Emory, VA – Bluefield State University men's wrestling traveled to Emory & Henry to compete against the #4-ranked Lander and Emory & Henry.
In the first bout of the day, the Big Blue lost by a team score of 48-8. Scoring victories in the dual were Larry "Ryder" Rhodes, who won by a 5-1 decision at 125 lbs., and Xavier Nguygen at 141 lbs., who used a series of takedowns and turns to win by a technical fall.
In the second dual of the evening against Emory & Henry, Rhodes won his second match of the night by forfeit. Luke Roberts added an additional 6 team points at 133, before Nguyen took the mat at 141. The Seattle native didn't hesitate and continued to build on the momentum he generated earlier in the day, scoring several takedowns before scoring the pin.
Enrique Sanchez bounced back from an earlier loss that day to score a technical fall and make the team score 23-0 after four matches. At 165 Kairyn Hall rebounded from a less than stellar performance in his first match to win a 5-3 nail-biter, using his slide by and strong defensive scrambling skills to earn the victory.
Thomas Dolo scored a pair of takedowns before transitioning to a nearside cradle, where he earned a fall. Landon Marquis used a variety of takedowns and turns to win by technical fall. After forfeiting 197 to the host school, Big Simeon Bryant went out and received another forfeit, making the final team score 43-12.
Coach Gardner's Thoughts: "We were inconsistent in our first match. I thought we should have gotten two more bout victories if we wrestled better. At least we didn't get shut out by Lander, as they did to us the previous two years. Winning two matches is a step forward."
"Against E&H, we were better. X[avier] showed in his performance the guy I recruited. He was slick and aggressive and did a great job. Landon & Dolo both stepped up and performed as I had hoped. Kai's second match showed grit and heart. He had a bad first match, and I was fearful it would bother him in the E&H match. It probably did bother him, but he showed the toughness I know that's inside him. We needed a win tonight, and I'm glad it was emphatic.
