VMI @ Campbell

Campbell defeated VMI 24-17 at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., on Feb. 9, 2025, in a SoCon dual that came down to bonus points. The Fighting Camels collected multiple bonus victories that created a gap VMI could not entirely erase.

Cooper Shore’s fall at 125 pounds was the most explosive result, a pin that delivered six team points and swung momentum toward Campbell. Shannon Hanna followed with a 13-3 major decision at 149, adding four more team points, and Chris Earnest closed his bout with a 16-1 technical fall at 157 for five team points. Those three bonus outcomes gave Campbell a sizable boost in the team tally.

VMI answered back in dominant fashion at 184, where Braxton Lewis posted a 16-0 technical fall that supplied five crucial points and kept the Keydets within striking distance. Lewis’ bonus victory was the biggest single swing for VMI and prevented the margin from growing larger, but it was not enough to overcome Campbell’s earlier streak of bonus scoring.

In the end the difference was the Fighting Camels’ ability to convert big wins into bonus points. The pin by Shore and the major and tech from Hanna and Earnest created the separation that decided the dual, while Lewis’ technical fall represented VMI’s strongest response in a 24-17 final.