#15 Hokies pin #22 ‘Hoos at JPJ
The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team went down to the wire with No. 15 Virginia Tech Sunday before falling 18-13 to the Hokies in front of a raucous crowd of 1,652 at John Paul Jones Arena. Nine of the 10 bouts came down to decisions in the tightly contested match. The teams combined for just two sets of back points all day.
UVa (2-1) won at four weight classes, with No. 14 Jon Fausey (R-So., Dalmatia, Pa.) scoring an 11-3 major decision over John Dickson at 184 pounds. It marked the lone bonus scored on either side Sunday. No. 9 Matt Snyder (R-Jr., Lewistown, Pa.), No. 18 Nick Nelson (R-Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Shawn Harris (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) scored wins by decision at 125, 141 and 149 pounds, respectively.
“I told our guys that ‘I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of your effort and I’m so blessed to be in your corner,’” UVa head coach Steve Garland said. “That final match with Ethan Hayes, I was so thankful just to be there and have a front-row seat for it. What an amazing atmosphere for the sport of wrestling. But as proud as I am of our guys, we didn’t accomplish our goal, which was to get the win. We were close and were right in a spot where we thought we could do it, but we lost.”
With UVa holding a 13-12 team lead with one weight class remaining, the match came down to a fantastic bout at heavyweight, where Virginia Tech’s Chris Penny scored a takedown in sudden-victory time to down UVa’s Ethan Hayes (Fr., New Lebanon, Ohio), 7-5. The bout featured a wild third period that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
With the score knotted at 2-all heading to the third, Penny chose the down position. After riding Penny for 11 seconds, Hayes put Penny on his back and scored two points on a nearfall. Penny quickly escaped and the wrestlers went back and forth without scoring for a minute and a half before Penny finally connected at the edge of the mat for a takedown with just seven seconds left. After a restart Hayes was able to kick out and escape just before the final horn to send the match to overtime. Both wrestlers had chances in the sudden victory period, but Penny landed the deciding takedown with 21 seconds remaining to seal the individual and team victories.
UVa jumped out to an early 9-3 lead after winning three of the first four matches. At 125, Snyder fell behind early against Ty Mitch but rallied to send the match to overtime, where he won in the first tiebreaker, 9-8. Snyder trailed 6-4 heading to the third period, but picked up a point in the third when Mitch was called for a pair of stalling warnings while in the bottom position. Snyder rode Mitch for the entire third period to reverse a 1:00 riding time deficit and turn it into a 1:00 riding time advantage to score the riding time point to send it to overtime.
After a scoreless sudden victory period, the two went to a tiebreaker, where Snyder escaped with 10 seconds left in the first period. In the second 30-second period, Mitch allowed Snyder to escape, but then quickly took him down to knot the score. Snyder again escaped, then held off Mitch to win, 9-8.
The Hokies (2-1) knotted the team score at 133 as No. 7-ranked Devin Carter methodically pulled away for an 11-5 decision over UVa’s Matt Nelson. Carter scored a quick first-period takedown and never trailed as he slowly pulled away for the victory.
Nick Nelson trailed 4-2 in the second period to Tech’s Zach Neibert at 141, but reversed Neibert late in the period and moved ahead with a second left in the period on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty point. Nelson escaped quickly to start the third, then controlled the match the rest of the way.
Harris and Chris Mears were locked in a tight bout throughout at 149. Harris scored a takedown 1:49 into the first period and never trailed. He moved ahead 4-1 with an escape to start the third, but Mears took him down to close to within 4-3. Hayes soon escaped to score a point and then held on for the 5-3 win.
At 157 pounds No. 5-ranked Jesse Dong gave up an early takedown to Jedd Moore (R-Jr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) but came back to post an 8-2 win. Dong scored a takedown near the edge with 41 seconds left in the first period and led the rest of the match. He scored a takedown late in the third period to put the match out of reach.
No. 14-ranked Pete Yates outlasted UVa’s Nick Sulzer (R-Fr., Cleveland, Ohio), 6-2, at 165. Yates scored a takedown just over a minute into the first period, then built up 1:28 in riding time in the period and pushed it to over two minutes in the third. With the match tied at two in the third, Yates quickly escaped to start the period, then countered a late Sulzer shot with a takedown to clinch the win and tie the team score at nine apiece.
