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Tech Takes Turkey Bowl

December 7, 2013

BUENA VISTA, Va. - The WVU Tech wrestling team, fresh off a victory Friday evening, were back at it Saturday morning in Buena Vista, Va., at the annual Southern Virginia Turkey Bowl. It was a historic day for the Golden Bears, as they won their first-ever team tournament title in wrestling at the annual event. Depth was the key to the team's victory, as they entered more than 20 wrestlers, both attached and unattached, and were able to score points at eight of the weight classes entered.

The 165 lb. weight class was a prime example of this as Sophomore Captain Dirk Ponchak who went 4-0 on the day (1 pin, 1 major decision, and 2 decisions) to take the championship for the second year in a row. In the final he defeated teammate Bryan Overton who entered the competition unattached, by a score of 4-1. Ponchak moves to 14-1 on the season. Colton Rowe made it a clean sweep of the podium spots by Tech wrestlers, winning by first-period fall in the 3rd place match.

The 125 lb. weight was another weight where Tech was dominant, as all four athletes in the semi-finals had ties to Tech. In the end Naiheem Knight, wrestling unattached, defeated teammate Denis Robles by a score of 7-5 The 133 lb. final was also an all-Golden Bear affair, as Alfred Martinez defeated fellow Freshman Jeffrey Bayonne by a score of 10-9 in the day's most exciting final.

At 184 lbs. two freshmen made it on to the podium. Tola Morakinyo made the final, losing by decision to his opponent from American University. Kyle Shepherd moved up a weight and was able to continue his strong start to his freshman campaign, earning the bronze, but scoring bonus points in several matches along the way. Shepherd moved his record to 10-1 on the year.

"Terrible" Terry Nance made the final of his first collegiate tournament, winning by fall in the semi-final, before falling in the final to his opponent from JMU at 197 lbs. Fellow Freshman Alex Lecroy finished one spot behind him, with a pair of bonus point victories in the consolations, to finish in third place.

At 235 lbs. Wyatt Norfolk scored a pair of falls in the consolations to earn a bronze medal and score 8.5 tam points for the Golden Bears.

At 174 lbs. freshman Zach Nibert went 4-2 on the day to finish in 4th place. Senior Captain John Walters earned a pair of victories, including his sixth first-period pin of the season, to place fourth at 149 lbs. as well.

Said head coach Sam Gardner at the end of the day: " I'm proud of the guys. They competed hard in a difficult circumstance, having to get up early and travel the morning after a dual meet. A year ago we came here with four athletes, and had a pair of champions and a runner-up. Today, if you include the unattached guys who made the trek out here on their own, we had three champions, five runners-up, and four bronze medal winners. That is a huge turn-around, and it is a testament to the support our administration has given us, as well as to the hard work and commitment of these student-athletes. I feel lucky to be able to say I coached these kids on a day that is really meaningful in the history of the program. Winning any tournament as a team in wrestling is a difficult endeavor, and the first one is the most difficult to earn. We'll enjoy this tonight, then Sunday we'll get back to work, as we have Ohio Valley University on Tuesday evening. We are going to have to be better than we were today in order to win on the road."

Team Scores

1. West Virginia Tech (W.Va.) 5102 62.0
2. Liberty 5103 42.0
3. Southern Virginia University SVU 29.0
4. James Madison 5019 26.5
5. Tennessee Temple University TTU 25.5
6. East Tennessee State University ETSU 24.5
7. Hampton Sydney HS 22.5
8. Bridgewater College BC 19.5
9. Ferrum College FER 15.0
10. Virginia Military Institute VMI 8.0
11. American 5018 0.0

Southern Virginia Turkey Bowl Results for West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)
College 125 - devon steele's place is 4th and has scored 6.50 team points.
Quarterfinal - devon steele (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Jacob Cunningham (Liberty) (Fall 2:50)
Semifinal - Denis Robles (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over devon steele (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)
Cons. Semi - devon steele (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Ian McKinley (East Tennessee State University) (Maj 14-2)
3rd Place Match - Cody Byrd (Southern Virginia University) won by fall over devon steele (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 1:44)

College 125 - naiheem knight's place is 1st and has scored 13.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - naiheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Ian McKinley (East Tennessee State University) (Maj 17-4)
Semifinal - naiheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over JASI COUREUR (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 12-11)
1st Place Match - naiheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Denis Robles (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 7-5)

