Jumping to an early 16-3 lead, the Bison fell victim to a furious comeback by Army West Point, with a score of 22-19 on Feb. 11 at Davis Gym. Despite the loss, Tyler Smith ’18 was recognized before the match for winning his 100th career bout, the tenth Bison wrestler to achieve this career milestone.

To start the match, Mike Macklin ’19 spurred momentum for the Orange and Blue by pinning All-Academy Champion Trey Chalifoux. Macklin gained his first career victory with ease in a time of 5:14.

Smith, at 141 pounds, effortlessly crushed his opponent by a 17-5 decision, remaining undefeated in dual competition for this season. Notably, Smith tallied seven takedowns in his victory. As a senior, he has now won 25 consecutive dual bouts, dating back to January 2017.

The Bison and Black Knights began the heavyweight match with competitive force. Brandon Stokes ’20 was pinned by the Black Knights after a 10-3 decision.

Army won the next three bouts with a combined edge of 35-3 to reduce the Bison lead to 16-15. However, Drew Phipps ’20 gave the Orange and Blue a 19-15 edge while upping his personal win streak to four consecutive bouts.

“Just like every other wrestling match, you have you go out and be prepared to wrestle. I feel like we did everything in our power but we were just out-wrestled,” Stokes said.

The Orange and Blue will face dual competition on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m when they host Bloomsburg for senior recognition night. The contest will conclude dual competition for the season.