Davidson tops Campbell 26-17, sets program mark for SoCon wins
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Davidson beat Campbell 26-17 Friday at John M. Belk Arena, recording its fourth conference victory and a program record for Southern Conference wins in a season.
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Davidson defeated Campbell 26-17 Friday night at John M. Belk Arena, recording the Wildcats’ fourth Southern Conference victory of the season and a program record for SoCon wins.
Campbell opened the dual with two early decisions, as Logan Heil of Campbell posted a 12-0 major decision at 133 pounds and Zander Phaturos of Campbell won 4-1 at 141. Those results gave the visitors an early advantage before the Wildcats mounted a response.
Davidson answered with four straight victories that swung the dual. No. 29 Anderson Heap ended the run with a 19-4 technical fall at 149, using repeated takedowns and a penalty point to force the stoppage. He was followed by No. 32 Tanner Peake, who secured a pin at 157 after a first-period nearfall and continued pressure in the second.
A forfeit at 165 awarded Davidson an additional win, and Marc Koch’s 3-1 decision at 174 provided another margin-building result for the Wildcats. Those four outcomes turned the scoreboard in Davidson’s favor and set the stage for the late-session sequence.
Campbell chipped away in the upper weights. Brant Cracraft delivered a 5-2 decision at 184, and Conor Maslanek posted an 11-3 major decision at 197 after a third-period sequence of takedown, nearfall and takedown. Sawyer VanRider closed the scoring for Campbell with a 2-1 decision at heavyweight.
The dual also featured a late medical default decision in favor of Davidson’s Brady Joling at 125, which finished the dual for the Wildcats.
Davidson’s game-night report listed the Wildcats at 6-13 overall and 4-4 in SoCon competition after the victory; Campbell’s release showed the Camels at 2-20 and 1-7 in league play. The Davidson recap noted the win was the program’s first over Campbell since 2015 and came on Senior Night at the Belk Arena.
Key turning points were Heap’s technical fall and Peake’s pin; those back-to-back wins provided the decisive momentum swing that Davidson sustained through the middle of the dual. Campbell’s late wins narrowed the margin but did not erase the cushion earned by Davidson’s mid-dual streak.
Davidson will host its annual Wildcat Open next; Campbell’s season resumes with remaining conference and nonconference assignments as noted on the Camels’ schedule.