Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
All-Academy Championships
Army Places Third At All-Academy Championships
February 06, 2011 | Wrestling
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Senior Casey Thome and sophomore Daniel Young won individual titles to lead the Army wrestling team to a third-place showing at the 17th annual All-Academy Championships on Sunday. The Black Knights piled up 82.5 points to finish within the top half of the eight-team field.
Thome pinned his first two opponents to reach the title bout at 141 pounds. In the first round, Thome took down Coast Guard's Scott Coull in 2 minutes, 44 seconds. In the second round, Thome needed just 1:04 to pin VMI's David Yost. The Troy, Ohio, native capped the day by defeating Navy's Dustin Haislip, 7-2, in the championship match.
Young dominated the competition at 149 pounds, using a pair of technical fall victories to reach the championship match. The sophomore defeated VMI's Ryan Goodsell, 19-4, in the first round, before taking an 18-3 decision from Merchant Marine's Martin Bell in the second round. Young's dominance continued in the title bout as he took a 6-0 decision from The Citadel's Derek Royster.
Junior Jimmy Rafferty placed runner-up at 157 pounds, dropping a hard-fought 5-2 decision to Navy's Bryce Saddoris in the championship match. Rafferty began his run to the 157-pound final by earning a 12-3 major decision opposite Norwich's Abe Bray. He then slipped past The Citadel's Pierre Frazile, 10-9, to reach the championship final.
Senior Jake Vetter turned in a second-place finish at 165 pounds after losing to The Citadel's Turkogtokh Luvsandorj, 5-2. Vetter earned a spot in the championship match by upending Coast Guard's Luke Taylor (6-1) and Air Force's Clayton Gable (6-4).
Elsewhere, junior Travis Coffey (125 pounds), sophomore Connor Hanafee (133) and freshman Ryan Tompkins (174) each placed third in their respective weight classes.
Coffey compiled a 3-1 mark with a major decision en route to winning the consolation final in the 125-pound weight class. He knocked off Air Force's Tyler Spangler, 4-2, in the third-place bout.
Hanafee posted a 3-1 record with a pair of pins in placing third at 133 pounds. He upended The Citadel's Tyler Sim, 5-2, in the third-place match.
Tompkins, meanwhile, won three straight matches in the consolation draw to salvage a third-place showing at 174 pounds. He edged VMI's Matt Brock, 4-3, in the third-place match.
Junior Daniel Mills placed fourth at 197 pounds, rounding out the Black Knights' list of placewinners. Mills forged a 2-2 record with a pair of pins on the day. He lost a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Air Force's Neil Delaney in the consolation final.
Navy accumulated 117.5 points to win the team title for the seventh time in the last eight years. The Citadel, which hosted the event, placed runner-up with 86.5 points. Air Force (64 points) finished fourth, while Merchant Marine (36.5), VMI (22.5), Coast Guard (3.5) and Norwich (1.5) rounded out the rest of the field.
Army returns to its dual match slate on Thursday, Feb. 10, when the Black Knights travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to face EIWA rival Bucknell at 7 p.m.
Tournament Notes: Casey Thome leads the Black Knights with 24 wins and nine pins this season ... Thome has won 10 straight matches ... Thome's 107 career victories rank sixth all-time at Army ... Daniel Young leads Army with four technical falls this year ... his 23 wins rank second on the squad ... Jimmy Rafferty tops the squad with five major decision this season ... Navy has won 10 All-Academy Championship titles in the 17-year history of the event.
1. Navy - 117.5
2. The Citadel - 86.5
3. ARMY - 82.5
4. Air Force - 64
5. Merchant Marine - 36.5
6. VMI - 22.5
7. Coast Guard - 3.5
8. Norwich - 1.5
Players Mentioned
