SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The ninth-ranked Vermont State University Castleton wrestling team continued to build on its historic season Saturday, earning the program's first-ever victory over perennial powerhouse #7 Johnson & Wales and shutting out #24 Springfield, 47-0.
 
The Spartans were ready to go from the opening whistle, winning five of the first six bouts against JWU before taking all 10 bouts against Springfield in the second match of the day. Six different Spartans went 2-0 in the dual matches, with a trio of Spartans picking up wins over nationally-ranked opponents in the JWU dual.
 
The victories improve VTSU Castleton's record this season to 18-3, tying a program record for wins in a season with two more duals remaining on the schedule. JWU is now 23-5 on the season and Springfield sits at 12-7 on the year. This is now the third win this season for Castleton against a team ranked higher than them in the most up-to-date NWCA ranking, previously toppling then-No. 12 Stevens and then-No. 5 Baldwin Wallace earlier in the year.
 
#9 VTSU Castleton 25, #7 Johnson & Wales 14
Gavin Bradley, ranked No. 9 at 125 pounds in the most recent NWCA rankings, squared off with 12th-ranked Harrison Gordon to open the day's action. Bradley came out on top thanks to a powerful third period. Tied 4-4 after two frames and chasing a point early after Gordon escaped from bottom position, Bradley netted two takedowns in less than two minutes for an 11-6 decision win. Drew Marchese dropped the 133-pound bout via tech fall to the nation's No. 2 wrestler Joziah Fry, but James Rodriguez got things back on track for Castleton with a tech fall of his own at 141. He racked up two takedowns in each period on his way to a 20-4 victory and an 8-5 lead for the Spartans.
 
At 149, Elijah Cyr squared off with eighth-ranked Victor Perlleshi and got the best of him with a 6-4 decision. A first-period takedown gave him an early lead, but two escapes and a stall point leveled the score at 3-3 going into the third period. Cyr notched on final takedown, sealing the victory and pushing the lead to 11-5. Nathaniel Camiscioli kept the train rolling for the Spartans at 157 pounds, winning an 8-2 decision that featured takedowns in each of the first two periods. He dominated from the top position, earning the bonus point for accumulating more than a minute of riding time to extend the Spartans' lead to 14-5 in the match.
 
Another nationally-ranked showdown occurred at 165, with Nicholas Roeger—ranked 14th in the weight class—battling Jack Richardson, who is ranked 12th at 157 pounds. Roeger fell behind early after Richardson notched a takedown, but an escape kept it close after a period. Roeger chose bottom to begin the second and escaped again, pulling within a point going into the third period. Richardson netted an escape point of his own to start the third and pull ahead 4-2, but Roeger responded with a takedown to go ahead 5-4 and earn another decision victory for the Spartans. The win pushed VTSU Castleton's lead to 17-5.
 
JWU closed the gap with a pin at 174 pounds to pull back to 17-11, but Sampson Wilkins was able to put some distance between the two teams once more. Wilkins dominated start-to-finish at 184 pounds, earning a 20-5 technical fall win to bolster the lead to 22-11 and put Castleton in prime position to win, needing only to avoid getting pinned in each of the final two bouts. Despite falling via 6-1 decision at 197 pounds, Haven Tatarek was able to seal the victory going into the final bout with the Spartans leading 22-14. Abbas Abdulrahman added one more Spartan win for good measure, dominating the second period with an escape, takedown and two-point nearfall for a 6-2 victory and a 25-14 victory.
 
#9 VTSU Castleton 47, #24 Springfield 0
Bradley got things rolling in the second match with a quick pin at 125, giving the Spartans an early 6-0 lead. Marchese bounced back from the loss against JWU with a 7-0 shutout at 133 against Springfield. He had a takedown in each of the first two periods and earned the riding time bonus point for good measure. At 141, Rodriguez got off to an early lead with a first-period takedown and led 4-1 going into the final period. An escape from bottom position gave Springfield's Ryan Kozdra a point to make it 4-2, but Rodriguez netted another takedown to seal the victory and give Castleton a 12-0 lead.
 
Cyr tacked six points onto the lead with a first-period pin at 149 before Camiscioli dominated at 157 with a 21-5 tech fall. Camiscioli scored all 21 points thanks to seven takedowns, collecting three takedowns each in both the second and third periods. Syrus Colon stepped into the lineup at 165 and dominated to the tune of a 20-3 tech fall of his own, extending the team's lead to 28-0. He started with a takedown and added a three-point nearfall immediately after for a 6-0 lead early. He added another first-period takedown, a reversal in the second and two takedowns in the third. He ended the match with two back points.
 
At 174, Caleb Rojas won a 4-2 decision thanks to a comeback effort in the final frame. Trailing 2-0 going into the last, Rojas earned an escape from bottom position and went on to earn a takedown for a 4-2 victory and a 31-0 team lead. Wilkins continued the Spartans' winning ways with a first-period pin to make it 37-0, and Tatarek won a 20-9 major decision. Tatarek had five takedowns and three back points on his way to the victory. Abdulrahman closed the day's events with a pin in the third period, capping the 47-0 victory.
 
In exhibition matches, the Spartans had victors in nine of 11 matchups against Springfield with six others winning against Johnson & Wales in extra matches.
 
The Spartans return to action on Friday night, February 9, at 7 p.m. with a JV contest against Plymouth State at Glenbrook Gym.