Army juniors Matt Kyler (149) and Richard Starks (197), along with senior Michael Sprigg (285) and sophomore Casey Thome (141) all picked up two victories on the day.
"We had a lot of new faces in the lineup today and that can sometimes be a lot of pressure," said Army head coach Chuck Barbee. "We knew we would be outmanned at a couple weights, but our guys did what they had to do to help us win."
Brown used three-straight wins, including a pin by Bran Crudden over Army sophomore Dean Gaier at 174, and a 14-6 major decision by Matt Gevelinger over senior John Drew at 184, to take the early lead.
Starks, ranked 18th in this week's national poll, got the Black Knights rolling at 197 with a 7-0 shutout of Branden Steams, before Sprigg followed with an 11-3 major over Zach Zdrada at heavyweight. Junior Lance Penhale made it three in a row after holding on for a 4-3 decision opposite Greg Einfrank at 125 to cut the deficit to three, 13-10.
The Bears made it a 16-10 edge after Ross Baldwin took a 7-2 decision from sophomore Josh Sandhaus at 133, but it was all Army from there. Thome took a 2-0 decision from Steve Delorenzo at 141 and Kyler, ranked 12th at 149, turned in a 16-1 technical fall over Dave Foxen to put the Black Knights up, 18-10, with one bout remaining. Sophomore Rudy Chelednik sealed the victory with a hard-fought 2-1 decision over Bryan Tracy at 157 that came down to a 1:57 advantage in riding time.
"When you draw the names out of the hat, you never know who is going to have to close the deal," added Barbee. "Rudy was the guy that got called on to do it today and he did a really great job in a clutch situation and got a big win for us against Brown."
Against the Crimson, the Black Knights were awarded victories in five of the first six bouts to open a 20-3 that proved insurmountable. Freshman Mike Gorman started the match off with a 7-4 decision over Mike Sandler at 165, before Harvard's Bryan Panzano evened the score with a 7-2 win over Gaier at 174. Sophomore Jake Vetter earned a 6-3 decision over Pat Ziemnik at 184, before Starks earned a 21-5 technical fall over Sean Murphy and Sprigg picked up a 7-3 decision over Spencer DeSena to make the score, 14-3.
Following a Harvard forfeit at 125, Tom Picarsic earned a 12-2 major over Sandhaus, but a pin by Thome over Fermin Mendez and an 11-0 major by Kyler over Walter Peppleman sealed the Black Knight victory.
Kyler improved his record to 30-4 this winter, including a spotless 15-0 mark in dual meet competition. Starks' record currently stands at 24-6 with a 12-3 dual ledger, while Thome's mark is 20-10 with an 11-4 dual total and Sprigg's record is 24-9 and 12-3 to lead Army.
"Matt and Richard keep rolling along and seem to keep getting better every week. They just keep building in confidence and intensity and continue to wrestle with a lot of aggression. Casey hasn't had too many breaks during the season and has been going up against some super-tough competition all year. It was good to see him step it up and tough out some big wins for us," continued Barbee.
The Black Knights will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 7, when they looks to defend their team title at the All-Academy Championships, hosted by VMI in Lexington, Va.
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