WASHINGTON - Behind a Tim Fitzpatrick pin and three major decisions, the American University wrestling team rolled to a 27-14 win over visiting Drexel (5-4) at Bender Arena on Saturday night. In front of a crowd that included many of the program's most decorated alums, the Eagles (2-3) soared to their second-best point total of the last two seasons. 

MATCH NOTES

• The tone for an exciting match was set early by No. 15 Gage Curry (125) who took Antonio Mininno to overtime before scoring a quick takedown for a 5-3 sudden victory.
• After a Drexel major decision in the second bout of the night, the Eagles turned it up with four straight wins including two major decisions and Fitzpatrick's win by fall.
• Redshirt senior #24 Sal Profaci (141) scored the first of those major decision victories, 15-4 over Drexel's Tyler Williams. Profaci scored three first-period takedowns, and another at the very end while also adding a point for riding time.
• Keeping it going in the next bout was AU's top-ranked wrestler, #9 Kizhan Clarke (149) who put up takedown after takedown and won 14-4.
• Redshirt junior Elijah Murphy (157) got the AU bench behind him in a narrow 2-1 decision, his first victory of the season, and a win that put AU on top 14-4.
• Fitzpatrick (165) was up just 2-1 before pinning Drexel's Mike Manley with 35 seconds left in the first period. The win by fall was his first of the season and sixth of his career.
• No. 11 Tanner Harvey had little trouble against Owen Brooks on his way to a fifth major decision win this season, 13-4.
• Niko Camacho (285) held off Sean O'Malley of Drexel to end the night on a winning note, 3-1.

HEAD COACH TEAGUE MOORE

• "Last night we made a lot of effort on our feet, but we didn't follow through to the points. Tonight, the guys I'll key in on - Sal Profaci, Kizhan Clarke, Tanner Harvey, Tim Fitzpatrick - when they executed and wanted to get their points on the board, they put that extra little two percent in to make sure we secured them. You could see a momentum shift within the benches. In those matches you could see the teams getting behind the winning guy and losing steam on the other side. That was the biggest difference was that we pushed through with those last little efforts."

RESULTS

• 125 - Gage Curry (AU) sudden victory dec. Antonio Mininno (Brown), SV 5-3 (AU 3-0)
• 133 - Chase Shields (Drexel) major dec. Daniel Kidd (AU), 13-1 (Drexel 4-3)
• 141 - #24 Sal Profaci (AU) major dec. Tyler Williams (Drexel), 15-4 (AU 7-4)
• 149 - #9 Kizhan Clarke (AU) major dec. Jared Donahue (Drexel), 14-4 (AU 11-4)
• 157 - Elijah Murphy (AU) dec. Felix Belga (Drexel), 2-1 (AU 14-4)
• 165 - Tim Fitzpatrick (AU) pinned Mike Manley (Drexel), 2:25 (AU 20-4)
• 174 - #33 Michael O'Malley (Drexel) major dec. Ben Root (AU), 9-0 (AU 20-8)
• 184 - #11 Tanner Harvey (AU) major dec. Anthony Walters (Drexel), 13-4 (AU 24-8)
• 197 - Bryan McLaughlin (Drexel) pinned William Jarrell (AU), 0:40 (AU 24-14)
• 285 - Niko Camacho (AU) dec. Sean O'Malley (Drexel), 3-1 (AU 27-14)

UP NEXT

• AU will be on the road next weekend, taking on Lehigh on Friday, Jan. 17 and Columbia on Sunday, Jan. 19.

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