Wrestling Battles Hard at Day One of NCAAs

Thursday, March 17

New York, NY

All Day

Army West Point

NCAA Championships

Wrestling Battles Hard at Day One of NCAAs

March 18, 2016 | Wrestling

NEW YORK CITY – The Army West Point wrestling team battled through the first day of the NCAA Championships, picking up a pair of wins at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

"At the national tournament, there are always crazy things that happen," said head coach Kevin Ward. "We had some really good matches today, and we lost some that really hurt. Bottom line is that we have a couple of guys alive in the tournament with a chance to get on the podium. We are excited for them to chase their goals."

The day started with 141-pounder Logan Everett coming out victorious in his first-ever match at the national championship tournament. The junior from Tioga, Pa., took a 4-2 decision over 10th-seeded Todd Preston of Harvard.

Everett was joined by senior Brian Harvey at 174 pounds as the only Black Knights to advance past the opening round. The 15-seed posted an 8-2 victory over UT Chattanooga's Sean Mapes for his 24^th of the season. Against the Big 12 champ, Lelund Weatherspoon of Iowa State, the New Palestine, Ind., native was an escape shy of advancing to the quarterfinals, suffering a 3-2 setback. Weatherspoon defeated Cornell's Brian Realbuto in the opening round.

Russell Parsons Jr. struggled at the NCAAs, although not due to a lack of effort. He dropped a 9-4 decision to Virginia Tech's Nick Brascetta before getting pinned in the first period by Ohio's Spartak Chino to end his season. The Clinton, N.J., native will look to regroup for his senior campaign in search of his first win on the biggest state. Parsons Jr. ends the season as Army's top wrestler with a record of 28-13, while improving his career-mark to 55-25.

Samson Imonode, Army's 184-pounder, fought hard in his first two NCAA bouts, although he was unable to come away victorious. The junior from Phoenix, Ariz., lost by a combined three points: 4-2 against N.C. State's 13-seed Pete Renda and 6-5 opposite Jeffrey Koepke of Illinios. Imonode ended the season with a record of 15-19.

Senior 197-pounder Bryce Barnes, Army's first four-time NCAA qualifier since Matthew Kyler in 2010, ended his career by going two-and-out at the big dance. His final match was a 4-3 decision to Joshua Dasilveira of Arizona State. The Virginia Beach, Va., native accumulated an 85-56 record through his four years at the Academy, while capping his senior campaign with a record of 21-12.

"Putting half our lineup into the NCAA tournament shows the progress that we have made," added Ward. "We willkeep building on it and keep getting better."

Harvey and Everett return to the mat tomorrow, March 18, starting at 11 a.m.

For more information on Army West Point wrestling, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Wres on Twitter.

RESULTS:

141: Logan Everett
Round of 32: W, 4-2 v. 10-seed Todd Preston (Harvard)
Round of 16: L, TF, 16-1 v. Solomon Chishko (Virginia Tech)

157: Russell Parsons Jr.
Round of 32: L, 9-4 v. Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech)
Cons. Round of 16 #1: L, Fall at 0:28 v. Spartak Chino (Ohio)

174: 15-seed Brian Harvey
Round of 32: W, 8-2 v. Sean Mappes (UT Chattanooga)
Round of 16: L, 3-2 v. Lelund Weatherspoon (Iowa State)

184: Samson Imonode
Round of 32: L, 4-2 v. 13-seed Pete Renda (N.C. State)
Cons. Round of 16 #1: L, 6-5 v. Jeffrey Koepke (Illinios)

197: Bryce Barnes
Round of 32: L, 8-4 v. Maxwell Huntley (Michigan)
Cons. Round of 16 #1: L, 4-3 v. Joshua Dasilveira (Arizona State)