A Saturday to forget led to a Sunday full of triumphs, with multiple victors earning first-place finishes for the Blue Devils at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.
Duke faced off against Long Island University Brooklyn and No. 15 Rutgers in Bethlehem, Pa., Saturday for the first team competition of the season. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, both resulted in losses, first by a score of 36-8 against the Sharks and then by a score of 46-4 against the Scarlet Knights.
Head coach Glen Lanham’s team showed resolve in the face of defeat, though, responding to a difficult day by shining at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. Wrestlers Connor Barket, SP O’Donnell and Peter Chacon all earned first-place finishes in their individual competitions, with numerous other wrestlers also finishing on the podium.
“A good effort overall.” Lanham said. “The guys really bounced back from Saturday and then put a nice performance together for Sunday.”
Barket took the crown at heavyweight on the back of three wins against opponents from Hofstra, Long Island and Cornell. The victories came by major decision, technical fall and then again by major decision, securing first place for the redshirt sophomore and building on his respectable start to the season.
His success on Sunday did not come without a learning curve, however, as he split his matches on Saturday. While Barket won against Chris Powell of Long Island, his second match was a challenging 8-1 defeat by decision, something which certainly fueled him the next day.
“We had Barket, SP and also Peter Chacon going undefeated there. So it's just good for them.” Lanham said.
O’Donell and Chacon also took inspiration from the team competition. O’Donell did not compete at all Saturday, while Chacon dropped both of his matches by major decision.
Despite not wrestling the day before, the Glenmoore, Pa., native was ready to go Sunday, finishing a perfect 3-0 to earn himself a first-place finish in his 149-pound bracket. Chacon, also competing at 149, went 4-0. He took first place with an 8-4 decision victory over Cornell’s Macario Calavitta.
“SP was ready. And he wrestled some good matches there.” Lanham said.
Although he did not place first Sunday, Aidan Wallace’s performance cannot go unmentioned. He was the only Blue Devil to triumph against Rutgers, going a perfect two-for-two in the team competitions Saturday. The Mahwah, N.J., won by technical fall against the Sharks and then by major decision against the Scarlet Knights.
He followed this display with a respectable performance at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, placing second in his bracket. The sophomore finished with a 3-1 record, forcing a staggering three technical falls on his way to the finals. Although he ultimately did not prevail, he will be a wrestler to watch for Duke moving forward.
“He's a work in progress.” Lanham said of Wallace. “We have to get him a little bit more offensive on his feet, but Aiden's a guy that we're going to bank on to have a strong season and be a national qualifier for us.”
The Blue Devils hit the road yet again next weekend as they travel to Hempstead, N.Y., where they will face off against Hofstra and Sacred Heart.
“Everybody looks at the brand of Duke and they want to come out and beat us. We have to be ready for that,” Lanham said. “We have to be ready to wrestle hard. These are going to be two duals that we can win, but no one's going to lay down. We have to take these duals, and that's what the whole emphasis of this week is going to be.”
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