Tarred.
Duke (4-9, 0-2) suffered a drubbing at the hands of Tobacco Road rivals North Carolina (6-4, 2-0) Friday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, falling 40-3. The Blue Devils suffered nine defeats in the ten matches, including two pins, three tech falls and one major decision.
“[I] thought our guys wrestled a little scared,” Duke head coach Glen Lanham said. “I felt like we didn’t really come out tough. We didn’t dictate anything in these matches.”
The day started off on the wrong foot when freshman Riley Rowan was caught heavy on his heels in the second round of his 125-pound bout. North Carolina’s Cameron Stinson Jr. was able to wrap up a two-legged takedown, and he prevented Rowan from building up his base and escaping. In the third, Riley attempted a few shots before an awry effort was reversed by Stinson.
The tone of the evening was truly set when Eli Murray was tasked with grappling the No. 5 149-pound wrestler in the nation, Lachlan McNeil. McNeil toyed with Murray, converting takedowns with ease and cutting time to drive the score up. Just when it seemed McNeil would complete the technical fall, he effortlessly implemented a bow and arrow which resulted in a flawless pin
“Right now, we’re on a disconnect about just how tough this sport is,” Lanham said. “Those guys are coming out and wrestling hard, and we’re just taking everything, we’re backing up…we got to get better in those situations.”
The highlight of the event for the Blue Devils was another gritty performance from 285-pound grappler Connor Barket. The redshirt sophomore snagged his 21st win of the season, and it wasn’t an easy bout. Barket found himself on his back foot at the beginning, as Nolan Neves caught him early in the first round with a surprise single-leg takedown.
Barket narrowly avoided both back points and a pin with a well-timed roll. After a few more poorly set up shots, Barket powered through Neves to secure a 4-3 lead. The momentum shifted however, as Neves was able to secure another single-leg takedown to tie the match at six. In the end, Barket was able to secure a clean double-leg takedown and fended off late charges to secure the 9-6 victory.
“I think he’s on the trajectory right now where he’s getting ready for the ACC and nationals,” Lanham said of Barket. “You gotta have [those matches] where you get taken down, you get caught out of position. And what does he do? He comes right out and gets the take down. Then it’s just hard defense, hard fighting in those positions.”
While the program prioritizes the individual performances over the dual meet results, Duke will hope to see some improvements Monday when it travels to Boone, N.C., to play in-state foe Appalachian State. In the meantime, the squad only has success seen in the 285-pound division by Barket.
“Everybody’s gotta start drinking the Barket Kool-Aid right now,” joked Lanham. “We had one guy give us effort and nine guys didn't.”
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