GREENWOOD - The top-ranked Lander Wrestling team picked up four wins, including two over nationally ranked competition, on Saturday at the third annual Carolina Clash. Lander dropped only 4 bouts on the day and scored 182 out of a possible 240 points.
Individual highlights included Isham Peace (Okatie, S.C.) picking up 4 wins including three bonus point wins and a 9-5 decision over #2 John Carayiannis of Belmont Abbey as well as Anthony Yacovetti (Bridgeport, Pa.) winning all four of his matches via pinfall.
#1 Lander 57, Kentucky Wesleyan 0
The Bearcats opened the day with a dominating win over the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers. All 10 members of the Bearcat lineup scored wins by either pin, tech fall, or forfeit.
James Joplin (Greensboro, N.C.), Peace,
Brandon Matthews (Venetia, PA), and
Juan Edmond-Holmes (Goose Creek, S.C.) all picked up first period pins with Joplin recording the quickest in 1:17.
#1 Lander 36, #18 Belmont Abbey 3
After a bye in the second set of matches, Lander continued the day with a Conference Carolinas matchup against the Belmont Abbey Crusaders. While the bouts were closer than they were against Kentucky Wesleyan, the Blue and Gold picked up bonus point wins at 125 and at 149 to help open a 14-0 lead.
After the Crusaders got on the board at 157, back to back tech falls by David Hunsberger (Duncan, S.C.) and Matthews and a pin at 197 by Yacovetti to seal the deal.
The Bearcats improved to 4-0 in Conference Carolinas action while the Crusaders dropped to 2-2 in conference play.
#1 Lander 56, Notre Dame (Ohio) 0
The third match of the day saw Lander pick up five wins by pin, two by forfeit, two tech falls, and a major decision en route to their third shutout of the season.
The pins came from Joplin, Elijah Lusk (Merritt Island, Fla.), Jack Bond (O'Fallon, Ill.), Yacovetti, and Edmond-Holmes. Joplin once again picked up the fastest pin of the bunch, only needing 70 seconds to dispatch his opponent.
#1 Lander 33, #21 Glenville State 12
James Joplin was the tone setter once again as he would earn his third pin of the afternoon in 21 seconds to give Lander a 6-0 lead.
Both teams would alternate technical falls at 133 and 141 to make it 11-5 before a major decision at 149 and a decision at 157 in favor of the Pioneers gave the Bearcats their first deficit of the season.
However, Lander did not trail for long before
David Hunsberger earned a technical fall to give Lander the lead back at 16-11 and the Bearcats did not look back from there as
Brandon Matthews would grit out a 7-5 decision before a tech fall by
Jack Bond and a pin from Yacovetti sealed the match for the Blue and Gold. Edmond-Holmes closed out the day with his fourth win in a 6-2 decision.
The Bearcats will break from dual action until the new year as they prepare for the prestigious Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. where many of the top programs in Division II will be at. Lander finished second at the event last year, placing four wrestlers in the top four, including Zeth Brower (Medford, Ore.) winning the 141-pound bracket. The Midwest Classic will kick off on Saturday, December 16th on the campus of the University of Indianapolis.
