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Duke Returns Home to Host No. 24 Virginia Sunday
2/4/2017 8:16:00 AM | Wrestling
DURHAM, N.C. –Coming off of a four-match road stretch over the past two weeks, the Duke wrestling team returns home to host ACC foe Virginia Sunday afternoon. The Blue Devils will honor eight seniors prior to the match against the Cavaliers.
About the Match
- Duke's first home ACC match gets underway at 2 p.m., in Card Gymnasium. Admission is free, while those who can't attend can watch the dual on ACC Network Extra on the ESPN3 platform.
Honoring Duke's Seniors
- The Blue Devils will honor eight seniors prior to Sunday's match. The collection of eight wrestlers has been dedicated members of the program over the past four or five years, helping Duke to program-best marks. The Blue Devils have had their best finishes at the Southern Scuffle, NCAA Championships as well as strong showings at the ACC Championships because of their efforts in the weight and wrestling rooms during their careers.
- Being recognized before the match gets underway will be Joey Abbate, Alex Belaia-Martiniouk, Connor Bass, Cole Baumgarter, Jake Faust, Tyler Patrick, Xaviel Ramos and Michael Wright.
Last Time Out
· Duke scored crucial bonus points in three of its five victories to upend Gardner-Webb 23-22 Wednesday night. The Blue Devils used a pair of pins and a technical fall to avenge last year's loss to the Runnin' Bulldogs.
· Thayer Atkins, Cole Baumgartner, Zach Finesilver, Jake Faust and Jacob Kasper all garnered victories for the Blue Devils in the victory. Duke led 23-7 and held off a late charge from Gardner-Webb in the final three matches.
Last Time We Met
- Conner Hartmann grabbed his 88th career victory, but the 18th-ranked Cavaliers won six bouts to come away with the 22-12 victory in Charlottesville. Mitch and Zach Finesilver and Jake Faust added wins for Duke.
- Duke (4-7, 0-3 ACC) fell behind to the Cavaliers 10-0 after a major decision at 125 and a Blue Devil forfeit at 133 pounds. The Blue Devils pulled within four, 10-6, before Virginia won bouts at 157, 174 and 184 to extend lead to 19-9.
Series History
- Duke and Virginia will wrestle each other for the 65th time in the programs' histories. The Cavaliers have dominated the series with a 56-6-2 overall record and are on a 12-match win streak.
- The Blue Devils last defeated the Cavaliers in 2005, a 19-15 victory, in Charlottesville. Duke last beat Virginia in Durham in 2004.
About the Blue Devils
- Duke hopes to build a win streak in the final couple weeks of the regular season. The Blue Devils are 4-6 overall and 0-2 against ACC foes. They are coming off of a 23-22 victory over Gardner-Webb Wednesday night.
- Ranked fourth nationally at heavyweight, Jacob Kasper is tops on the wins list with a 24-1 overall record and a winner of his past 18 bouts. His past four victories have come with bonus points and he leads all Blue Devils in duals with 43 points in the nine triumphs.
- Cole Baumgartner, at 133 pounds, is on small win streak of his own, winning the past four matches. He is 17-8 overall and 7-3 in duals. He is in search of his second ACC victory of the year as he makes the push to get to the 20-win mark during the regular season.
- Zach Finesilver (141) is 13-8 overall and has won each of the past two bouts, while Thayer Atkins is having a career season at 125 with a 17-7 mark. Connor Bass is 17th in this week's InterMat rankings, owning a 15-9 mark .
- Jake Faust, returning to the lineup in the second semester at 157 pounds, is 6-2 on the year and 4-2 in duals. He is in search of his first ACC win Sunday as he tries to build RPI points heading into postseason action.
Duke Probables
125: Thayer Atkins (18-7, 1-1 ACC)
133: Cole Baumgartner (17-8, 1-1)
141: Zach Finesilver (14-8, 1-1)
149: Xaviel Ramos (3-15, 0-2)
157: Jake Faust (7-2, 0-2)
165: Garrett Neff (3-9, 0-1)
174: No. 17 Connor Bass (15-9, 0-1)
184: Alec Schenk (7-12, 0-2)
197: Luke Farinaro (1-7, 0-1)
HWT: No. 4 Jacob Kasper (24-1, 2-0)
Scouting Virginia
- Virginia will wrestle a pair of matches this weekend, taking on North Carolina Saturday night before visiting Durham Sunday. The Cavaliers are ranked 24th in the InterMat dual rankings and are 8-5 overall and 0-2 against ACC foes.
- Virginia's two losses came against ranked foes Virginia Tech and NC State. The Cavaliers have three wrestlers ranked in InterMat's top 20 as No. 7 George DiCamillo leads the way at 141 pounds.
- Jack Mueller is ranked eighth at 125 with a 19-3 record, while 157-pounder Andrew Atkinson is 16-8 and ranked 17th. Mueller lead the nation in technical falls this season with nine.
Virginia Probables
125: No. 8 Jack Mueller (19-3)
133: Will Mason (11-6)
141: No. 7 George DiCamillo (17-3)
149: Sam Krivus (16-9)
157: No. 17 Andrew Atkinson (16-8)
165: Ray Bethea (19-9)
174: Garrett Peppelman (13-3)
184: Will Schany (13-13) OR Tyler Askey (17-6)
197: Chance McClure (7-14)
Hwt: Tyler Love (14-14) OR Chuck Boddy (7-12)
Up Next for Duke
- Duke welcomes ACC rival North Carolina to Durham Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The match will be the final home contest for the Blue Devils as they look to beat the Tar Heels for the second consecutive year for the first time since 1972 and 1973.
Players Mentioned
133
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
133
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184
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174
/ Wrestling
149
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141
/ Wrestling
197
/ Wrestling
184
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165
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
141
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
165
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