Wildcats to Open Season at Belmont Abbey

DAVIDSON, N.C. – After a thrilling 2012-13 season that saw them pick up their first conference win since 2009 and ended with Anthony Elias earning a spot at the NCAA Championships, the Davidson wrestling team will embark on the 2013-14 season this Sunday when they travel to Belmont Abbey for a 2 p.m. dual.

The 2013-14 season marks the sixth all-time match up between the two programs since 2006-07. The Wildcats have taken all five previous meetings, including last season's match by a score of 34-7.

Probable Davidson Lineup

125 Philip Elias
133 Anthony Elias
141 Alex Palinski
149 Kevin Birmingham
157 Nick Pappayliou
165 Patrick Devlin
174 Nathan Powers
184 Scott Patrick
197 Michael Moore
285 Eddie Isola

Season Outlook

"We are extremely excited about the upcoming 2013-14 season. We had tremendous success last year as a program and plan on building on that with a talented group of upperclassmen and an incoming group of freshmen who will make immediate impacts in our lineup," said head coach Bob Patnesky. "The entire team is feeding off the personal success of Anthony Elias's NCAA bid last year, and they are all looking to give themselves the opportunity to compete on college wrestling's biggest stage this year in Oklahoma City. We can't wait to see what opportunities our wrestlers are presented with in return for the hard work that they have put in since the season ended last year."

125-pounds

Philip Elias returns after missing the final six weeks of the 2012-13 season with an injury. Elias started strong, going 11-6 overall and 2-1 in the SoCon before his year ended, and he will look to pick up where he left off.

Joining Elias at 125-pounds will be freshman Jordan Wang. Wang claimed top-10 PAISWT/PAISAA for four consecutive years, recording a 25-15 mark as a senior at Chestnut Hill Academy (Pa.) in 2012-13.

133-pounds

Defending SoCon champion Anthony Elias will lead the way at 133-pounds, looking to make his way back to the NCAA Tournament in 2014. Elias went 11-10 overall before knocking off three straight opponents in the SoCon Tournament to win the title and earn a trip to the national tournament. After falling in back-to-back matches in Iowa, he looks to improve upon lasts season's success.

141-pounds
The Wildcats will debut a pair of new faces at 141-pounds, as freshmen James McCord and Alex Palinski will battle for the spot in the lineup. McCord wrestled at 138-pounds in high school and finished in the top five of the Maryland state championships three times. Palinski is a two-time all-conference and All-North Carolina honoree who posted a 60-18 career mark at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Cary, N.C.

149-pounds
Kevin Birmingham returns for his junior season at 149-pounds. Birmingham was 11-13 last season with a team-high six pins on the year. He posted a 3-4 SoCon record in his first full season at 149-pounds, as he moved up from 141 midway through his rookie campaign.

157-pounds
Senior CT Talevi will duke it out with freshman Nick Pappayliou for the starting spot at 157-pounds. Talevi saw limited action last year at both 157 and 174-pounds, while Pappayliou was the District 22 (N.J.) champion and three-year letterwinner at Long Branch (N.J.) High School.

Junior Dan Hagemann will also be in the mix in the second half of the season after spending the fall semester abroad. Hagemann saw action in a pair of contests last season and looks to return to fighting form upon his return.

165-pounds
With the graduation of Chris Cirenza, Patrick Devlin moves up from 157-pounds to take the starting spot at 165 in his sophomore campaign. As a freshman in 2012-13, Devlin competed at 157 pounds on four occasions, and picked up his first collegiate win at 149-pounds at the Wolfpack Open.

The Wildcats could also get depth in this category from Talevi, Pappayliou or Hagemann, depending on lineup at 157-pounds.

174-pounds
Veterans Nathaniel Powers and Ian Solcz will battle for the starting spot at 174-pounds, with Josh Sawyer also figuring into the competition. Solcz is the lone wrestler with previous experience in this division, going 8-4 last season. He also picked up a win at 184-pounds.

Powers wrestled at both 157- and 165-pounds last season, and will move up to 174 this season. He went 2-3 in SoCon action in 2012-13 and recorded three overall wins, including a pair of pins.

The lone newcomer in this division, Sawyer wrestled at 170 at the Durham School for the Arts. He is a four-time all-conference honoree who placed in the top-5 at the state meet last season.

184-pounds
Scott Patrick was recently named to the Preseason All-SoCon team for 184-pounds, following a stellar performance at last season's SoCon Tournament. After dropping his first-round match up, he stormed back to win three straight on his way to a third place finish. He concluded his season with a 19-10 overall record with five pins.

Sawyer could also move up to this class to provide depth.

197-pounds
Michael Moore will get the start at 197-pounds to make his collegiate debut. Moore posted 27 pins as a senior at Heritage High School in Ringgold, Ga., on his way to a team-best record of 44-8. He was previously the regional and state runner-up at both 182- and 195-pounds and will look for a smooth transition into collegiate action.

HWT
Ed Isola returns as the Wildcats' lone heavyweight for the 2013-14 season. Isola posted a 5-10 record as a sophomore last season, pinning a pair of opponents in the process.

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