LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Wrestling stays undefeated at Cormack Hall after sweeping Mercyhurst and ACC-foe Duke in Saturday's tri-meet.
 
The Keydets (3-2) now sit above .500 and earned their first program win over the Lakers and their second-straight home win and 34th overall over the Blue Devils.



 
VMI vs. Mercyhurst
The Keydets tallied eight-straight bout victories in their 42-6 win over the Lakers.
 
VMI came out swinging right off the bat, getting a major decision from 125-pounder Waylon Rogers, followed by a technical fall from 133-pounder Declan Strait. Earning a first-period fall at 141 pounds was Phoenix Alyea, his second pin of the season, before Patrick Jordon got a shutout major decision at 149 pounds to put the Keydets up 19-0 through four matches.
 
157-pounder Ray Cmil dominated the mat, putting up the highest bout score of the afternoon with a 20-5 technical fall. Returning from injury, 165-pounder Ryan Vigil picked up where he left off last season with a major decision to add to the Keydets' lead.
 
It was a late pin by Beau Lewis at 174 pounds and an early technical fall by Andrew Barford at 184 pounds to seal VMI's victory and cap off the eight-match streak. At heavyweight, Cole Will took control and left with a 7-1 decision.
 
 
Final Results (VMI 42, Mercyhurst 6)
125: Waylon Rogers (VMI) over Travis Browning (MERC) (MD 16-7)
133: Declan Strait (VMI) over Edwin Mooney (MERC) (TF 17-1 4:29)
141: Phoenix Alyea (VMI) over Marcus Colson (MERC) (Fall 2:07)
149: Patrick Jordon (VMI) over Colin Scherer (MERC) (MD 8-0)
157: Ray Cmil (VMI) over Xavier Dombkowski (MERC) (TF 20-5 4:25)
165: Ryan Vigil (VMI) over Keith Mincin (MERC) (MD 10-2)
174: Beau Lewis (VMI) over Maxx Fesinger (MERC) (Fall 5:28)
184: Andrew Barford (VMI) over Jake LeClerc (MERC) (TF 18-2 2:22)
197: Josh Johnson-Cantrell (MERC) over (VMI) (For.)
285: Cole Will (VMI) over Joey Baronick (MERC) (Dec 7-1)
Ex 285: Drake Garrison (VMI) over Gino Guerrisi (MERC) (TF 19-4 5:04)



 
VMI vs. Duke
The Keydets controlled the mat early, bringing much-needed energy that resulted in a 28-10 final over the Blue Devils.
 
Starting the dual off with a bang was 125-pounder Waylon Rogers, dominating his way to a major decision, right before Kyle Gibson scored a shutout decision at 133 pounds to put the Keydets up, 7-0.
 
Phoenix Alyea and Patrick Jordon kept VMI rolling at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, with major decisions.
 
However, Duke started making a comeback, winning its next three bouts to make it 15-10. Despite the slight momentum switch, VMI never faltered, earning the last three match victories.
 
184-pounder Andrew Barford stunned the Keydet faithful with a big decision that came at a crucial point in the dual, forcing the Blue Devils to win out the dual. Putting the nail in the coffin and Duke out of reach was Toby Schoffstall at 197 pounds by recording a major decision. Capping off the night in fashion with a second-period pin was Cole Will in the heavyweight battle.
 
 
Final Results (VMI 28, Duke 10)
125: Waylon Rogers (VMI) over Riley Rowan (DUKE) (MD 14-2)
133: Kyle Gibson (VMI) over John King (DUKE) (Dec 6-0)
141: Phoenix Alyea (VMI) over Raymond Adams (DUKE) (MD 11-2)
149: Patrick Jordon (VMI) over Dylan Ross (DUKE) (MD 12-1)
157: Mikey Boulanger (DUKE) over Ray Cmil (VMI) (MD 16-3)
165: Aurelius Dunbar (DUKE) over Ryan Vigil (VMI) (Dec 6-3)
174: #24 Aidan Wallace (DUKE) over Beau Lewis (VMI) (Dec 5-1)
184: Andrew Barford (VMI) over David Hussey (DUKE) (Dec 8-4)
197: Toby Schoffstall (VMI) over Owen McGrory (DUKE) (MD 11-1)
285: Cole Will (VMI) over Tyler O`Boyle (DUKE) (Fall 4:10)
 
Next Up
The Keydets wait until after Thanksgiving for their next event. VMI will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 43rd Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on December 4-5.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.