FOREST, Va. – The Roanoke College wrestling team swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Athlete of the Week awards for the week of December 22.
Taylor Smith earned Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week accolades while
Hunter Moore took home Heavier Weight Wrestler of the Week honors.
Smith, a junior from Mifflintown, Pa., went 4-1 on the way to a second-place finish at 149 pounds at the 92nd Wilkes Open Championship Friday. Smith opened with a win by technical fall (18-3 - 2:26) over Brady Quinn from Misericordia University. He then earned a 12-9 decision over Sean O'Donnell, who was competing unattached out of Duke University. In the quarterfinals, Smith registered a win by technical fall (21-5 - 6:54) over Adonis Iparraguirre from Marymount University, who is the fourth-ranked competitor in Region 3. In the semifinals, he registered a 4-1 decision by sudden victory over teammate
Jackson Rowling. In the final, Smith dropped a 6-0 decision to Easton Broxterman from the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School. Smith is currently ranked fifth in Division III and first in Region 4 at 149 pounds.
Moore, a junior from Boulder City, Nev., posted a 5-0 week at 197 pounds overall that included a win in an ODAC dual with Randolph College and the weight class title at the 92nd Wilkes Open Championship. He opened his week with a tech fall (21-6 - 4:31) over Gabriel Wade in the Maroons 57-0 dual win over Randolph. Moore then went 4-0 to claim the 197-pound crown at Wilkes. He opened with a win by fall (1:54) over Nicholas Morey from Eastern University. He then posted a win by technical fall (15-0 - 7:00) over Patrick Gordon, who was wrestling unattached from Wilkes. In the semifinal bout, Moore posted a 6-4 decision over Gabriel Smith from the Hill School. In the final, Moore defeated teammate Lorenzo Pellot-Vazquez by 4-1 decision. Moore is currently the third-ranked wrestler in Region 4 at 197 pounds.
The Maroons face Penn College Jan. 1 at Skyline High School at 6 p.m.