RICHMOND, Va. – Taking on VMI in its first road test of its Southern Conference schedule, the Bellarmine University wrestling team came out victorious, taking down the Keydets 35-10 on Friday night.

The win was Bellarmine's third in a row and improved the Knights to 2-0 in SoCon action and 5-4 on the season.

Wrestling at neutral site Benedictine College Preparatory, the Knights came ready to battle and it showed on the mat.

"I'm proud of the team's energy tonight," said head coach Ned Shuck. "Guys got behind each other and were resilient in the two matches that didn't go the way we thought they would."

Despite a stumble out of the gates with VMI winning the opening bout at 149, Bellarmine responded quickly as junior Jeb Prechtel got the Knights on the board with a pin at 157, taking a 6-4 lead.

"The guys are implementing more and more of what they've been training," Shuck added. "It's awesome working with guys that are coachable and wrestling with confidence."

From there, BU never looked back, winning three more bouts in a row. Redshirt sophomore kept the ball rolling at 165 with a 16-5 major decision before redshirt junior Grant O'Dell (174) battled out an 11-5 decision win. At 184, redshirt junior Keenan Wyatt made his dual debut, winning a 13-8 decision.

At 197, VMI got its second and final win of the night, making the score 16-10.

Graduate student Daulton Mayer got the six points back right away, getting a pin of his own in just 2:13. The win was his team leading seventh victory by fall of the season.

At 125, redshirt junior Damion Ryan clinched the match with a 19-4 tech fall win before fellow redshirt junior Trayce Eckman dominated with a 22-3 tech fall win of his own. Redshirt sophomore AJ Rallo (141) ended the dual on a high note for the Knights, getting a decisive takedown in the first overtime period for a 5-2 victory.

Up next, Bellarmine will continue its longest SoCon road trip of the season, traveling to Davidson and Appalachian State on January 30 and February 1, respectively.

Bellarmine 35, VMI 10
149 – Patrick Jordon (VMI) def. Nate Higley (BU) by MD, 15-4
157 – Jeb Prechtel (BU) def. Ray Cmil (VMI) by Fall, 2:43
165 – Noah Hall (BU) def. Ryan Vigil (VMI) by MD, 16-5
174 – Grant O'Dell (BU) def. Beau Lewis (VMI) by DEC, 11-5
184 – Keenan Wyatt (BU) def. Andrew Barford (VMI) by DEC, 13-8
197 – Toby Schoffstall (VMI) def. Andrew Liber (BU) by Fall, 2:14
285 – Daulton Mayer (BU) def. Cole Will (VMI) by Fall, 2:13
125 – Damion Ryan (BU) def. Waylon Rogers (VMI) by TF, 19-4
133 – Trayce Eckman (BU) def. Cody Tanner (VMI) by TF, 22-3
141 – AJ Rallo (BU) def. Dyson Dunham (VMI) by SV-1, 5-2

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