Virginia Duals Coverage (1st Part of 5) -- Old Dominion: Monarchs On the Rise

Those who read the Daily Press or my Facebook page are well aware that I spent 26 hours (plus some writing time at home) last weekend dedicated to the annual Virginia Duals, a wrestling extravaganza featuring some of the nation's best high school and college teams. It just happens to be held in our backyard at the Hampton Coliseum.

Over the next five days, I am pleased to present my stories, covering different aspects of the Duals. The Daily Press didn't have room for all of my commentary, so I am happy to share my full stories here.

HAMPTON – At last year’s Virginia Duals, Old Dominion reached a new plateau by reaching the Gold Pool (Final Four) of the National College Division, and defeating #10 Edinboro in the consolation match to earn third place – the Monarchs highest Duals finish since 2008.

More importantly, it helped make for the first top-three finish by Virginia schools, as Virginia Tech ended up edging the University of Virginia 16-15 to capture the National Division title. But Tech had earned its championship berth by topping the Monarchs 19-15 in a semifinal match that was determined in the last bout, the heavyweight match, and only by a 3-1 decision.

However, with the exception of 1983, when ODU lost to North Carolina in the final, the Monarchs have been shut out of the championship match of the National Division.

This year, the Monarchs, under coach Steve Martin, are enjoying a comparable level of success. ODU is ranked 24^th in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches poll, and sports a roster with three All-Americans - Chris Mecate at 141 lbs., Alexander Richardson at 149 and Jack Dechow at 184. In the latest Win Magazine rankings, Mecate (8-3) and Richardson (9-2) were sixth, and Dechow (7-1) was listed at 10th. Another pleasant addition for Martin has been the recent emergence of freshman Emilio Saavedra (13-2), who earned a #13 ranking after winning the 133-pound division at the Midlands Championships, held last week at Northwestern University.

Coupled with the continued success of the Monarchs this year was the omission of both Virginia and Edinboro State from this year’s Duals National College lineup. As the team prepared to square off against Campbell in its first Poquoson River pool match on Friday, the question to be answered was – could the Monarchs dare to dream of making the finals, or better yet, winning the whole shebang?

While the Monarchs manhandled Campbell 28-16 in their first match, on the adjoining mat, the Hokies were taking care of business in their Hampton River pool opener against The Citadel, running away with a 31-9 win. For ODU, Mecate won a 7-3 decision over Luke Stewart, while Richardson defeated Zane Knight by fall. However, Saavedra lost a major decision, 13-5, to Nathan Kraisser. Brandon Jeske (18-0 technical fall winner at 125), Devin Geoghegan (9-0 major win at 157) and Climmons Brooks (12-3 major win at 174) also scored mightily for Old Dominion.

The Hokies and Monarchs didn’t have to move at all for their second match, staying on Mats 2 and 7. Both teams got off to auspicious starts, with the Monarchs winning their first three bouts. At 125, Jeske scored a quick five points with a 16-5 technical fall win over Ares Carpio. Saavedra bounced back at 133 to score a 4-3 decision over Mikel Perales. And Mecate gutted out a 3-2 win over Robert Mathers at 141. With an 11-0 lead, things were looking good for Martin’s troops.

Or not. The Sun Devils charged back to win the final seven matches and upend the Monarchs 25-11. With the win, Arizona State earned the berth to this year’s Gold Pool and the Monarchs moved to the Silver bracket semi-finals where they tangled with Rider (NJ). In that match, the Monarchs wasted no time taking care of business. Jeske, Saavedra, and Mecate easily won their bouts to give ODU a 12-0 lead. However, Alexander Richardson won by fall at 149, and then Devin Geoghegan and Seldon Wright scored major victories to put the Monarchs up 26-0. From there, ODU cruised to a 26-14 victory.

Even though Old Dominion fell short of the championship round, there is no doubt that they have gotten better in recent years.

Let’s count the ways. First of all, Dechow will be nowhere near the center of a wrestling mat this weekend at Hampton Coliseum.

“He was injured last weekend at Midlands and we decided to take precautionary measures,” said Martin. “It was definitely a game day decision.” In fact, Dechow weighed in 18 ounces under the 184-pound mark. “As a team, you can either worry about ego, or do what’s best for the team. Our kids need matches. We’re thinking about the National (NCAA) tournament and there are only 67 days left in the season. Madison Square Garden (site of championships), that’s what counts.”

Secondly, the fact that All-American Dechow did not wrestle on Friday is not a valid excuse among the Monarch wrestlers for losing a match to a Pac-12 program such as Arizona State – not today and not ever.

“We’ve been making huge steps,” said Mecate, a fifth year senior wrestler. “The culture in our room has changed. When I was a freshman, the goals that our team made, and the bar that they set – it has completely changed,” added Mecate with an emphasis on the word completely. “Now, we expect guys to be on the podium at Nationals. We have done it and now we need to move on to the next step.” When asked what the next step was, he confirmed, “We don’t know anything but becoming national champs.”

The future is bright for Martin and the Monarchs. Along with Saavedra the freshman, Martin and Mecate noted that the incoming freshman class is probably their best ever.

And while it’s a shame that Mecate will not be able to wrestle with the future Monarchs, as his team prepares to wrestle against Kent State for first place in the silver round, he can at least say that he was there to help launch the rocket.