While many Duke students were biting into turkey this weekend, the wrestling team feasted on its opponents at the Kutztown Invitational in Kutztown, Pa. Saturday.
The Blue Devils finished fourth with a team score of 108.5, behind Delaware Valley (142.5), Gloucester (113.5) and Carson-Newman (111.5).
Nine Duke wrestlers placed in the event. Senior tri-captain Dan Covatta led the way for the Blue Devils, capturing his third career title at the tournament in the 142-lb. bracket with a 12-4 major decision over Shippensburg's Chris Flowers. This also marks his second straight title of the young season, as last week Covatta took first-place honors at the Bloomsburg Invitational as well.
Also impressive for Duke was heavyweight Alex Hunt. The freshman reached the finals in just his second career tournament, losing 5-2 to Matthew Kleinle of Delaware Valley to notch a second-place finish, which tallied key points for the Blue Devils.
Two other freshmen also posted good showings. Cameron Stock, wrestling in the 134-lb. division, took fifth place, and Bill West did the same in the 118-lb. weight class. Coach Bill Harvey was pleased with their improvement.
"The freshmen are coming along really well," Harvey said.
Junior tri-captain Chris Heckel competed in the 126-lb. division and lost only once in five matches to earn fifth place. Heckel was given the "Most Falls in the Least Time" award with three pins of 2:12, 3:25 and 5:20. No other wrestler recorded three pins.
Senior Jake Hart completed a strong performance by the tri-captains as he won third place in the 167-lb. category. Junior Dion Santo duplicated Hart's efforts in the 190-lb. class. His third-place finish included one pin of 24 seconds.
In a controversial decision, sophomore Mike Contarino was disqualified from his semifinal 150-lb. match after taking an early lead when he slammed his opponent on the mat. The decision prevented Duke from picking up the 14 points that a participant earns if he reaches the finals. Those points would have boosted the Blue Devils to second place.
Junior Mike Wind also competed in the 150-pound weight class, rounding out the Duke scoring with a sixth-place finish.
Next weekend, the Blue Devils face stiffer competition when they return to Pennsylvania for the Sheridan Invitational, which includes national powers like Oklahoma, Oregon State, and Wisconsin.
Harvey expects this to be a big challenge for his team.
"It will be a big test for some of our guys," Harvey said.
One guy, in particular, is Covatta.
"Each weekend, I've been trying to improve on the previous weekend," Covatta said. "This will be a gauge to see just how much I've improved."
Considering his performance at Kutztown, Covatta should not be disappointed.
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