Gardner-Webb @ Duke

Gardner-Webb knocked off Duke 23-19 in Durham on January 14, 2025, handing the Blue Devils a tight dual meet loss at Duke University. The match came down to bonus-point bouts, with Gardner-Webb racking up several high-scoring wins that Duke could not fully erase.

Gardner-Webb got two big offensive scores from the lower weights when Jeffrey Jacome scored a 10-2 major decision at 125 and Todd Carter rolled to a 19-4 technical fall at 141. Those bonus results gave Gardner-Webb a stretch of momentum and point cushion that proved hard to overcome. Josh McCutchen’s 17-1 technical fall at 197 further extended the margin and helped seal the victory for the visitors.

Duke answered with its own bonus punches, most notably Logan Ferrero’s fall at 157, which supplied six team points and kept the Blue Devils within reach. Duke also picked up other bonus victories that narrowed the gap, but the three Gardner-Webb bonus wins ultimately created the separation that decided the dual.

In the end the 23-19 scoreline reflected a battle of big results rather than a string of close decisions. Gardner-Webb’s ability to convert multiple bonus opportunities was the difference on the scoreboard in Durham on January 14.