MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Tomorrow night will be a historic setting for the fifth-ranked Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team, accepting an invite to the inaugural “Throwdown on the Yorktown” where they’ll take on Campbellsville for their first dual of the young season.
One of six duals to take place on the day, Friday’s event will be hosted on the flight deck aboard the renowned USS Yorktown CV-10 Essex-class aircraft carrier anchored in the Charleston Harbor.
Presbyterian/Campbellsville is the only scheduled women’s match that will occur, joining the men’s programs from The Citadel, Army, Virginia, Gardner-Webb, Lander, and Newberry.
The #5 Blue Hose will tangle with the Tigers at approximately 7:30 PM, with an estimated 1,100 fans in attendance for this first-time-ever event.
GAMEDAY INFO – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
“Throwdown on the Yorktown”
#5 Presbyterian vs. Campbellsville | 7:30 PM
WHERE: USS Yorktown CV-10 | Mount Pleasant, S.C.
WATCH: Flo Wrestling
LIVE RESULTS: Track Wrestling
PRIDEFUL IN PRINCETON
- PC and head coach Brian Vutianitis showcased exactly why their preseason projection was so towering, bringing 16 wrestlers to the season-starting Princeton Open last Sunday and taking home a large pile of trophies.
- Given their highest-ever preseason ranking at number five, the Blue Hose had four 1st-place winners and three silver runner-ups in the northeast over the weekend, combining for 49 individual victories and 23 pins.
- Of Presby’s 16 entrees, 10 collected at least a bronze medal as the Scotsmen put together arguably their best-ever collective performance in a tournament atmosphere.
- Chiara Barbieri (103), Chloe Dearwester (110), Cassia Zammit (131), and May Cuyler (160) were the ones to take home gold, adding up for a 15-0 record between them.
- Four out of the six nationally-ranked wrestlers on PC’s roster suited up in Princeton, gaining a laundry list of praise over the past two seasons and keeping that train at high speed.
LAST TIME vs. CAMPBELLSVILLE
- Presbyterian also went up against Campbellsville last season in a true road affair, ending up on the losing end of a 31-16 decision in Kentucky.
- The Tigers are one of the premier women’s wrestling clubs at the NAIA level, ranked number six in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) preseason poll.
- Zammit, Alyssa Mahan, Ella Beam, and Henlee Haynes all picked up personal wins in the Campbellsville dual last January, collecting a pair of pins that both needed less than two minutes to materialize.
- Fast-forwarding to this season, and the Tigers are in a similar boat to PC (beginning their campaign in tournament play prior to this dual). CU competed at the Tiffin Open in Ohio last weekend, matching Presby’s production in Princeton with four championship-winners.
ALWAYS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
- The nation’s first Division I university to sponsor women’s wrestling, Presbyterian has been front-and-center at some of the most groundbreaking events that this growing sport has presented.
- Mostly a male-centric tournament, the Blue Hose have wrestled at the famed Midlands Championships in Chicago each of the past two years (a tournament that holds nearly as much prestige as Nationals).
- In November of 2023, PC participated in the “Trailblazer Duals” in Iowa City, joining Sacred Heart, Lindenwood, and the Iowa Hawkeyes for a triple threat involving the first four Division I schools to enact women’s wrestling.
- Now, another history-making event will have Presbyterian in the mix. Tomorrow’s Yorktown Throwdown is the first of its kind, a scenic view of the Charleston Harbor as PC represents one half of the debut women’s wrestling match on a naval battleship.
EVENT DETAILS
Throwdown on the Yorktown
1st-ever collegiate wrestling will occur on the flight deck of USS Yorktown!
8 teams participating - The Citadel, Army West Point, University of Virginia, Gardner-Webb, Lander, Newberry, Presbyterian College women, & Campbellsville women.
6 duals - The Citadel v Army, The Citadel v UVA, Gardner-Webb v Army, Gardner-Webb v UVA, Lander v Newberry, PC women v Campbellsville women.
Please note that no refunds will be given. In case of inclement weather, duals will be wrestled either in the hanger on Fri night or at nearby Bishop England High School on Sat.
Tickets
Throwdown on the Yorktown Team Admission
Price: $50.00
Patriots Point charges $5 parking.
