Rutgers University
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Two Advance to Cliff Keen Semis
Dec 05 | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS - Fifth-seeded 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and No. 3 157-pounder Anthony Perrotti (Roseland, N.J.) both went 3-0 Friday advance to the semifinals of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Still alive in their respective consolation brackets are three wrestlers in seventh-seeded 133-pounder Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.), fourth-seeded 149-pounder Ken Theobold (Toms River, N.J) and 174-pounder Phil Bakuckas (Hammonton, N.J.).
33rd Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational - Saturday, Dec. 6
Live stream: FloWrestling (Subscription Required)
Live updates: Twitter - @RUWrestling
Tournament Schedule
Updated Brackets
The semifinals will begin at approximately 1 p.m. EST. Consolation wrestling will kick off at noon EST.
Ashnault secured his spot in the semifinals with a 9-7 decision against No. 4 seed Joe Spisak (Virginia Tech) in a match that went down to the wire. With the win, Ashnault set up a Big Ten showdown against three-time national champion and No. 1 seed Logan Stieber (Ohio State) tomorrow afternoon.
Perrotti used three consecutive major decisions to roll through his side of the bracket. A Big Ten semifinal showdown also awaits the West Essex HS product, as he will take on No. 2 seed and three-time NCAA All-American James Green of Nebraska.
Stieber was unanimously ranked No. 1 at 141 pounds in the most recent Intermat, The Open Mat and WIN Magazine polls. Green, who placed third at NCAAs last season, was ranked No. 2/2/2 at 157 pounds earlier this week.
Along with Perrotti and Ashnault, Theobold advanced to the quarterfinals in his weight and was seconds away from punching his ticket to the semis. Theobold held a 7-6 lead against fifth-seeded Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) with time winding down, but a last-second reversal by Moreno gave him an 8-7 lead at the buzzer.
The riding time point for Theobold sent the match into sudden victory tied 8-8, but Moreno was able to squeeze out a takedown and near fall for a 13-8 win 18 seconds into the period. Theobold opens day two of the tournament against Nebraska's Justin Arthur in wrestle backs.
After second-round losses for Bakuckas and DelVecchio, the two battled back in their consolation brackets to move on to day two.
Bakuckas upset No. 9 seed George Pickett (Cornell), 5-4, to start his tournament in thrilling fashion, but suffered a heartbreraker a match later in a 3-1 sudden victory loss against No. 8 No. 8 Davonte Mahomes (Michigan). A pair of one-point decisions in response gives Bakuckas a consolation match versus No. 7 Mark Martin (Ohio State) tomorrow.
DelVecchio picked up a pair of wins after his loss and will face No. 8 Kevin Norstrem (Virginia Tech) in his consolation matchup Saturday. He closed his day with a strong, 11-2, major decision against Zachary Shank (Western State Colorado).
Redshirt sophomore 125-pounder Sean McCabe (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), redshirt junior 165-pounder Ethan Orr (Branchville, N.J.), junior 184-pounder Hayden Hrymack (Point Pleasant, N.J.) and freshman 285-pounder Wesley Bernard (Indianapolis, Ind.) were eliminated from the tournament Friday.
Wrestling picks back up tomorrow at noon EST, with the semifinals beginning at 1 p.m. EST.
R-So. Sean McCabe - 125 pounds (1-2) - Eliminated
Championship First Round: No. 1 Nashon Garrett (Cornell) L-MD, 15-2
Consolation First Round: Gabe Balderas (San Francisco State) W-Med Forf.
Consolation Second Round: No. 11 Zeke Moisey (WVU) L-D, 4-1
No. 7 So. Scott DelVecchio - 133 pounds
Championship First Round: Cordero Coronado (Arizona State) W-D, 6-2
Championship Second Round: No. 10 Daniel DeShazer (Nebraska-Kearney) L-D, 13-7
Consolation Third Round: Michael Espinoza (Northern Colorado) W-D, 9-3
Consolation Fourth Round: Zachary Shank (Western State Colorado) W-MD, 11-2
Consolation Fifth Round: No. 8 Kevin Norstrem (Virginia Tech) TBD
No. 5 R-Fr. Anthony Ashnault - 141 pounds
Championship First Round: Corbin Bennetts (Western St. Colorado) W-D, 3-1
Championship Second Round: Collin Boylan (Bucknell) W-TF, 15-0
Championship Quarterfinals: No. 4 Joe Spisak (Virginia) W-D, 9-7
Championship Semifinals: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) TBD
No. 4 Jr. Ken Theobold - 149 pounds
Championship First Round: Rodney Shepard (NC State) W-D, 6-4
Championship Second Round: Gerald McGinty (Air Force) W-MD, 10-0
Championship Quarterfinals: No. 5 Gabe Moreno (Iowa State) L-D, 13-8 (SV)
Consolation Fifth Round: Justin Arthur (Nebraska) TBD
No. 3 R-Jr. Anthony Perrotti - 157 pounds
Championship First Round: David Wesley (VA Tech) W-MD, 11-0
Championship Second Round: Tim Wheeling (WVU) W-MD, 10-1
Championship Quarterfinals: Alex Elder (Oregon State) W-MD, 13-5
Championship Semifinals: No. 2 James Green (Nebraska) TBD
R-Jr. Ethan Orr - 165 pounds (2-2) - Eliminated
Championship First Round: No. 2 Michael Moreno (Iowa State) L-D, 7-1
Consolation Pigtail Round: Terrell Forbes (The Citadel) W-D, 5-3
Consolation Second Round: Chad Strube (Virginia Tech) W-Med. Forf.
Consolation Third Round: Richard Muniz (Brown) L-D, 3-2
R-So. Phil Bakuckas - 174 pounds
Championship First Round: No. 9 George Pickett (Cornell) W-D, 5-4
Championship Second Round: No. 8 Davonte Mahomes (Michigan) L-D, 3-1 (SV)
Consolation Third Round: Curt Mass (Northern Iowa) W-D, 3-2
Consolation Fourth Round: Frank Affronti (Hofstra) W-D, 2-1
Consolation Fifth Round: No. 7 Mark Martin (Ohio State) TBD
Jr. Hayden Hrymack - 184 pounds (2-2) - Eliminated
Championship First Round: Tyler Askey (Virginia) W-D, 6-5
Championship Second Round: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) L-MD, 14-3
Consolation Third Round: Austin Gaun (Grand Canyon) W-D, 6-4
Consolation Fourth Round: No. 9 Timothy Dudley (Nebraska) L-MD, 9-0
Fr. Wesley Bernard - 285 pounds (0-2) - Eliminated
First Round: Brian Macchione (Northern Colorado) L-D, 4-1
Consolation First Round: David Ng (Harvard) L-D, 8-1
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