Three UVA wrestlers turned in strong showings at the 2017 Southern Scuffle with freshman Jack Mueller, junior Andrew Atkinson and senior George DiCamillo all placing on Monday.
Eleventh-ranked Mueller (Dallas, Texas) finished second at 125 pounds, while No. 10 DiCamillo (Highland Heights, Ohio) and No. 18 Atkinson (Lynchburg, Va.) finished fourth at 141 pounds and 157 pounds, respectively.
The annual event, hosted by Chattanooga, is one of the most prestigious events each season and showcases some of the top talent outside of the NCAA Championship each year.
“We just competed in the best tournament in the country and we are so grateful for that opportunity,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “We got better. Every one of our guys competed hard.”
Mueller advanced to the finals after pinning Gabe Townsell of Stanford in 1:50 in the semifinal match to open the day of competition for the Cavaliers. He then took second after dropping his first match of the season to Ethan Lizak of Minnesota in a major decision. Mueller is now 15-1 on the year.
DiCamillo faced off against defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Dean Heil of Oklahoma State in his first match of the day. Heil grabbed a 3-1 decision over DiCamillo in that match as the Cavalier senior moved to the consolation bracket. DiCamillo then defeated Missouri’s Jaydin Eierman for the second time on the weekend with a 7-6 decision to advance to the third-place match.
In his third-place match, DiCamillo faced off against second-ranked Joey McKenna of Stanford, falling when he was pinned by the Stanford wrestler in the first period.
Atkinson also faced two of the top wrestlers nationally at his weight class on Monday, dropping a tight 5-4 decision to No. 3 Joe Smith of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. He then defeated Taylor Simaz of Cornell with a 15-0 tech fall to advance to the third-place match. Atkinson dropped a 9-5 decision in that match to No. 6 Joey Lavallee of Missouri to take fourth at 157 pounds.
Virginia will return to action in two weeks, traveling to Hampton, Va., to compete at the Virginia Duals. Competition at the two-day event begins on Friday, Jan. 13, at the Hampton Coliseum.
125:
No. 11 Jack Mueller
def. Gabe Townsell (Stanford), Fall (1:50)
lost to Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), Major Dec., 10-2
Finished second-place
141:
No. 10 George DiCamillo
lost to No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), Dec., 3-1
def. Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), Dec., 7-6
lost to No. 2 Joey McKenna (Stanford), Fall (1:06)
Finished fourth-place
157:
No. 18 Andrew Atkinson
lost to No. 3 Joe Smith (Oklahoma St.), Dec., 5-4
def. Taylor Simaz (Cornell), TF, 15-0 (5:00)
lost to No. 6 Joey Lavallee (Missouri), Dec., 9-5
Finished fourth-place
Top 10 Team Scores
1. Oklahoma State – 198.0
2. Missouri – 126.0
3. Lehigh – 124.5
4. Minnesota – 118.0
5. Northern Iowa – 87.5
6. Edinboro – 73.0
7. Virginia 64.0
8. Cornell – 63.0
9. North Carolina – 56.0
10. Stanford – 55.5
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