Chris Moon gave the Hokies a 12-9 team lead with a 5-1 decision over Billy Coggins (So., Sound Beach, N.Y.) at 174 pounds. Moon defended a great Coggins shot early in the period to keep the match scoreless, then recorded a takedown at the edge of the mat with 45 seconds remaining in the first to take the lead. The two combined for a scoreless second period, but Moon escaped early in the third and added a takedown with just over a minute left to earn the win.
Fausey aggressively pounced on Dickson with a takedown in the first five seconds of their match at 184, and soon got Dickson on his back for three points on a near fall. Fausey cruised from there and scored a pair of third-period takedowns while racking up 3:01 in riding time to earn the major decision.
At 197 pounds 16th-ranked Nick Vetterlein of Virginia Tech held off UVa’s Ryan Malo (Sr., Mass.) for a 5-3 decision, giving the Hokies the 15-13 team lead. Vetterlein threw Malo in scoring a first-period takedown and then built up a 5-3 lead after an escape midway through the third, then fended off Malo’s shot attempts in the waning seconds to secure the win.
Virginia wrestles at the Penn State Open next Saturday (Dec. 4). The Cavaliers return to dual action Dec. 18 at Drexel.
No. 15 Virginia Tech 18, No. 22 Virginia 13
125: No. 9 Matt Snyder (Virginia) dec. Ty Mitch (Virginia Tech), 9-8 (TB1)
133: No. 7 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) dec. Matt Nelson (Virginia), 11-5
141: No. 18 Nick Nelson (Virginia) dec. Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech), 10-5
149: Shawn Harris (Virginia) dec. Chris Mears (Virginia Tech), 5-3
157: No. 5 Jesse Dong (Virginia Tech) dec. Jedd Moore (Virginia), 8-2
165: No. 14 Pete Yates (Virginia Tech) dec. Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 6-2
174: Chris Moon (Virginia Tech) dec. Billy Coggins (Virginia), 5-1
184: No. 14 Jon Fausey (Virginia) major dec. John Dickson (Virginia Tech), 11-3
197: No. 16 Nick Vetterlein (Virginia Tech) dec. Ryan Malo (Virginia), 5-3
285: Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) dec. Ethan Hayes (Virginia), 7-5 (SV)
Team Dual Records: Virginia Tech 2-1, Virginia 2-1
NBA stars take the court at JPJ
The John Paul Jones Arena and the Rock and Roll Foundation are playing host to a charity basketball game featuring NBA stars Kevin Durant, John Wall, Rudy Gay and Caron Butler.
The Saturday, Oct. 29 game will also feature UVa. alums Roger Mason Jr. and J.R. Reynolds along with former UNC greats Raymond Felton and Brendan Haywood.
Proceeds from the Atlantic Coast Stars vs. Pro Stars Charity Basketball Classic will benefit the Rock and Roll Foundation and the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area.
Tickets range in price from $35 to $85 and are available at the John Paul Jones Arena box office, www.johnpauljonesarena.com, www.ticketmaster.com, 1-888-JPJ-TIXS and all Ticketmaster outlets.
WWE to bring Raw World Tour to JPJ
WWE is bringing its Monday Night Raw brand to the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Sunday, June 5, with a 5 p.m. belltime.
Tickets for the show are on sale now – with prices ranging from $17 to $62. Tickets are available online at www.johnpauljonesarena.com.
WWE superstars scheduled for the show include Randy Orton, WWE champion The Miz, John Cena, CM Punk and U.S. champion Sheamus.
Break in Harrington murder?
State Police investigate link to ’05 Fairfax case
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Investigators are pursuing a forensic connection between the disappearance and death of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington and an unsolved 2005 abduction and sexual assault in Fairfax.
Forensic evidence recovered during the course of the Harrington investigation has confirmed the link to the Fairfax assault, the State Police said Thursday. In September 2005, a Fairfax woman was abducted and sexually assaulted, and Fairfax Police detectives were able to create a composite sketch based on the victim’s description of the suspect. However, the suspect may have changed his appearance over the course of the past five years. Continue reading “Break in Harrington murder?” »
Month six: Update on Harrington investigation
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Morgan Harrington was last seen alive outside the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville the night of Oct. 17, 2009. We’re nearing the six-month mark since her disappearance, and are still not any closer to learning what led to her death. Continue reading “Month six: Update on Harrington investigation” »
State Police: Remains in Albemarle appear to be Harrington
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The Virginia State Police is saying that human remains found on a farm in southern Albemarle County appear to be those of Morgan Harrington, 20, a Virginia Tech student who was reported missing after attending a concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Oct. 17.
