NEWBERRY — Newberry wrestling was able to get wins against Bellarmine and conference foe Emmanuel while falling to No. 9 Western Colorado and No. 1 St. Cloud State at the annual Newberry Duals at Eleazer Arena.
The Wolves found themselves down 22-19 headed into the 285 match against Bellarmine, needing at lest a decision to force overtime. With the fate resting on Patton Gossett’s shoulders, he was able to come up in the clutch. Gossett was able to obtain the fall over Brian Stears, needing just 2:27 to do so.
Newberry started the day out with Austin Neal (125) getting the fall in 4:39 against Brandon Lucas and was able to get a 16-6 advantage with Isaiah Royal (141) picking up a major decision and Austin Palmer (157) getting the fall.
The Wolves found themselves down early against Western Colorado, down 12-3 after four matches. Palmer picked up his second victory of the day with a fall against Jason Slaughter in the second period at the 3:46 mark. Nick Giantono (165) helped Newberry gain the 15-12 edge with a fall against Hunter Mullin coming in the first period. Western Colorado went on the capture the dual, 26-17.
Palmer was able to obtain his third win on the day against Taner Trembley of St. Cloud State, getting a 2-1 decision in a highly contested match-up. Gossett had a tall order to fill, going against Zachary Muller, ranked 11th at 285 in the nation. Gossett gave all he had but came up short, falling in an 8-5 decision.
With one final dual left on the day, the Wolves wanted to make a statement and the did just that, defeating Emmanuel 30-12 in dominating fashion. Newberry got out to a fast 16-0 start with Neal gaining the fall in 2:20 against Allen Hayes. The Scarlet and Grey then picked up back-to-back tech falls with Zack Clary (133) getting his first win on the day and Royal picking up his second.
Newberry picked up 14 straight points as ZeBrandon Gant (184) picked up a 14-6 major decision against Seth Bell while Cole Haile (197) got the victory via forfeit. Gossett rounded out the day, gaining a 15-5 major decision over Preston Stell to conclude the day.
The Wolves will next be in action on Dec. 16-17 as they head to Indianapolis, Ind. for the Midwest Classic.