The #19 University of Cumberlands Men's Wrestling team started their season duals off in the right direction on November 24^th as they hosted the always tough Division II King College Tornados. The Patriots defeated King by a team final of 32-15.

The Patriots had a rocky start in both the 125lbs and 133lbs starters Larone Madison (West Palm Beach, FL) and Joey Morales (Miami, FL) who battled hard but came up short of wins on the night.

The #19 University of Cumberlands Men's Wrestling team started their season duals off in the right direction on November 24^th as they hosted the always tough Division II King College Tornados. The Patriots defeated King by a team final of 32-15.

The Patriots had a rocky start in both the 125lbs and 133lbs starters Larone Madison (West Palm Beach, FL) and Joey Morales (Miami, FL) who battled hard but came up short of wins on the night.

Down 10-0, freshman Zach Barkett (Fayetteville, NC) stepped onto the mat with nothing less than a victory on his mind to get his team back on the right track. Barkett pinned his opponent in 4:58 to pull the Patriots within four, 10-6. Andre Berry (Uniondale, NY), who has been doing well for the Patriots this season as a freshman, came off the mat with a 17-8 tech fall to tie the score of the dual 10-10. Following Berry's performance freshman Bryce Neff (Punta Gorda, FL) gave the Patriots their first lead of the night, 13-10, with a 7-0 decision.

With one win after another Dyvon Passmore (Miami, FL) increased the Patriots lead to 16-10 after defeating his opponent with an 8-4 decision. At 174lbs, only :29 seconds into the match, Garrett Harrison (Malabar, FL) was able to lock-up and pin his opponent to give the Patriots six points and the biggest lead of the night at 22-10. Unfortunately, Austin Sanders (Lindale, GA) had a bitter sweet awakening in his first dual as a Patriot and at the collegiate level and was unable to come up with a win for the team.

There was no better way to seal the win over the Tornados but with a win from the Williamsburg, KY hometown favorite, Jaron Singley, who dominated his match and came out victorious with a 15-5 tech fall to end the night. Travis Aubrey (Cynthiana, KY) came away at the HWT division with a forfeit that gave the Patriots the 32-15 win and advanced the Cumberlands dual record to 1-0 on the year.

University of the Cumberlands Head Coach Andy Medders stated, "Tonight was a great night for the freshman to step and prove to their team that they're ready to battle when everything is on the line. This win will give us a positive feeling going into this weekend's dual tournament against some of the top schools in the Big 12 at the Hoosiers Duals."

The Patriots will be traveling to Indiana University in Bloomington, IN on November 28^th to compete in the Hoosier Duals against some of the top ranked teams in the nation. Wrestling will begin at 9:00am in the University Gym.

Article Provided by PJ Martinez, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant