Result
MONTGOMERY, W.Va. -- No. 9-ranked Notre Dame picked up their fourth dominating dual meet victory on Wednesday night, with a 39-6 win over West Virginia Tech. With the road victory, the Blue & White now have a record of 4-1 in dual meets this season.
Junior #Adam Koballa#, ranked No. 1 in the NAIA, and sophomore #Thomas Straughn# won their bouts by pin to lead the charge. Koballa bested sophomore Justin Ramsey at the 3:34 mark in the 141-pound match to pick up his fifth pin of the season, and run his overall record to 12-2. Straughn, wrestling in the 157-pound bout, got his second pin of the season at 1:38 mark over freshman Mike Tyler. Straughn's record is now 12-1.
Senior #Victer Crenshaw# also had a big result in his 165-pound bout. Crenshaw picked up his team-leading fifth tech fall of the season, 17-0, to run his overall record to 11-1.
Freshman #Paul Rose# was involved in the most competitive match of the night. Rose rallied late in his bout to pull out a 5-4 victory. Rose now stands at 6-4 on the season.
“We have really been on a roll since the Ohio State match,” said head coach #Frank Romano#. “We now must prepare for our next big test against Purdue. If we continue to perform like we have, then it should be an exciting evening.”
The Falcons will host the Purdue Boilermakers this Sunday (Dec. 21) at Murphy Gymnasium. The match will be NDC's second, and final, home tilt of the season. Match time is set for 8 p.m.
NOTES FROM THE NEST...
SUNDAY SHOWCASE: Prior to Sunday's dual with Purdue, Murphy Gymnasium will host a high school showcase match between Cuyahoga Heights and Waynedale. Match time is set for 6 p.m. Admission for the evening will be $5 for adults and $3 for children. NDC students and parents will be admitted free of charge.
RANKING UPDATE: Notre Dame has moved up to No. 9 in this week's NAIA rankings (Dec.16). The Falcons were previously ranked No. 10. NDC has four individuals ranked as well. #Tyler Savage# is ranked No. 6 in the 125-pound class, Koballa is ranked No. 1 at 141, Crenshaw is ranked No. 3 at 165, and Kurt Wolff is ranked No. 8 at 174. … The Falcons are also well represented in the NAIA East Region rankings as well. Overall, there are eight Falcon grapplers ranked, led by Crenshaw and Koballa. Each is ranked No. 1 in their respective classes. Complete rankings can be found at www.naia.org.
PICK SIX: Opponents have tallied exactly six points in each of NDC's last three dual wins. In those three victories, Notre Dame has outscored their foes (Muskingum, Mount Union, West Virginia Tech), 117-18.
