The victory helped UNCP (12-4) snap an eight-match losing streak in the series, giving the Braves their first victory over the Wolves since the 2004-05 campaign. The setback was just the second of the season for Newberry (17-2) whose only other loss came at the hands of top-ranked Notre Dame in the finals of the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals on January 12.
The triumph will allow the Black & Gold to take a school record 11-match win streak in dual meets into the 2014-15 campaign. The win also marked the final home match in the Black & Gold for seniors Dontae Brown and Justin Pencook.
"It feels wonderful. I couldn't be more proud of the guys on our team and our coaching staff," said UNCP head coach Othello "O.T." Johnson. "I am very proud that the guys were able to pull together and stay together this year to put us in a position for this historic win."
Newberry's Jeff Vesta, the nation's second-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds, gave Newberry the quick lead with a 5-0 decision over Brown, but the Braves answered back minutes later when Cole Murray finished off a 2-0 win over Nick Lankford. The individual victory would have tied the score back up, but the Braves were deducted a team point and Newberry held on to a 3-2 advantage.
An 11-7 victory by third-ranked B.J. Young over fourth-ranked Daniel Ownbey at 141 pounds would swing the momentum back to the Wolves, but the Braves followed with decision wins by Eric Milks (149 pounds) and Pencook (157) to take an 8-6 advantage into the intermission.
The Wolves retook the lead, 9-8, on second-ranked Blake Ridenour's 5-0 blanking of Reggie Allen in the 165-pound match, but the hosts got a big 14-4 major decision from Blaze Shade at 184 pounds to take its largest lead of the match, 12-9. Newberry, however, would deliver a big blow at 184 pounds when Jared Holliday registered a second-period pin of Brach Walker to give the Wolves a 15-12 advantage.
The Braves would lay their heart and soul on the line in the final two matches though, tying the match on Stuart Nadeau's late 3-point near fall at 197 pounds, and then securing the win on eighth-ranked Chris Giddens' 4-2 upset of second-ranked Matt Wade in the heavyweight bout.
Results:
125: No. 8 Jeff Vesta (NC) dec. Dontae Brown (UNCP) D 5-0
133: Cole Murray (UNCP) dec. Nick Lankford (NC) D 2-0
141: No. 3 B.J. Young (NC) dec. No. 3 Daniel Ownbey (UNCP) D 11-7
149: Eric Milks (UNCP) dec. Seiji Borja (NC) D 3-2
157: Justin Pencook (UNCP) dec. Taylor Knapp (NC) D 10-4
165: No. 2 Blake Ridenour (NC) dec. Reggie Allen (UNCP) D 5-0
174: Blaze Shade (UNCP) maj. dec. Joe Pittman (NC) M 14-4
184: Jared Holliday (NC) pinned Brach Walker (UNCP) F 4:20
197: Stuart Nadeau (UNCP) dec. Braden Carter (NC) D 8-5
285: No. 8 Chris Giddens (UNCP) dec. No. 2 Matt Wade (NC) D 4-2
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