College 125 - Denis Robles's place is 2nd and has scored 13.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Denis Robles (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Cody Byrd (Southern Virginia University) (Fall 6:13)
Semifinal - Denis Robles (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over devon steele (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)
1st Place Match - naiheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Denis Robles (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 7-5)

College 125 - JASI COUREUR's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - JASI COUREUR (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - naiheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over JASI COUREUR (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 12-11)
Cons. Semi - Cody Byrd (Southern Virginia University) won by fall over JASI COUREUR (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)

College 133 - Alfred Martinez's place is 1st and has scored 13.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Alfred Martinez (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Alfred Martinez (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Jeremy Beale (Liberty) (Maj 13-5)
1st Place Match - Alfred Martinez (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Jeffrey Bayonne (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 10-9)

College 133 - Jeffrey Bayonne's place is 2nd and has scored 10.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Jeffrey Bayonne (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Jeffrey Bayonne (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Steven Byrd (Tennessee Temple University) (Maj 10-0)
1st Place Match - Alfred Martinez (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Jeffrey Bayonne (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 10-9)

College 141 - Conner Russ's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Conner Russ (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Logan Smith (Ferrum College) won by fall over Conner Russ (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 1:17)
Cons. Semi - Jacob Paull (Liberty) won by fall over Conner Russ (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)

College 149 - Tyler Sierra's place is unknown and has scored 3.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Tyler Sierra (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Mark Cirello (American) won by fall over Tyler Sierra (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 1:52)
Cons. Round 2 - Tyler Sierra (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Tyler Sierra (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Melik Williams (Tennessee Temple University) (Fall 2:21)
Cons. Semi - Brad Mutchnik (American) won by fall over Tyler Sierra (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)

College 149 - Christopher Rapley's place is unknown and has scored 1.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Christopher Rapley (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Melik Williams (Tennessee Temple University) (Dec 7-4)
Quarterfinal - Brad Mutchnik (American) won by fall over Christopher Rapley (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 2:40)
Cons. Round 2 - Christopher Rapley (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Josh Sanders (Liberty) won by fall over Christopher Rapley (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 2:07)

College 149 - John Walters's place is 4th and has scored 7.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - John Walters (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - John Walters (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Jake Jones (East Tennessee State University) (Fall 2:26)
Semifinal - Mark Cirello (American) won by decision over John Walters (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 7-1)
Cons. Semi - John Walters (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Josh Sanders (Liberty) (Maj 12-0)
3rd Place Match - Brad Mutchnik (American) won by major decision over John Walters (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 10-1)

College 165 - Giovane Lins's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Giovane Lins (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Markevis Duncan (East Tennessee State University) won by major decision over Giovane Lins (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 15-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Giovane Lins (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Giovane Lins (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 4:30)

College 165 - Colton Rowe's place is 3rd and has scored 14.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Alex Cox (Liberty) (Maj 12-4)
Quarterfinal - Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Samuel Paulay (Virginia Military Institute ) (Fall 0:50)
Semifinal - Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 2:43)
Cons. Semi - Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Will Hays (James Madison) (Fall 0:00)
3rd Place Match - Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Markevis Duncan (East Tennessee State University) (Fall 0:00)

College 165 - raheem knight's place is unknown and has scored 3.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - raheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - raheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by tech fall over Austin Kirtlan (Liberty) (TF 15-0)
Quarterfinal - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over raheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 15-7)
Cons. Round 4 - Will Hays (James Madison) won by fall over raheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)

College 165 - Bradley Ponchak's place is 1st and has scored 17.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Travis Herald (Bridgewater College) (Fall 1:43)
Quarterfinal - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over raheem knight (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 15-7)
Semifinal - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Markevis Duncan (East Tennessee State University) (Dec 6-1)
1st Place Match - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 4-1)

College 165 - Robert Elam's place is unknown and has scored 8.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye) Champ. Round 2 - Norquan Otis (Tennessee Temple University) won by decision over Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Giovane Lins (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 4:30)
Cons. Round 4 - Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Tyler Desper (James Madison) (Fall 0:00)
Cons. Round 5 - Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Samuel Paulay (Virginia Military Institute ) (Fall 0:00)
Cons. Semi - Markevis Duncan (East Tennessee State University) won by major decision over Robert Elam (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 21-7)

