GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Greensboro College wrestling team took on Ferrum College in front of a packed crowd at the Royce Reynolds Family Student Life Center Gym Wednesday. The Pride battled hard but fell by a 30-9 score.
 
After Ferrum won the first five bouts to take a 19-0 lead, Conan Wilson brought the fans to their feet with an exciting fall victory to get six points on the board for the Pride.
 
With Greensboro trailing by a 22-6 score, after Tyron Dudley dropped a heartbreaker at 174-lbs, Joel Kanagy gritted out a 10-8 decision victory to make the score 22-9.
 
The Panthers then picked up a technical fall victory at 197-lbs to set up one of the most exciting bouts of the evening. Brandon Williams squared off with Carlos Leyva in the 285-lb class and the two went into the third period tied at zero. After starting the third period on the neutral position, Williams took a 2-0 lead with a takedown before Ferrum recorded the next three points to take a one-point lead as time ran out.
 
However, Williams had over a minute of riding time and was awarded one point, which sent the match in to overtime. After neither wrestler was able to escape in the first two overtime periods, Williams got called for a stall warning as time expired in the sudden victory overtime, which resulted in a point for Leyva to end the bout.
 
"Tonight we certainly learned a lot," Head Coach Kevin Birmingham said. "While the results were not exactly what we wanted, we learned a lot about ourselves. We defiantly need to improve on basic defense, wrestling a full period, getting off the bottom, and continuing to build our gas tanks. Hats off to Ferrum for their effort and they deserved to win. As I told the team, November is a lot different than February and we will just have to go out and prove that.
 
"Tonight may have been the most exciting event in program history. Huge shout out to the student body, the faculty and staff, the local high schools, and the families as they definitely brought the ruckus. Some people said this was their first event and they are definitely coming back for more. We will continue to grow and build this wrestling atmosphere for many years to come."
 
The Pride will return to action Sunday when they travel to the Averett University Invitational. For more information on Greensboro College wrestling, continue to follow www.greensborocollegesports.com.