Location: USS Yorktown CV-10, 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
This ticket is for admission onto the USS Yorktown. Along with access to the ship, it will allow access to watch the 6 collegiate wrestling duals. Space is limited to only 1,100 spectators.
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The lead changed hands seven times on Friday night as the fifth-ranked Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team dueled Campbellsville on the renowned USS Yorktown CV-10 Essex-class aircraft carrier, with the Blue Hose prevailing in a wild sequence 23-21.
The main event of the “Throwdown on the Yorktown” – a special first-of-its-kind event aboard the Charleston Battleship that involved six other men’s programs – PC was lifted to the victory by 207-pounder Ella Beam who notched a 10-0 tech in just over three minutes.
For #5 Presbyterian and head coach Brian Vutianitis, the one-point W is their closest dual win in the program’s short history. They gained a measure of revenge over the Tigers after stumbling in this matchup last spring, winning five bouts on Thursday.
While PC and Campbellsville split the 10 matches on the Battleship, the Blue Hose were able to squeak by thanks to four of their wins by either pin or technical.
The entire contest was played within a five-point window, as the Scotsmen closed the dual on a 9-4 sprint. Beam and freshman May Cuyler (160) made up those nine points with a fall and a tech, two ultra-clutch moments that proved huge down the stretch.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was the epitome of a back-and-forth battle with a raucous audience in attendance, as both PC and Campbellsville just had one instance of two straight wins.
- The Tigers found their largest lead of the night near the midway portion of the dual, a 10-4 decision that saw them assume an 11-6 advantage in the team count.
- At that moment, the lone Blue Hose victory had come via newbie Chloe Dearwester in a TF over Gabrielle Medeiros. That makes the freshman 4-0 after claiming a gold prize in the Princeton Open last weekend (each of those wins have been by either fall or technical).
- In the blink of an eye, 131-pounder Cassia Zammit – ranked 5th in the nation for her class – plucked the deficit out of thin air with a 3:29 pin over Olivia Messerly.
- With the score now all tied up, Presby kept the momentum surging onward with a 7-1 decision in favor of rookie Carina Giangeruso (138).
- The outcome of the final five matches was different than the one that came before, as Campbellsville answered Giangeruso’s W with a 96-second fall that put the Tigers back ahead by a trio.
CAMPBELLSVILLE CONQUERED
- Cuyler’s two-minute pin in class 160 shifted the mood once more and granted the garnet and blue a 19-17 cushion with two matches still left on the docket.
- Once Campbellsville collected a tech in the penultimate tussle, it was up to Beam to secure at least a technical of her own lest PC take a defeat.
- That goal was accomplished by the veteran, taking 3:29 to achieve the 10-zip result and hoist the Blue Hose to a thrilling win over the #6 ranked team in the preseason NAIA poll.
RESULTS
103 – Riley Banyas (CU) def. Chiara Barbieri (PC) by TF, 12-2 (2:50)
Campbellsville Leads, 4-1
110 – Chloe Dearwester (PC) def. Gabrielle Medeiros (CU) by TF, 10-0 (2:53)
PC Leads, 5-4
117 – Icart Galumette (CU) def. Charlee Shuler (PC) by TF, 10-0 (5:33)
Campbellsville Leads, 8-5
124 – Josie Davis (CU) def. Reagan Riddick (PC) by Dec., 10-4
Campbellsville Leads, 11-6
131 – Cassia Zammit (PC) def. Olivia Messerly (CU) by Fall, 3:29
Team Score Tied at 11-11
138 – Carina Giangeruso (PC) def. Gabriella Perez (CU) by Dec., 7-1
PC Leads, 14-12
145 – Emma Walker (CU) def. Paige Wehrmeister (PC) by Fall, 1:36
Campbellsville Leads, 17-14
160 – May Cuyler (PC) def. Sierra Chavez (CU) by Fall, 2:19
PC Leads, 19-17
180 – Liliana Vergara (CU) def. Lexi Fornshell (PC) by TF, 11-0 (1:18)
Campbellsville Leads, 21-19
207 – Ella Beam (PC) def. Carlea Grissom (CU) by TF, 10-0 (3:20)
PC Wins, 23-21
