October 24, 2005

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Patriot Wrestlers Struggle in Season Opener

The University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) men’s wrestling team traveled to Georgia Saturday October 22nd to wrestle in the Georgia Tech Open. This tournament was the first for the freshmen on the team and a stepping-stone for some of the upper classmen serving as a chance to get their feet wet on the mat.

Coach Medders felt good about the overall performance as he stated, “We had a slow start. I felt some of the guys had the first round jitters but in the end they all competed well.”

Freshmen Tim Mitchum (Martinez, GA) at the 141lbs weight class, Blake Germain (Sebring, FL) at the 157lbs weight class, and Dana Hayes (Ft. Pierce, FL) at the 165lbs weight class captured gold medals. Sophomore Jermaine Waye (Brunswick, GA) wrestled his way to the finals but fell short placing second at the 125lbs weight class. Coming off of a red shirt year, Sophomore Dustin Center (Mason, OH) had a slow start but picked it up at the end with a third place finish at the 149lbs weight class. At the 157lbs weight class junior Joshua Boggs (Alexandria, KY) finished third gaining the upper hand on teammate Phillip Knepper (Rockport, IN) who finished fourth in the tournament.

Coach Medders was pleased with the final outcome from his team and is looking forward to their continual improvement. The Patriots will host their annual Patriot Open on November 5th.

Article Provided by, Ken Prophete, University of the Cumberlands (formerly Cumberland College) Sports Information Assistant