CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The No. 14 Vermont State University Castleton wrestling team earned an 11th-place finish at the NWCA National Duals in a field of 24 programs, going 3-3 over the two-day event, with a statement win over a top-10 team to finish the weekend in Iowa.

The Spartans went 2-2 on day one of the competition, which placed them into the 9th-through-12th-place bracket on Saturday. The day opened with a 25-10 loss to No. 9 Central College before Castleton capped the event with a big 43-0 win over No. 8 Johnson & Wales.

No. 9 Central 25, No. 14 VTSU Castleton 10
Drew Marchese opened day two for the Spartans at 125 pounds, dropping a 14-7 decision to Carter West, followed by Stone Farnsworth at 133, falling in an 11-4 decision as Central went up 6-0. At 141 pounds, Nicolas Balella dropped a 17-3 major decision to second-ranked Pierre Baldwin. Joseph Kennedy was on the wrong end of a 21-3 technical fall to 10th-ranked Cade Siebrecht at 149, and Nathaniel Camiscioli fell in a 6-2 decision to 15th-ranked Christian Stanek, as Central went up 18-0.

Jashon Holmes notched the first Spartan win of the day at 165, with a 15-2 major decision, while Colby Celuck dropped an 8-0 major decision bout at 174 pounds. Desmond McLaughlin earned Castleton three more points with a 5-0 win via decision at 184, and Josh Negron took a tight 1-0 decision at 197 over Ryan Rainey, giving the Spartans 10 team points. In the final bout of match one, Keonta Crawford dropped an 8-3 decision at 285 as Central took the 25-10 win.

No. 14 VTSU Castleton 43, No. 8 Johnson & Wales 0
Castleton's most dominant win of the weekend came in its closing match, as they blanked Johnson and Wales, 43-0. Marchese opened with a battle of the seventh and eighth-ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds in Division III, with a 5-3 decision over eighth-ranked Nico Rivera. Farnsworth earned a 19-4 technical fall win at 133, while the Spartans took the next three matches via decisions at 141, 149, and 157 pounds.

Holmes took a 17-1 technical fall victory at 165 for his second win of the day at 165. Castleton earned 18 points over the next three matches by way of forfeit from Johnson & Wales, as the lead grew to 40-0. Logan Frank closed out the Spartans' weekend in Iowa with an 8-4 decision over Tyler Colclough at 285 pounds, securing the 43-0 shutout win for Castleton.

The Spartans return to Glenbrook Gym as they host the Little East Conference Quad on Saturday, January 17, with the event set to begin at 11 a.m.