CASTLETON, Vt. – The 24th-ranked Castleton University wrestling team earned a dominant victory over Rhode Island College Sunday, winning nine of the day's 10 bouts en route to a 42-3 win.
Castleton won the first eight matches of the day, highlighted by four pins to open the dual. The Spartans remain unbeaten on the season, improving to 5-0 overall. Rhode Island College is now 1-2 after the loss. The Spartans honored their two senior wrestlers—Max Tempel and Frank Darwak—prior to the match.
The day began with a pin by Elijah Cyr at 125 pounds for the Spartans, as he scored an early takedown and turned it into a pin against Chris Lavallee just 1:08 into the bout. Wrestling up a weight class at 133 pounds, Darwak followed with a pin of his own, notching a takedown before pinning Julien Vivas in 1:45.
Michael Gonyea also wrestled up one weight class, taking on Lance Peters in the 141-pound bout. Gonyea had three first-period takedowns and was leading 6-2 before pinning Peters to the mat just 47 seconds in, extending Castleton's lead to 18-0 after just three bouts. The streak continued at 149 pounds, when Logan Dubuque scored a quick takedown and pinned Michael Burns in 1:32m giving Castleton a 24-0 lead.
Tempel and Nathan Lackman had a tight battle going into the second period at 157 pounds, as neither wrestler cracked the score column in the opening there minutes. The only scoring in the second frame came from an escape by Lackman, but Tempel leveled the score with an escape of his own to open the third period. With the match tied 1-1, the bout went to overtime where Tempel came out a 3-1 winner with a takedown in the sudden-victory period. At 165 pounds, Michael Angers picked up a 3-1 win of his own, scoring all three of his points in the second period. He started with an escape before taking down Eric Zane to go ahead 3-0. Zane then escaped to make it 3-1, but Angers was able to stave off a charge from Zane to push Castleton's lead to 30-0.
Cooper Fleming was able to add to Castleton's lead in a big way, logging a pin at 174 pounds against Nathan Stemple. Fleming notched a quick takedown before scoring two more points with a near-fall. Leading 4-0 in the bout, Fleming was able to finish the match in 1:39, pinning Stemple to put Castleton up 36-0 with just three bouts remaining. Sampson Wilkins continued Castleton's winning ways at 184 pounds, defeating Jett Tancsik by decision, 3-1. Wilkins scored first with an escape to go up 1-0 in the second period, but Tancsik tied it at 1-1 with an escape of his own in the third. The tie didn't last long, however, as Wilkins notched a takedown to seal the 3-1 win and a 39-0 lead for Castleton.
Rhode Island College earned its first team points of the day at 197 pounds, when Daniel Sblendorio earned a win via decision of Castleton's Haven Tatarek. Sblendorio scored five points in the second period to take a commanding lead, and capped the bout with riding time for a 6-1 win via decision, making it 39-3 Castleton heading to the heavyweight bout.
In the final match of the day, Chance LaPier and Edison Guarcas went scoreless into the second period, before Guarcas took a 1-0 lead with an escape. LaPier evened the score in the third with an escape of his own, before taking a late lead—3-1—with a takedown. LaPier refused to let Guarcas off the mat, holding on for the 3-1 decision and the 42-3 win for Castleton.
The Spartans are back in action next Saturday, March 6, at New England College.
