ST. JAMES, N.Y. — Drew Witham produced his second pin of the season as the LIU wrestling team came roaring back on Monday night. However, the Citadel held off the Sharks and prevailed, 23-18, in a dual match held at Smithtown High School East.
Devin Matthews' 16-2 win over Jason Garay at 141 points, followed by Witham's pin of Ethan Willis at 149 pounds, turned a 17-point LIU deficit into a slim, 20-14 Citadel lead.
However, Selwyn Porter's ensuing 5-1 decision against LIU's
Rhise Royster at 157 pounds then clinched the match for the Citadel.
LIU's
Blake Bahna capped the night with a 15-7 win against Brodie Porter at 165 pounds.
The Sharks dropped six points when they had to forfeit at 125 pounds with
Robbie Sagaris sidelined due to injury, which swung the match in the Citadel's favor.
LIU also wrestled without
John Dusza, which forced
Joe Lopresti to go up in weight class to face Patrick Brophy at 197 pounds.
"
Drew Witham was unbelievable. That's a great win," LIU coach
Joe Patrovich said. "He lost to that guy last year. The way he wrestled was awesome. Blake and Devin also wrestled well. So we had some really good wins."