“We’re fairly confident that the remains are those of Morgan Dana Harrington,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty at a news conference in Charlottesville Tuesday afternoon.
The remains have been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Richmond for identification and an autopsy, Flaherty said. “Until we receive word from the autopsy, we can’t say with 100 percent certainty that this is truly Miss Harrington. However, there were some significant items of evidence that makes us confident that that scientific procedure will confirm that ID,” Flaherty said. Continue reading “State Police: Remains in Albemarle appear to be Harrington” »
Breaking: Human remains found in Albemarle
Staff Report
News tips: freepress2@ntelos.net
Virginia State Police and Albemarle County Police are currently on the scene of the discovery of skeletal remains in Albemarle County.
State Police were notified at 9:59 a.m. this morning by an Albemarle County resident of the discovery, according to a news release from the State Police.
At this time, the remains and scene are being evaluated by forensic technicians. There is no further information to release at this time, according to the State Police report.
Interest is high in the investigation with the possibility that the remains could be related to the missing-person case involving Morgan Harrington, 20, a Virginia Tech student reported missing in Charlottesville on Oct. 17.
Investigator: Harrington case not ‘cold’
State Police still pursuing leads; ‘We have to keep plugging away’
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The case of missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, who hasn’t been seen since she left a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville the night of Oct. 17, is “not anywhere near” the level of being labeled a cold case, a Virginia State Police investigator said today.
“A cold case is when you’re not actively pursuing a case, you’ve exhausted all your leads, you’re not putting a whole lot of effort into it. This isn’t anywhere near that. We’ve been working on this every day since we started with core investigators as well as other resources. It’s very much active,” State Police Lt. Joe Rader said on the Harrington case, which has gone cold in one respect, as the media attention on Harrington has gone into decline after an initial period of several weeks of intense coverage of the investigation.
New leads and tips have also slowed, Rader said, with the activity in that arena in recent days being from psychics and remote viewers, “not really people who were there who have concrete information,” Rader said. Continue reading “Investigator: Harrington case not ‘cold’” »
Timeline, other new details in Harrington case
As the search and investigative efforts continue for missing college student Morgan Harrington, state and local investigators are now able to release additional details concerning the night of her disappearance. Miss Harrington disappeared Oct. 17, 2009, during a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville.
During the course of the investigation, police have been able to establish a timeline of Miss Harrington’s movements once she ended up outside of the arena at approximately 8:30 p.m. After talking to her friends on her cell phone, she then walked through the parking lot of University Hall and was also seen in the Lannigan Field athlete parking lot, which is also used for RV parking. At around 9:30 p.m., she was seen walking on the Copeley Road bridge near Ivy Road. Continue reading “Timeline, other new details in Harrington case” »
Location for Harrington search party meeting changed
The meeting location for the Morgan Harrington Volunteer Search Party has changed for Friday-Sunday, Nov. 6-8.
Volunteers must now sign-in at the Department of Forestry located at:
900 Natural Resources Drive
Charlottesville, Va. 22903
Searches will begin this weekend at 9 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide photo identification, and are encouraged to dress in comfortable clothing. Continue reading “Location for Harrington search party meeting changed” »
Volunteer community search to begin Friday in Harrington case
Dr. Daniel Harrington and wife Gil, parents of missing Virginia Tech student, Morgan Dana Harrington, announced today the organization of a volunteer community search party to help find their daughter. The 20-year-old woman disappeared Oct. 17 while attending a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
Morgan has long blonde hair, blue eyes, and weighs approximately 120 pounds at 5 foot, 6 inches in height.
The search will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 at the Cavalier Inn in Charlottesville and will reconvene at that hour on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, must provide photo identification, and are encouraged to dress in comfortable clothing. Continue reading “Volunteer community search to begin Friday in Harrington case” »
Harrington family announces creation of search fund
The family of a 20-year-old Virginia Tech junior missing since leaving a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on Oct. 17 has set up a fund to aid the ongoing search effort.
The Find Morgan Fund was announced Monday by Morgan Dana Harrington’s parents, Dan and Gil Harrington. Continue reading “Harrington family announces creation of search fund” »
