DAVIDSON, N.C. ? Back-to-back wins by sophomores Ronnie Ellsworth and Josh Wine cut the Davidson lead to only five points with two matches remaining, but Wildcat junior Ben Altman won an overtime decision at 125 pounds in the next bout to secure a 23-12, Southern Conference dual win over VMI on Sunday afternoon at Belk Arena.
In a dual that started at 141 lbs., the Wildcats (4-8, 1-1 SoCon) ran off three wins in the first four matches, claiming a 13-3 advantage early on. The lone Keydet (0-6, 0-2 SoCon) win in the run came at 157, where junior Michael Long, wrestling up a weight for the first time this season, won a 10-3 decision over Carl Sandercock. That, however, was followed by a pin by Davidson's Tyler Mullen of Kyle Elgert, one of three extra-point wins for the Wildcats on the day.
Keydet freshman Andrew Szymborski countered with a 4-0 decision at 174, before the hosts once again extended their lead when Sam O'Hair posted a major decision at 184.
With VMI trailing 17-6, Ellsworth stepped up to deliver a 4-1 decision over Jorge Estrada at 197. Wine followed that win with a 5-0 decision of his own at heavyweight, bringing the margin to 17-12 and giving the Keydets a chance to pull out an exciting win.
Those hopes were dashed with a tight battle at 125. Altman prevailed over Keydet sophomore John Pope with a takedown 20 seconds into overtime, putting the match out of reach with his 8-6 win. Alex Radsky put the finishing touches on the win for the Wildcats, winning a 4-2 decision over VMI freshman Michael Bowman.
VMI returns to action on Wednesday evening, playing host to Duke at 7:30 p.m. at the Thunderdome.
Davidson 23, VMI 12
141: Vitaly Radsky (DAV) dec. David Yost (VMI), 10-5, 3-0 DAV
149: David DeCamp (DAV) maj. dec. Joe Munno (VMI), 13-5, 7-0
157: Michael Long (VMI) dec. Carl Sandercock, 10-3, 7-3
165: Tyler Mullen (DAV) pins Kyle Elgert (VMI), 1:28, 13-3
174: Andrew Szymborski (VMI) dec. Kevin Cook (DAV), 4-0, 13-6
184: Sam O'Hair (DAV) maj. dec. Jayme Gordon (VMI), 15-3, 17-6
197: Ronnie Ellsworth (VMI) dec. Jorge Estrada (DAV), 4-1, 17-9
285: Josh Wine (VMI) dec. Charlie Wolff (DAV), 5-0, 17-12
125: Ben Altman (DAV) dec. John Pope (VMI), 8-6 OT, 20-12
133: Alex Radsky (DAV) dec. Michael Bowman (VMI), 4-2, 23-12
