HAMPTON, Va. – The 13th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team rallied back from a 19-6 deficit with wins in each of the last five individual matches to stun Central Florida, 24-19, in the opening round of the Virginia Duals on Friday morning in Hampton Coliseum.
The triumph for the Braves (3-2) marked the fourth-straight victory inside Hampton Coliseum for the 2014 Virginia Duals champs, and also helped the Black & Gold capture its third-straight series victory against the Golden Knights. The loss knocked Central Florida (3-5) into the consolation bracket of the event.
The Golden Knights set the tone early after Timothy Sakow's first-period pin (2:46) of Caison Scott at 125 pounds, but Central Florida continued to pad its lead before eventually taking a 19-6 lead on the team scoreboard on Christian Grillo's 13-2 major decision over Joey DiMartino in the 157-pound bout.
Joe Remaklus stopped the bleeding for the Braves by posting a 3-0 shutout at 165 pounds, and Terrence Zaleski helped UNCP climb back into the match with a quick pin (0:35) of Garrett Sweringen at 174 pounds. Mikey Thomas trimmed UNCP's deficit back to 19-18 on the strength of a 9-4 decision at 184 pounds, and Stuart Nadeau gave the Braves the lead with a 7-3 win over Vincent Jiovenetta in the 197-pound match.
In a winner-take-all contest at 285 pounds, Tyrell Walker used an escape early in the third period to knot things back up with UNCP's Chris Giddens, but Giddens used a takedown with five seconds left in regulation to tally a 3-1 decision.
The Braves will continue action in the Virginia Duals on Saturday when they suit up to battle 10th-ranked Nassau Community College in a 2 p.m. semifinal matchup.
No. 13 UNC Pembroke 24, Central Florida 19
125: Timothy Sakow (UCF) pinned Caison Scott (UNCP) F 2:46
133: Austin Vajen (UCF) dec. Arie Freeman (UNCP) D 4-1
141: No. 1 Daniel Ownbey (UNCP) pinned Alex Rivera (UCF) F 5:43
149: Maximillian Becks (UCF) pinned Hayden Fry (UNCP) F 4:31
157: Christian Grillo (UCF) maj. dec. Joey DiMartino (UNCP) M 13-2
165: Joe Remaklus (UNCP) dec. Michael Seymour (UCF) D 3-0
174: No. 6 Terrence Zaleski (UNCP) pinned Garrett Sweringen (UCF) F 0:35
184: Mikey Thomas (UNCP) dec. Giovanni Jiovenetta (UCF) D 9-4
197: Stuart Nadeau (UNCP) dec. Vincent Jiovenetta (UCF) D 7-3
285: No. 8 Chris Giddens (UNCP) dec. Tyrell Walker (UCF) D 3-1
Starting Weight: 125
Records: Central Florida 3-5; UNC Pembroke 3-2
