LEXINGTON, Va.- Three VMI seniors won their final match at The Thunderdome, but it wasn't enough as Liberty claimed a 30-12 victory on Friday evening in non-conference action. The Flames improve to 12-11-1 on the season, while the Keydets fall to 6-8.

With the evening beginning at 141, the Flames took each of the first five matches, including two pins, before Keydet senior Dustin McCabe broke the string at 184 with his 9-3 decision over LU freshman Nick Knowles. After back-to-back major decisions by the Flames, VMI senior Jeremy Adams pinned Sean Katz at the 5:45 mark, before Tyler Anthony wrapped up the evening with a 4-2 decision at 133 over LU sophomore Christian Smith.

Flame junior Tim Harner began the night with a pin at the 4:20 mark, taking down Keydet fifth-year senior David Metzler in the 141-pound match. Harner improved to 27-10 on the season, while Metzler fell to 22-14.

The 149-pound match nearly saw takedowns for both sides in the first period between LU freshman Scott Clymer and Keydet freshman John Held. Clymer moved ahead with an escape midway through the second period, and went up 3-0 with a takedown late in the second period. Held scored an escape point late in the third period to cut the margin to 3-1, however was unable to get any closer, as Clymer took a 4-1 decision with the riding time point.

LU sophomore Shaun Smith made it three in a row with a 10-4 decision at 157 over freshman Andrew Dionne, while Chad Porter won a wild affair at 165 over Jayme Gordon, 16-8. Flame sophomore Aaron Kelley capped the run with a pin at the 1:40 mark over sophomore Jon Horne, giving the visitors a 22-0 advantage after the 174-pound match.

McCabe moved up to 184 pounds, where he took a 2-1 lead and over a minute of riding time into the second period against Knowles. Knowles tied the match with an escape 20 seconds into the second period, but McCabe answered a minute later to move into the lead for good. With a point tacked on for stalling, McCabe took over two minutes of riding time into the third period, along with a 5-2 lead on his way to a 9-3 decision to put the Keydets on the board at 22-3.

Chris Daggett and Patrick Walker each posted impressive major decisions at 197 and 285 for the Flames, defeating Curtis Moore 12-1 and Josh Wine 13-0, respectively to put the match out of reach at 30-3 through eight matches.

Keydet senior Jeremy Adams capped off his regular season in style, pinning his third opponent this season at 125. Adams improved to 16-14 overall and 7-2 in dual matches with the win, setting the stage for Anthony's 133-pound match. There, Anthony and Smith battled through a scoreless first period before Smith scored a reversal 20 seconds into the second period to take a 2-0 lead. Anthony escaped and trailed 2-1 entering the third period, where he again escaped quickly to knot the match at two. After a lengthy stoppage midway through the period to clarify the match's riding time, Anthony scored a takedown, followed quickly by a Smith escape, and the score remained at 4-3 as the final buzzer sounded

The Keydets return to action on Saturday, March 8, competing at the Southern Conference Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Liberty 30, VMI 12
141- Tim Harner (LU) pins David Metzler (VMI), 4:20; Liberty 6, VMI 0
149- Scott Clymer (LU) dec. John Held (VMI), 4-1; Liberty 9, VMI 0
157- Shaun Smith (LU) dec. Andrew Dionne (VMI), 10-4; Liberty 12, VMI 0
165- Chad Porter (LU) maj. dec. Jayme Gordon (VMI), 16-8; Liberty 16, VMI 0
174- Aaron Kelley (LU) pins Jon Horne (VMI), 1:40; Liberty 22, VMI 0
184- Dustin McCabe (VMI) dec. Nick Knowles (LU), 9-3; Liberty 22, VMI 3
197- Chris Daggett (LU) maj. dec. Curtis Moore (VMI), 12-1; Liberty 26, VMI 3
285- Patrick Walker (LU) maj. dec. Josh Wine (VMI), 13-0; Liberty 30, VMI 3
125- Jeremy Adams (VMI) pins Sean Katz (LU), 5:45; Liberty 30, VMI 9
133- Tyler Anthony (VMI) dec. Christian Smith (LU), 4-2; Liberty 30, VMI 12

Attendance- 907