SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- On Saturday at the NWCA National Duals in Springfield, Ill., Notre Dame survived, conquered, and advanced. (Results)

NDC went 2-0, a mark that included a big victory over No. 2 (National Wresting Coaches Association) Newberry (S.C.).  Those twin wins send the Wrestling Falcons into day No. 2 with a shot at winning their third National Duals title in four years.

Notre Dame started its day by handily defeating Augustana (S.D.), 34-3, in a match that saw NDC win nine-of-10 bouts.  The seventh-seeded and seventh-ranked (NWCA) Falcons then squared off against the Newberry Wolves, a squad ranked No. 2 by the NWCA and No. 1 in the most recent Basford poll (Jan. 11).  Newberry came into the weekend with a 7-0 record this season and a 24-1 mark in its last 25 dual matches.

In that same Jan. 11 Basford rankings release, Notre Dame was pegged as the nation's No. 2 team in NCAA-II, so Saturday's nightcap was a 1-2 match-up with national implications.

In dispatching Newberry, 21-15, Notre Dame ran its season mark to 4-0.  The Wrestling Falcons haven't lost a dual match since Nov. 22, 2009; that stretch now includes 21 straight victories.

The Notre Dame- Newberry dual match was gut wrenching and nail biting to the end. With NDC trailing 12-3, freshman phenom Joey Davis-165 started the comeback when he pinned (18-3) Blake Ridenour at the 5:21 mark.  Following Davis' victory, the Falcons never looked back.  Eric Burgey-174 and Charles Mason-184 both won their bouts in a decision.  With those wins the match was all knotted up at 15.  All eyes were on the heavyweight match and in dramatic fashion, senior Orlando Scales pinned Robert Wade at the 1:43 mark to give the Falcons the victory, to move on to the semifinals.   

Three Falcon grapplers earned a 2-0 record on the day.  Joey Davis, Eric Burgey, and Orlando Scales were all undefeated on Saturday.  Davis remains undefeated on the year with his collegiate bout record mounting to 17-0 -- Burgey at 2-0 -- Scales at 4-0.

“You don't have a shot at the title unless you go undefeated on Saturday,” said Head Coach Frank Romano.  “Today we accomplished that goal.  I thought as a team the guys wrestled well on their feet and made smart decisions.  Advancing tomorrow will take persistence and focus.”

That tomorrow for the Wrestling Falcons (Sunday) will start with a 12 p.m. EDT tilt against Central Oklahoma, the No. 3 seed in the tournament.  Central Oklahoma and top-seeded Nebraska-Kearney are the top remaining seeds in the championship bracket of the NCAA-II division.

A win at noon would put NDC into the championship match at 4 p.m.

The event as a whole -- referred to as the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals -- includes 16 invited teams from numerous levels of the sport, including collegiate D-II and -III squads.  Sanctioned and operated by the NWCA, the tournament is being held at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill.

For Notre Dame the return to the 16-team national brackets comes after a year absent from the event -- NDC was a provisional D-II member in 2011-12 and not eligible to compete.  As members of the NAIA, Notre Dame won back-to-back NWCA National Duals titles in 2010 and 2011.