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LEXINGTON, Va.- Trailing by three points with three matches to go, pins by freshman Josh Wine and senior Jeremy Adams secured the victory as VMI scored a 22-16 win over Gardner-Webb on Friday evening at The Thunderdome. The Keydets improve to 3-1 in duals on the season, while the Bulldogs fall to 0-1.

Wine (Fredericksburg, Va./Massaponax), wrestling his first collegiate match after joining the wrestling team following the football season, gave the Keydets a three-point advantage with his pin of sophomore Evan Rhodes (Martin, Ga./Stephens Co.) at the 4:04 mark in the heavyweight match. Shifting back to 125 lbs., Adams (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park) secured the win with his pin of freshman Tommy Bennett (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter Christian) at the 6:49 mark, giving the Keydets an insurmountable nine-point advantage with only one match remaining.

"We dropped some matches early that I really thought that we had to win," said VMI head coach John Trudgeon. "But we got some big performances out of some guys late, and I'm real proud of how we wrestled as a team tonight. To get pins from Josh and Jeremy was super work from them. Ty Anthony and Tommy Cunningham keep laying their heart out there on the mat, and David Metzler had a big win for us tonight as well. All ten of our guys wrestled with desire and intensity, and that's what it's all about. It was a great team win."

Senior Tyler Anthony (Canton, Ohio/Glen Oak) began the evening with a 4-2 decision against junior Chas Franz (Waynesville, Ohio/Waynesville) at 141 pounds, however GWU's Josh Lowe (Georgetown, Del./Sussex Central) knotted the match at three with his 4-1 victory over Vince Cole (Richmond, Va./L.C. Bird) at 149.

The Keydets then scored back-to-back wins at 157 and 165, with seniors David Metzler (Dayton, Va./Turner-Ashby) and Tommy Cunningham (Columbus, Ohio/Groveport-Madison) giving the Keydets a 9-3 lead with decisions against Austin Reece (Asheville, N.C./North Buncombe) and Brendan Couture (Matthews, N.C./Independence), respectively. Cunningham ran his dual-match winning streak to 16 in a row, dating back nearly two years, while his record now stands at 8-2 overall and 4-0 in duals this season.

However, the Bulldogs answered back with three straight wins. At 174, GWU's Chad Davis (Nappanee, Ind./Northwood) took a 1-0 decision against VMI senior Dustin McCabe (Gloucester Point, Va./Gloucester), before Matthias Piasecki (Palm City, Fla./Port St. Lucie) avenged a loss in last week's Davidson Open with a 10-7 decision against freshman Curtis Moore (Stafford, Va./Gar-Field) to knot the match at nine. In the 197-pound match, sophomore Dustin Porter (Burton, Ohio/Berkshire) improved to 9-2 on the season with a 5-1 decision against VMI freshman Ronnie Ellsworth (Newport News, Va./Menchville). That gave the Bulldogs a 12-9 advantage entering the heavyweight match, where Wine scored his first collegiate victory, followed by Adams' match-clinching pin at 125.

In the final match of the evening, Bulldog sophomore Rob Tate (Gastonia, N.C./East Gaston) improved to 15-1 on the year, taking a 10-0 major decision at 133 pounds against VMI freshman Ryan Goodsell (Rhoadesville, Va./Orange County).

The Keydets now break for exams and will next hit the mats on Dec. 29-30, competing at the Southern Scuffle hosted by UNC Greensboro.

VMI 21, Gardner Webb 16
141- Tyler Anthony (VMI) dec. Chas Franz (GWU) 4-2, VMI 3-0
149- Josh Lowe (GWU) dec. Vince Cole (VMI) 4-1, Tied 3-3
157- David Metzler (VMI) dec. Austin Reece (GWU) 10-6, VMI 6-3
165- Tommy Cunningham (VMI) dec. Brendan Couture (GWU) 9-2, VMI 9-3
174- Chad Davis (GWU) dec. Dustin McCabe (VMI) 1-0, VMI 9-6
184- Matthias Piasecki (GWU) dec. Curtis Moore (VMI) 10-7, Tied 9-9
197- Dustin Porter (GWU) dec. Ronnie Ellsworth (VMI) 5-1, GWU 12-9
285- Josh Wine (VMI) pins Evan Rhodes (GWU) 4:04, VMI 15-12
125- Jeremy Adams (VMI) pins Tommy Bennett (GWU) 6:49, VMI 21-12
133- Rob Tate (GWU) maj. dec. Ryan Goodsell (VMI) 10-0, VMI 21-16

Attendance- 903