Radskys Lead Davidson with Third-Place Finishes at SoCon Wrestling Championships

BOONE, N.C. – Davidson seniors and twin brothers Alex Radsky (133 pounds) and Vitaly Radsky (141) each placed third in their respective weight classes to lead Davidson at the 74th annual Southern Conference Wrestling Championships in Holmes Convocation Center on the campus of Appalachian State University.

Davidson placed sixth as a team with 18 points, while Chattanooga took their 25th team title.

Alex Radsky, the third seed at 133, cruised to a 5-1 victory over No. 4 seed Tyler Sim (The Citadel) to take the bronze. Vitaly Radsky, the No. 2 seed at 141 pounds, led from start to finish to take a 12-8 decision over No. 4 seed David Yost (VMI) and earn a place on the podium.

The Radsky brothers were eyeing conference titles, but both suffered heart-breaking losses in the semifinals. They were the lone Wildcats to reach the semifinal round.

Alex Radsky, the defending 133-pound conference champion, was defeated in a close 3-2 decision by Chattanooga's Bucky Johnson, the second seed. Johnson led from the first period on after scoring a takedown. Radsky escaped before the end of the first, but yielded an escape in the second period to fall into a 3-1 hole. Radsky chose bottom to start the third and escaped quickly for a 3-2 score, but he was unable to score the winning takedown.

Radsky went 3-1 for the day, defeating No. 6 seed Brett Boston (Appalachian State) in a major decision, 8-0, in the first round, and pinning No. 5 seed Luke Todd in 3:20 in the consolation semifinal. He finishes the season with a 28-9 overall record, which ties him for the most wins at Davidson all-time in a single season. Ian Kaplan finished the 1999-00 season for the Wildcats with the same record.

Vitaly Radsky did not yield the lead until the third period in his semifinal match. He led 2-1 after the first period but yielded the tying escape in the second. Kessler nearly took Radsky down late in the second, but Radsky hung on and fended off the attempt to preserve the 2-2 tie. He chose bottom to start the third, but was unable to escape as Kessler eroded his riding time advantage and scored near fall points in the final seconds for a 6-2 win.

Sophomore Matt Zarth placed fourth after suffering a 4-0 defeat in the first round to Chattanooga's Prescott Garner (No. 3 seed), but then advancing to the consolation final after Richard Alarcon (The Citadel) was forced to take a medical forfeit. Zarth was competitive throughout the final bout with No. 2 seed Johnathan Pope, but ultimately yielded an 11-7 decision.

Sophomores Scott Ray (149 pounds), Chris Cirenza (174), Ike Crews (184) and senior Charlie Wolff (285) competed for the 'Cats, but went 0-2.

Notes: The three Davidson seniors earned career-best season records … in addition to Alex Radsky … Vitaly Radsky finished at 21-5, while Wolff finished at 18-11 … the Radsky brothers rank among the winningest Davidson wrestlers in school history with career-records of 67-50 (Alex) and 69-37 (Vitaly).

FINAL TEAM SCORES
1) Chattanooga — 98 pts.
2) UNC Greensboro — 87.5 pts.
3) Appalachian State — 57.5 pts.
4) The Citadel — 44.5 pts.
5) VMI — 27 pts.
6) Davidson — 18 pts.

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
125 — No. 1 Manuel Ramirez (UNCG) dec. No. 3 Prescott Garner (UTC), 17-6
133 — No. 2 Demetrius Johnson (UTC) dec. No. 1 Jamel Johnson (UNCG), 5-1
141 — No. 1 Cody Cleveland (UTC) dec. No. 3 Mike Kessler (ASU), 9-5
149 — No. 1 Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG) dec. No. 2 Dean Pavlous (UTC), 7-5
157 — No. 1 Josh Condon (UTC) dec. No. 2 Pierre Frazile (CIT), 11-5
165 — No. 2 Kyle Blevins (ASU) dec. No. 1 Turtogtokh Lusandorj (CIT), 4-3 (2OT)
174 — No. 1 Brandon Wright (UTC) dec. No. 3 Byron Sigmon (UNCG), 6-4
184 — No. 1 Austin Trotman (ASU) dec. No. 2 Jason McCroskey (UTC), 6-4
197 — No. 1 Caylor Williams (UNCG) dec. No. 2 Nikolas Brown (UTC), 3-2
285 — No. 1 Josh Wine (VMI) dec. No. 2 Peter Sturgeon (UNCG), 3-2

NCAA SECOND-PLACE TIEBREAKERS (winners also receive automatic berths to NCAA Championships)
165 — No. 1 Turtogtokh Lusandorj (CIT) dec. No. 3 Dan Waddell (UTC), 5-1
285 — No. 2 Peter Sturgeon (UNCG) dec. No. 4 Marc Tyson (ASU), 7-3

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