College 165 - Bryan Overton's place is 2nd and has scored 17.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Shane Chipley (East Tennessee State University) (Fall 6:20)
Quarterfinal - Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Tyler Desper (James Madison) (Fall 0:00)
Semifinal - Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Colton Rowe (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 2:43)
1st Place Match - Bradley Ponchak (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Bryan Overton (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 4-1)

College 165 - Alhassan Yasin's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Alhassan Yasin (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Samuel Paulay (Virginia Military Institute ) won by decision over Alhassan Yasin (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Will Hays (James Madison) won by fall over Alhassan Yasin (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 2:12)

College 174 - Kaleem Smith's place is unknown and has scored 2.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Kaleem Smith (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Quarterfinal - Patrick Good (Liberty) won by decision over Kaleem Smith (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 4-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Kaleem Smith (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by injury default over Connar Zimmerman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Inj. 0:00)
Cons. Round 3 - Caleb Prather (Virginia Military Institute ) won by fall over Kaleem Smith (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)

College 174 - Connar Zimmerman's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Josh Sturgill (Liberty) won by decision over Connar Zimmerman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Connar Zimmerman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Kaleem Smith (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by injury default over Connar Zimmerman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Inj. 0:00)

College 174 - Zach Nibert's place is 4th and has scored 7.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by tech fall over Caleb Prather (Virginia Military Institute ) (TF 15-0)
Quarterfinal - Ma`Nako Peay (East Tennessee State University) won by decision over Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 7-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Thomas Barnes (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 11-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Rainey Moore (Ferrum College) (Dec 7-5)
Cons. Semi - Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by decision over Joe Miller (James Madison) (Dec 3-2)
3rd Place Match - Josh Sturgill (Liberty) won by decision over Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 13-9)

College 174 - Thomas Barnes's place is unknown and has scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Joe Miller (James Madison) won by decision over Thomas Barnes (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 5-4)
Cons. Round 1 - Thomas Barnes (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Zach Nibert (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Thomas Barnes (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 11-2)

College 184 - Tola Morakinyo's place is 2nd and has scored 10.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Tola Morakinyo (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Tola Morakinyo (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Michael Kilstrom (Southern Virginia University) (Maj 14-6)
1st Place Match - Brett Dempsey (American) won by decision over Tola Morakinyo (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 9-3)

College 184 - Kyle Shepherd's place is 3rd and has scored 10.50 team points.
Quarterfinal - Kyle Shepherd (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Christopher Diaz (Tennessee Temple University) (Fall 0:00)
Semifinal - Brett Dempsey (American) won by tech fall over Kyle Shepherd (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (TF 17-2)
Cons. Semi - Kyle Shepherd (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by forfeit over Hunter DeVall (Ferrum College) (FF)
3rd Place Match - Kyle Shepherd (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by major decision over Michael Kilstrom (Southern Virginia University) (Maj 11-2)

College 197 - alexander lecroy's place is 3rd and has scored 9.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Stefan Haas (James Madison) won by major decision over alexander lecroy (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Maj 10-1)
Cons. Round 1 - alexander lecroy (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Semi - alexander lecroy (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Eric Porter (East Tennessee State University) (Fall 0:00)
3rd Place Match - alexander lecroy (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over jacob hood (Liberty) (Fall 3:43)

College 197 - Terry Nance's place is 2nd and has scored 11.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Terry Nance (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Terry Nance (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Eric Porter (East Tennessee State University) (Fall 2:00)
1st Place Match - Stefan Haas (James Madison) won by decision over Terry Nance (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 6-3)

College 235 - Wyatt Norfolk's place is 3rd and has scored 8.50 team points.
Quarterfinal - Wyatt Norfolk (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Ryan Rowe (Bridgewater College) won by fall over Wyatt Norfolk (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)
Cons. Semi - Wyatt Norfolk (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Daniel Siler (Bridgewater College) (Fall 0:00)
3rd Place Match - Wyatt Norfolk (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) won by fall over Charles Hancock IV (Liberty) (Fall 0:00)

College 285 - jon boarman's place is 4th and has scored 2.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - jon boarman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
Semifinal - Drew Clark (Hampton Sydney ) won by fall over jon boarman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Fall 0:00)
Cons. Semi - jon boarman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) received a bye () (Bye)
3rd Place Match - Aaron McMillian (Bridgewater College) won by decision over jon boarman (West Virginia Tech (W.Va.)) (Dec 5-3)


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