The Eagles fell to the Old Dominion Monarchs 26-15, Jan.18, at home in Bender Arena. The team entered the match against ODU, however, battling for more than a dual meet victory.
AU honored recently deceased wrestling Eagle alumnus Brian Sulmonetti ‘79 at halftime when the athletic department announced a $27,200 Brian Sulmonetti Memorial Exemplary Teammate Award.
The team plans to present the award each year to the AU wrestler that best demonstrates the positive character traits shown by Sulmonetti during his career at AU. Wrestlers and coaches will choose the honoree who embodies “a dedication to the team, determined work ethic and above all else, a selfless, supportive spirit that encourages and lifts his teammates” according to an aueagle.com press release.
Although the Eagles failed to emerge victorious as a team in the match, head coach Teague Moore praised the team’s effort during the match, and he hopes the individual wrestlers can maintain their determined mindset as they set out to complete the rest of the reason in the spirit of Sulmonetti.
"I'm happy with the fight that we brought today,"
— head coach Teague Moore
“I’m happy with the fight that we brought today,” Moore said. “Brian’s award and what those guys did to remember their teammate, it’s just such a great example to the guys that are here right now and the people that we want coming into this program. Look, this is a family, once you’re a part of it, it’s something that’s going to be with you for the rest of your life.”
The Monarchs, who recently defeated No.10 Edinboro University on Jan. 10, are No. 20 in the country. They earned the first victory of the night from redshirt senior Jake Henderson in the heavyweight division.
No.16 AU junior David Terao Jr., however, turned the momentum towards the Eagles when he defeated No. 20 sophomore Brandon Jeske 2-0 in the 125-pound weight division.
“David Terao had a really tight match with that guy at Nationals last year, it went to the 30-second tiebreaker, so we expected a close one, but David did what he needed to do, he put a great ride on him, which I was really happy to see,” Moore said.
Freshman Josh Terao followed his brother’s performance with a win of his own, pinning ODU redshirt sophomore Michael Hayes in the first period and earning Ameritel Corporation Wrestler of the Match for his performance.
“Our coach, Teague, always talks about attitude and disciple, so I just focus on my attitude coming into the dual… always an attitude, going out there with a purpose,” Josh Terao said. “I just want to get into my zone, so I can wrestle the best that I can wrestle.”
AU earned a third consecutive win with an 3-1 overtime victory from freshman Michael Sprague in the 141-pound weight class that sent enthusiasm rippling through Bender Arena.
Junior captain John Boyle racked up a fourth victory for the the Eagles with a 4-0 decision over Monarch redshirt junior Devin Geoghegan in the 157-pound division. Boyle remained composed and in control throughout the entirety of the match to contrast Geoghegan’s scrappy, reckless style of wrestling.
“John Boyle again, he’s showing his leadership, he’s showing things that a lot of these guys in the line-up can learn from and that is to stay in good position, to fight every little battle, he’s doing that,” Moore said.
After Boyle’s victory, the Monarchs recorded a string of victories that allowed them to pull ahead in the score and ultimately seize the match. ODU’s capitalized on it’s older wrestlers to earn four wins in the 165, 174, 184, and 197-pound weight divisions. ODU’s No. 15 Tristan Warner (165) and No. 4 Jack Dechow (184) exhibited their maturity and experience as they defeated Brad Mutchnik and Jason Grimes with scores of 16-2 and 7-5, respectively.
AU will put their determination to the test next weekend, as the team travels to Columbia University to wrestle Columbia and Hofstra University, an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponent.
sscovel@theeagleonline.com
