results for all seven Tech wrestlers competing in the event, along with upcoming matchups.
The second session of the day with start at 6:30 p.m. inside the Wells Fargo Arena.
125: #12 seed Jarrod Garnett
First Round: def. Brad Pataky (Penn State), 13-7
Highlights: Garnett gets several takedowns in first period; turned Pataky for three back points to lead 10-5 after one period; Garnett got another takedown to lead 12-7 heading to final period; Garnett escaped in the final period for the final result.
Second Round: vs. #5 seed Zach Sanders (Minnesota)
133: #9 seed Devin Carter
First Round: def. Ian Paddock (Ohio State), MD 16-6
Highlights: Paddock picks up early takedown; Carter gets reversal and eventually a takedown as the two were tied at 4-4 after one period; Carter gets a takedown and three back points and another takedown to lead 11-6 heading to third period; Carter chose neutral and gets a takedown and another late takedown, plus riding time, to pick up the major decision.
Second Round: vs. #8 seed Mike Grey (Cornell)
141: Chris Diaz
First Round: def. Mike Greck (Millersville), 6-0
Highlights: Diaz got a takedown two minutes in and rode Greck for the rest of the period; No scoring in second period after Greck chose neutral; Diaz escaped quickly to start the third period and got a takedown plus riding time to earn the win.
Second Round: vs. #4 seed James Kennedy (Illinois)
149: Brian Stephens
First Round: lost #7 seed Mario Mason (Rutgers), 8-5
Highlights: Mason gets an early takedown, but Stephens escapes; Mason escapes to start the second period; After stall warning on Mason, he gets in on both ankles for the takedown and a 5-1 lead; Mason gets another takedown with just over a minute left; Stephens escapes and gets a takedown at the buzzer, but Mason gets a point for riding time.
Consolations: vs. Kyle Bradley (Missouri)
157: #5 seed Jesse Dong
First Round: def. Matt Cathell (Kent State), 6-2
Highlights: Dong scrambles for a quick takedown and eventually lets him go 50 seconds later; Dong gets another takedown, but Cathell wiggles free for the escape; In the second period, Dong fought hard for takedown and rode out Cathell for a 6-2 lead; Dong chose down in the third period and was ridden the entire time.
Second Round: vs. #12 seed Paul Young (Indiana)
165: Pete Yates
First Round: def. #11 Aaron Janssen (Iowa), 4-2
Highlights: No scoring in the first period; Janssen got an escape midway through the second period to make it 1-0; Yates escapes quickly to tie it up in the third period; Yates gets a takedown late on the edge and cuts Janssen; Janssen makes a last-ditch effort, but Yates holds him off for the upset.
Second Round: vs. Paul Gillespie (Hofstra)
285: David Marone
First Round: def. Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State), 2-1 (TB-1)
Highlights: Scoreless first period; Marone takes down and escapes eight seconds in for the match’s first point; In the third period, Rosholt quickly escaped to tie it up; In sudden victory, no one scored, forcing the ride outs; Marone rode out Rosholt in the first 30 seconds and then escaped in the second 30 seconds for the win.
Second Round: vs. #1 seed Zach Rey
For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Wrestling).