The Wolves wrestlers won their second-straight conference dual Tuesday Jan. 3, at Eleazer Arena over UNC Pembroke.
Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY — After going down 12-3 four bouts in, the Newberry wrestling team won five of the next six to earn a hard fought 21-15 win over UNC Pembroke on Jan. 3.
This was the second straight SACC dual win for the Wolves after starting 0-2 in-conference, while the Braves dropped their conference opener and fell to 1-4 on the season.
The match got started at 184, Armando Acosta earned a hard fought 3-2 decision over Jovaun Johnson with an escape in the third period to put Newberry up 3-0 early. That win set the tone for how the rest of the afternoon would go as all but two of the bouts were decisions and six of those eight were within two points.
The Braves fought back as they rallied off three straight wins, including a pin at 197, to flip the score line from 3-0 Wolves to 12-3 Braves. However, the Wolves would be granted a lifeline as Pembroke would have to forfeit the 133 pound bout and just like that Pembroke’s lead was cut to 12-9.
Devan Moore followed up with a gritty 12-6 decision at 141 to tie the match up at 12 and defending national champion, Isiah Royal, made his return to the lineup at 149 with a 3-2 decision to give the Wolves a 15-12 lead. Pembroke responded right back as Cliff Owens defeated Will Evans at 157. Nolan Wheeler gave the Scarlet and Gray the lead once again with an extremely hard fought 7-5 decision at 165 to make it 18-15, and, for the second dual in a row, Caleb Spears sealed the match with a 5-3 decision where he used a late take down to give him breathing room in a bout that sat at 3-2 for much of the second and third periods.
The Wolves look to continue this momentum as they travel to NWCA National Duals in Louisville, Ky. on Jan. 6 and will return to Eleazer Arena as they face the Coker Cobras in a SACC dual on Jan. 13.