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Duke Hosts No. 21 Appalachian State Tuesday Night
1/16/2017 3:34:00 PM | Wrestling
DURHAM, N.C.—For the fourth time this season the Duke wrestling team will take to the mat against a top 25 team as the Blue Devils welcome No. 21 Appalachian State to Card Gym Tuesday night. The non-conference dual between Duke and the Mountaineers will begin at 7 p.m.
How to Follow the Action
Tuesday night's match will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and can be seen on ESPN3 or through the WatchESPN app. Live scoring also will be available via trackwrestling.com as well as live Twitter updates.
Series History
Duke and Appalachian State are meeting for the 21st time and for the sixth straight season. The Mountaineers lead the series 13-7, but Duke is 3-2 in the previous five meetings. Appalachian State posted the most recent victory, a 26-14 triumph in Boone, N.C.
Last Time We Met
Duke rallied from an early deficit, but a strong team finish from Appalachian State handed the No. 25 Blue Devils a 26-14 loss. Duke fell behind 10-0 early after a major decision at 125 and a forfeit at 133, but strong showings from Duke in the next three bouts knotted the team score 10-10 at intermission. The second half of the evening belonged to the Mountaineers as they took wins in four of the final five bouts. Duke returns four of the nine wrestlers from that match last season, with Thayer Atkins and Jake Faust looking to avenge setbacks. Zach Finesilver and Connor Bass both won their bouts a year ago against the Mountaineers.
Key Rematches
Tuesday night's dual will feature a rematch of top 20 heavyweight foes Jacob Kasper and Denzel Dejournette. Kasper upended Dejournette in a narrow 9-7 decision at the Southern Scuffle, one of Dejournette's only four losses this season. Both will be battling for their 20th wins of the year. At 125 pounds, Thayer Atkins looks to pick up a top-20 win over No. 19 Vito Pasone after falling to the Mountaineer by a 12-4 major decision last season.
About the Blue Devils
Duke enters its first home bout of 2017 with a 2-3 overall record after falling at No. 10 NC State last week. The Blue Devils aim to avenge their loss from the 2015-16 season. Heavyweight Jacob Kasper is ranked seventh nationally and tops the Blue Devils with a 19-1 record. Both Thayer Atkins and Connor Bass have 15 wins apiece at 125 and 174, respectively, with Bass sitting at 15th in the rankings. Cole Baumgartner and Zach Finesilver also have reached the double-digit wins mark. Garrett Neff will be making his debut in a Duke singlet Tuesday night. He is 1-2, wrestling unattached earlier in the season.
Probable Lineup
125: Thayer Atkins (15-5)
133: Cole Baumgartner (13-7)
141: Zach Finesilver (10-7)
149: Xaviel Ramos (3-8)
157: Jake Faust (1-1)
165: Garrett Neff (0-0)
174: No. 15 Connor Bass (15-5)
184: Alec Schenk (6-8)
197: Luke Farinaro (1-2)
HWT: No. 7 Jacob Kasper (19-1)
Scouting the Mountaineers
Appalachian State is 9-2 overall on the year and ranked 21st in the latest USA Today/NWCA poll. The Mountaineers climbed into the top 25 early in the season after registering a win over then-No. 15 Oregon State and a tough North Carolina squad. Their two setbacks came against No. 9 NC State and fifth-ranked Missouri. Colby Smith leads the team with 20 wins at 133 pounds, while 15th-ranked Matt Zovistoski and No. 13 Denzel Dejournette have 19 wins apiece and 149 and 285, respectively. Eight of the Mountaineers' 10 starters have double-digit wins and four are ranked in the top 20.
Probable Lineup
125: No. 19 Vito Pasone (10-6)
133: Colby Smith (20-7)
141: Irvin Enriquez (11-13)
149: No. 15 Matt Zovistoski (19-7)
157: Gavin Londoff (9-12)
165: Forrest Przybysz (17-9)
174: No. 18 Nick Kee (9-2)
184: David Peters-Logue (13-9)
197: Randall Diabe (11-13)
285: No. 13 Denzel Dejournette (19-4)
In Common
The Blue Devils and Mountaineers share two common opponents in Oregon State and NC State. Appalachian State beat the Beavers 25-15, while Duke fell to the Pac-12 school by a narrow 22-20 score. Both squads lost to the Wolfpack by similar scores, 34-6 for the Blue Devils and 30-8 for the Mountaineers.
Up Next
The Blue Devils head to the United States Naval Academy for a dual with the Midshipmen Sunday. The dual in Annapolis is slated to begin at 2 p.m.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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