The University of Akron hosted a tri match this past Saturday, November 19th against Grand Valley State University and Penn State-DuBois. Last season both teams beat Akron by wide margins, but this time Akron came away with two dual wins, defeating GVSU 37-24 and beating PSU-DuBois 39-11.

The day started with GVSU picking up forfeits at 125 and 133, but senior Dakota Smith picked up a 16-8 major decision at 141 to put Akron on the board. Next, assistant captain Isaac Hammonds (149) helped set the tone for the dual by earning a 13-1 major decision against an opponent that had beaten him twice last year. Following that was a first period fall by freshman Cole Berg at 157 to put the Zips ahead 14-12.

The team score flip-flopped four times over the next four bouts, with GVSU earning falls at 165 and 184 and Akron receiving forfeits at 174 and 197. Both teams sustained injuries during the middleweight bouts. Heading into the final two matches, Akron held a 26-24 lead, and freshman Noel Caraballo clinched the dual with a 17-1 technical fall. Fellow freshman Ben Roshon wrapped it up with a 25 second pin at heavyweight.

The second dual featured GVSU vs PSU-DuBois. Undermanned due to injuries, the team score was out of reach for PSU-DuBois, but they won each of the contested bouts for a final score of 42-21.

In the final dual, injuries once more made the team score insurmountable, with Akron receiving seven forfeits, but the two teams split the four contested bouts. PSU-DuBois picked up a technical fall at 165 and a pin at 184, while Akron sophomore Jesse Slocum gained a fall at 197 and Caraballo finished things off with a 10-3 decision at 285.