Kasper Headlines Solid Showing at Wolfpack Open

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Kasper Headlines Solid Showing at Wolfpack Open

11/20/2016 8:40:00 PM | Wrestling

Wolfpack Open - Duke Results

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C.?”Duke redshirt junior Jacob Kasper captured his second tournament title of the 2016-17 season to headline a strong showing by the Blue Devils wrestling team at the Wolfpack Open Sunday. Kasper took home the crown at heavyweight as Duke came away with six top-five finishes overall.

Joining Kasper as finalists were senior Connor Bass and junior Mitch Finesilver at 174 and 157 pounds, respectively. Both Bass and Finesilver finished as runners-up, while Cole Baumgartner took third overall at 133 pounds. Thayer Atkins and Zach Finesilver both recorded fifth-place showings at their respective weights.

Looking to rebound following his first loss of the season Friday night, Kasper was dominant all day. He kicked off the Wolfpack Open with consecutive falls to move into the quarterfinal round. After back-to-back decisions, the Lexington, Ohio native laid claim to the title with a 15-4 major decision in the championship bout against NC State's Mike Kosoy.

Bass, already with a Hokie Open title to his name, cruised into the quarterfinal round where he edged Wolfpack 174-pounder Stacey Davis by a 2-1 score. He eased past Devin Kane of North Carolina 5-2 in the semifinal bout to set up a rematch with Ryan Christensen of Wisconsin. Having lost to Christensen by a 12-7 score Friday night, Sunday's title match was a different story as the duo remained scoreless heading into the second overtime. Bass was unable to escape in overtime, leaving Christensen the chance at the victory. The Yorkville, Ill., native held on for over 20 seconds, but an escape by Christensen in the waning seconds gave the Badger the crown by a 1-0 score.

Wrestling unattached at 157 pounds, Mitch Finesilver battled his way to the championship match with hard-fought decisions, including a 5-3 semifinal win over 2015 NCAA qualifier Justin Staudenmayer. In the title match Hayden Hilday of NC State, Finesilver couldn't overcome an early deficit en route to his runner-up finish with a 5-2 setback.

Baumgartner started his day with a 10-3 decision and followed that with a thrilling final-second two-point nearfall over American's Garrett Clifford to advance to the quarterfinal round. He added another 4-2 decision in the quarterfinal, but came up short in his semifinal bout with Jamal Morris of NC State. The Missouri transfer rebounded in the third-place match, besting Gardner-Webb's Garrett Hancock 4-0 for the consolation bracket title.

At 125 pounds, Atkins rebounded to win five straight bouts after dropping a major decision to 12th-ranked Josh Terao of American in the second round. He kicked off the win streak with a commanding 22-5 technical fall over Evan Quinn and recorded a thrilling 3-1 overtime win in the final seconds of the overtime period to advance to the consolation semifinals. He finished the day off with consecutive narrow decisions over his Wisconsin foe Michael Cullen in the semifinal round and American's Gage Curry in the fifth-place match.

Zach Finesilver rounded out Duke's place winners by rallying to win three straight matches after falling to Wisconsin's Cole Martin in the quarterfinal round. Zach was outstanding in his first two matches, dominating opponents by matching 15-0 scores. He scored a narrow decision in the consolation round four and then pinned NC State's Jamel Morris to set up his victory in the fifth-place match.

Rookie heavyweight Michael Johnson advanced to the quarterfinal round with a pair of victories, but suffered consecutive losses to finish his day in the consolation fourth round.

The Blue Devils will take a break for the holiday season and final exams and will not return to the mat for competition until the Southern Scuffle Jan. 1-2.

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