BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's wrestling team ended the regular season on a high note, winning a pair of South Atlantic Conference Carolinas duals to finish the season third in the conference. This is the second straight season that King has finished with a winning record in conference action.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 30, UNC Pembroke 15; King 25, Belmont Abbey 24
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 10-7, 6-3 SACC; UNC Pembroke 7-8, 5-3 SACC; Belmont Abbey 9-6, 6-2 SACC
HOW IT HAPPENED – UNC PEMBROKE
- King took the first two duals by forfeit, grabbing a 12-0 lead.
- Christian Small, who is ranked sixth in the nation, won a 9-5 decision at 141 pounds over Chance Cottingham, giving King a 15-0 lead.
- After Demetri Teddlie won via decision, King claimed another forfeit at 157 pounds, making the score 24-0.
- UNC Pembroke picked up a win at 165 pounds before Dallin Ewart won a 11-5 decision at 174 to make the score 27-6 in favor of the Tornado.
- The closest match of the night came at 184 pounds, where Freddie Garcia scored a takedown in the final five seconds to narrowly earn a 4-3 win over Jovaun Johnson.
- The Braves won the final two bouts, including a first period pin at 285 pounds, but were unable to make up the difference, as King took the dual.
HOW IT HAPPENED – BELMONT ABBEY
- The teams traded pins in the first three bouts, with the Crusaders winning at 125 pounds before Elijah Hicks and Small both won via first period pins to make it 12-6 King.
- The Crusaders won a decision at 149 pounds before Dallas Boone and David Varner picked up back-to-back wins, with Boone's coming via major decision to make the score 19-9.
- Ewart picked up his second win of the night at 174 pounds, pinning Amir Joseph in one minute, giving the Tornado a 25-9 lead.
- Belmont Abbey would take the final three bouts, including a forfeit at 184 pounds and a pin at 285 pounds, but King narrowly hung on for a 25-24 victory.
UP NEXT
- All three teams are off until next weekend's Super Region II Tournament, which will be hosted by UNC Pembroke.
