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Duke Begins Season With Impressive Showing At West Virginia
12/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 7, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Competing against some top wrestlers from the East Coast and the Midwest, the Blue Devils kicked off their season with an impressive showing at the West Virginia Open. Despite having only half of the roster attending, the Blue Devils had their strongest showing ever at the event, with two athletes making the finals and four finishing in the top six.
Sophomore Christian Smith (125 lbs.) went 4-1 and took second place. Among his victories were a pin and a 2-0 win over Justin Staylor of Virginia Tech. The defending ACC Champion fell to Mike Sees in the finals.
At 165 pounds, Steve Smith also made the finals, completing his first tournament in nearly four years. Winning five matches, Smith picked up a pin in his opening match and defeated Charlie Clark of Ohio State in the semifinals. Smith was pinned in the finals, but finished ahead of several nationally-ranked competitors.
Competing for the first time in nearly two years, Mark Thompson recovered from an early loss to take third place in the 197-pound weight class.
Brian Gibson (133 lbs.) was the last top finisher for the Blue Devils. Wrestling in one of the most competitive weight classes at the tournament, Gibson came back from an early loss and posted a 6-2 record, losing in the consolation semifinals in an 11-9 overtime match.
Others picking up wins for the Blue Devils included Levi Craig (174 lbs.) and Antwone Floyd (149 lbs.). Craig, a captain and redshirt junior, picked up two victories. Floyd lost a match due to a technical mishap with the head table but looked impressive in his two wins.
Daniel Shvartsman, a redshirt sophomore wrestling at 141, had one win on the day. Also competing for the Devils were heavyweight Andrew Herbert and Brandon Ayers (157 lbs.).
Players Mentioned
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