BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Shenandoah University wrestling team picked up their first conference win of the season with a 32-17 victory over Southern Virginia Thursday night on the road.  The Hornets won six out of the 10 matches including three straight first-round falls with Cannon Long at 157, Jalen Cornelius at 165, and Dylan Weaver at 174, the Hornets also secured a first-round fall with George Vrachnos at 197.  The other Hornet wins came from Anakin Burks at 133 and Sean Rinebolt at 141.
 
Eliot Rivera got the nod for the Hornets in the 125-weight class and after an early takedown, Rivera found himself trailing at the end of the first period.  Rivera struggled to recover and dropped the match 16-6 and a major decision.
 
Anakin Burks got the Hornets back on track and gave the Hornets a 5-4 lead after picking up an 18-3 win via tech fall.  Burks was up 10-1 going into the second period after an early takedown, over two minutes of riding time, and a near fall. 
 
Wrestling back in his first match after missing the last two duals due to injury, Sean Rinebolt picked up a gritty 3-0 decision.  Even though it was a fast-paced first period that saw many near-falls from both wrestlers, neither wrestler was able to gain control and the score remained 0-0.  With the Knights choosing to start down in the second period, Rinebolt accumulated the entire period of riding time.  With Rinebolt starting down to start the third, he quickly earned a reversal to secure the 3-0 win.
 
Southern Virginia picked up the win at 149 with a 14-2 major decision over Manny Lucas.
 
Cannon Long got the first-round pinfest going for the Hornets securing the victory within the first 30 seconds of the match.
 
At 165, Jalen Cornelius also picked up a quick first-round victory via fall to start to put the match out of reach for the Hornets.
 
Dylan Weaver kept the trend going, by reversing a failed Knight takedown and getting his opponent on his back to secure the win.
 
Southern Virginia picked up a win by forfeit at 184 to secure six points.
 
At 197, George Vrachnos was the fourth Hornet to secure a first-round pin via fall.
 
In the 285-weight class, Daniel Basil-Barker put up a strong fight but ultimately fell by a 6-1 decision.
 
In an exhibition match after the conclusion of the dual, Daiveon Barlow picked up another first-round victory by fall.

RESULTS

125 - Quinn Richards (SVU) defeats Elliot Rivera (SU) by major decision (16-6)
133 - Anakin Burks (SU) defeats John Carlson (SVU) by tech fall (18-3 6:53)
141 - Sean Rinebolt (SU) defeats Porter Kinne (SVU) decision (2-0)
149 - Elijah Blackwell (SVU) Manny Lucas (SU) by major decision (14-2)
154 - Cannon Long (SU) defeats Weston Hirschi (SVU) by fall (0:32)
165 - Jalen Cornelius (SU) defeats Calvin Fillmore (SVU) by fall (1:21)
174 - Dylan Weaver (SU) defeats Tyson Hoopes (SVU) by fall (2:24)
184 - Hank Svedin (SVU) wins by forfeit
197 - George Vrachnos (SU) defeats Loyal Holm (SVU) by fall (0:43)
285 - Melipone Aisea (SVU) defeats Daniel Basil-Barker (SU) by decision (5-1)
174 Exhibition - Daiveon Barlow (SU) defeats Ricardo Diego (SVU) by fall (0:27)
 
UP NEXT
The Hornets are back in action on Saturday as they will take part in the Elizabethtown Invitational hosted by Elizabethtown College.
 
#GoSUHornets