CLEVELAND, Ga.— The Montreat men's wrestling team suffered defeat at the hands of the Truett McConnell University Bears Wednesday night in Cleveland, Ga. With the 36-14 loss, the Cavaliers' record slid to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) action.
 
Truett McConnell (1-5, 1-1 AAC) began the dual on the front foot thanks to a trio of victories right out of the gate. A forfeit coupled with a 7-2 decision at 133 and a medical forfeit at 141 pushed the Bears' early lead up to 15-0 before the Cavs could respond.
 
Braden Wharton and Branson Bennett answered for the visitors at 149 and 157, respectively. Both Montreat wrestlers cruised to tech fall triumphs, with Wharton notching a 17-2 win and Bennett registering a 26-9 victory. Each win collected five team points for the Cavaliers, trimming the deficit to 15-10 in the process.
 
Despite the matchup remaining close midway through the dual, TMU managed to create separation and pull away from Montreat thanks to four consecutive victories. Back-to-back pins paired with a forfeit and a narrow decision aided the hosts in establishing a 36-10 lead. Grant Trotter captured a 12-2 major decision in the heavyweight bout, but the gap proved too much to overcome as Truett McConnell topped the Cavs in Georgia, 36-14.
 
The Montreat men's wrestling team continues head-to-head competition on Friday with a pair of AAC duals versus Bluefield University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology. Bouts are slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Bluefield, W.Va.
 
Truett McConnell University 36, Montreat College 14
125        Tate Thomas (Truett McConnell) over Unknown (For.)
133        Stanley Lal (Truett McConnell) over Coy Reid (Montreat) (Dec 7-2)
141        Geowel Silvestre (Truett McConnell) over Jack Hawbaker (Montreat) (Medical For.)
149        Braden Wharton (Montreat) over Matthew Johnson (Truett McConnell) (TF 17-2 4:35)
157        Branson Bennett (Montreat) over Chase Bond (Truett McConnell) (TF 26-9 6:05)
165        Malichi Anderson (Truett McConnell) over Josh Mojica-Smith (Montreat) (Fall 2:54)
174        Spencer Fields (Truett McConnell) over Dalton Towe (Montreat) (Fall 6:09)
184        Tyler Crow (Truett McConnell) over Unknown (For.)
197        Will Parker (Truett McConnell) over Seth Williamson (Montreat) (Dec 11-10)
285        Grant Trotter (Montreat) over Elijah Hester (Truett McConnell) (MD 12-2)