BECKLEY, W.Va.— The Montreat College men's wrestling squad passed through Beckley, W.Va. Friday evening for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tri-dual versus the West Virginia University Institute of Technology Golden Bears and the University of Pikeville Bears. While UPIKE ultimately had to back out of the event due to inclement weather, the Cavaliers still made the most of their time on the mat by taking down the hosts, 40-9. With the team dual triumph over WVU Tech, the Cavs improved to 4-4 (1-3 AAC) on the year.
 
Overall, Montreat won eight of the 10 bouts, including the first two clashes. No. 25-ranked Kane Bryson made quick work of his opponent in the 125-lb weight class, pinning him in 1:48. Zeke Grabowski then secured a 6-2 decision at 133, pushing the visitors in front, 9-0.
 
A 14-8 decision went the Golden Bears' way in the 141-lb weight class, but six consecutive victories erased any doubt about which team was the stronger side. Nationally-ranked Boedi Kirkland and Robert Branson notched back-to-back pins at 149 and 157, respectively. Following an 11-2 major decision triumph for Bryson McCraw, both Josh Mojica-Smith and Donovan Cavender delivered max points thanks to pins. Elijah Amaya-Perez rounded out the winning streak at 197, shutting down his competition with a 14-0 major decision.
 
WVU Tech ended the dual with a pin, but the damage was already done as the Cavaliers cruised to a 40-9 win over the Golden Bears.
 
"The guys competed well and did what we expected them to do," said head coach Jim Connaghan. "We're definitely still building, but we like the direction we're headed. We'll turn our focus toward continuing to get better as we move on to the conference championships in a few weeks."
 
The Montreat College men's wrestling team now turns its attention to the AAC Men's Wrestling Championships, which are slated for Feb. 20-21 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
 
Montreat College 40*, West Virginia University Institute of Technology 9
125: No. 25 Kane Bryson (Montreat) over David Maxson (WVU Tech) (Fall 1:48)
133: Zeke Grabowski (Montreat) over Jeremiah Chinyere-Okiyi (WVU Tech) (Dec 6-2)
141: Troy Harris (WVU Tech) over Louis Mehaffey (Montreat) (Dec 14-8)
149: No. 17 Boedi Kirkland (Montreat) over Corbyn Cunningham (WVU Tech) (Fall 3:29)
157: Robert Branson (Montreat) over William Vila (WVU Tech) (Fall 6:14)
165: Bryson McCraw (Montreat) over Curtis Smith (WVU Tech) (MD 11-2)
174: Josh Mojica-Smith (Montreat) over Shannon Fray (WVU Tech) (Fall 5:51)
184: Donovan Cavender (Montreat) over Alexander Tempus (WVU Tech) (Fall 4:04)
197: Elijah Amaya-Perez (Montreat) over William Stricklin (WVU Tech) (MD 14-0)
285: Max Underwood (WVU Tech) over Reese Ferm (Montreat) (Fall 0:01)
Extra: Sam Gosnell (Montreat) over Jathan Roby (WVU Tech) (TF 22-4 5:19)
Extra: Donovan Cavender (Montreat) over Nicholas Vincent (WVU Tech) (MD 18-9)
Extra: Adams Turpin-Abdulrazaaq (WVU Tech) over Grayson Burleson (Montreat) (MD 15-4)
*Montreat College was docked one point from its team score for unsportsmanlike conduct