DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Fighting Camels built an early lead against Davidson and would not relinquish it, defeating the Wildcats 31-9 at the John M. Belk Arena Sunday evening.
 
Campbell improved to 7-3 and 1-0 in conference play, while the Wildcats now sit 1-9 (0-1).
 
The match started at heavyweight, where #10 Taye Ghadiali set the tone for the Camels with a tech fall (5:20) over Jake Fernicola. It was Ghadiali's team leading eighth tech fall of the season.
 
Campbell quickly followed the result with two more tech falls. #26 Anthony Molton was the quickest on the day, defeating Enis Lijikovic in 1:44. #22 Domenic Zaccone was right on Molton's heels, dispatching of John Hager in 2:14.
 
#19 Levi Hopkins ended the match on a high note, pinning Cameo Blankenship in 2:20. The pin is Hopkins' seventh on the year, which leads the team. Chris Rivera recorded the remaining bonus-point victory for the Camels, earning a 14-4 major over Joshua Viarengo.
 
#33 Dom Baker and Riley Augustine each recorded wins by decision. Baker recorded a takedown in the first sudden-victory period over Bryce Sanderlin to win, 4-1. Augustine, who wrestled up a weight class, scored a reversal and nearly three full minutes of riding time on way to a 3-1 win over Marc Koch.
 
The Camels have nearly two weeks off before their next bout on Friday, Feb. 2 against App State. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Gore Arena, and it will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
 
CAMPBELL 31, DAVIDSON 9
HWT | #10 Taye Ghadiali (CAM) def. Jake Fernicola (DAV), TF 5:20 (17-2)
125 | #26 Anthony Molton (CAM) def. Enis Lijikovic (DAV), TF 1:44 (21-6)
133 | #22 Domenic Zaccone (CAM) def. John Hager (DAV), TF 2:14 (19-4)
141 | Chris Rivera (CAM) def. Joshua Viarengo (DAV), MD 14-4
149 | Tyler-Xavier McKnight (DAV) def. Hagen Heistand (CAM), Dec. 4-1
157 | Tanner Peaker (DAV) def. Chris Earnest (CAM), Dec. 6-1
165 | #33 Dom Baker (CAM) def. Bryce Sanderlin (DAV), SV-1, 4-1
174 | Riley Augustine (CAM) def. Marc Koch (DAV), Dec. 3-1
184 | Wyatt Ferguson (DAV) def. Conor Maslanek (CAM), Dec. 4-2
197 | #19 Levi Hopkins (CAM) def. Cameo Blankenship (DAV), Fall 2:20
Individual rankings according to Intermat
 
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Scotti Sentes
"This dual allowed us to sit three starters, so it was nice to see fresh faces in the lineup. It's a long season, so it's important to give the starters breaks like this when we can.

There were a lot of hard-fought matches on the day, and like we expected – Davidson did a great job staying in the fight and making it a battle. Kudos to them, they have definitely improved since last season.

Match of the day has to go to Dom Baker who avenged a loss from a guy who beat us 6-1 last season."
 
174 | Riley Augustine
On if there's a difference between conference opponents and other opponents:
"I don't really see a difference. As a team and as a wrestler, we're looking to dominate every match, score points, and find a way to win the tough matches."

On how the three tech falls to start the match set the tone for the rest of the team:
"I think it's awesome watching them go out there and score points and get tech falls. It gets you going and makes you want to score points. It gets that momentum rolling."

On the key to staying ready during this long break between matches:
"We just have to focus on getting better. Our goal isn't to beat App State, our goal is to be top-5 in the country and get people on the National podium. We need to constantly keep wanting to get better in every position of wrestling."
 
165 | Dom Baker
On how he stays motivated in overtime:
"Honestly, I feel like overtime is weirdly one of my favorite periods. At the end of the day, it's the easiest one. All you need to do is get one takedown, but against a good guy, it's hard. I was just happy I could go out and get it done. I could not let myself lose my match in overtime. When I get to overtime, it's go time."

On how the hot start from the team impacts his individual performance:
"It helps a lot. I can just go out there and do my job, which is to win and put points on the board for the team. Having those leaders show us that we can score big points just makes everyone else want to go out and do that."
 
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