Melton, Roberts go 3-0 at Gator Duals, Storm post rare shutout

NASVHILLE, Tenn. – Jonathan Melton and Brett Roberts each went 3-0 and the Simpson wrestling team posted its first shutout in 12 seasons, facing a pair of ranked foes in going 1-2 at the Gator "Boots" Duals hosted by Luther College.

Simpson lost to No. 22 Mount Union 28-8 and No. 21 Ferrum 27-16 before blanking Huntingdon 44-0. The shutout win is Simpson's first since beating Northwestern (Iowa) 53-0 at the end of the 2003-04 season.

Melton (149) earned three bonus-point wins on the day, extending his winning streak to eight matches. He won by technical fall over Mount Union's Seth McCurdy and pinned Paul Biggs (Ferum) and Jared Mercer (Huntingdon). The sophomore is now 14-3 on the season.

Ranked No. 9 at 184 pounds in the latest NWCA Rankings, Roberts improved to 14-2 and extended his winning streak to seven matches. He earned a 7-2 decision over Mount Union's Tyler Siefke in the first match of the day, then scored a 12-3 major decision over Ferrum's Hunter Goulart. He won by forfeit against Huntingdon.

Freshmen Garret Jay and DeVaughn Scott also turned in solid performances, as each went 2-1. Wrestling at 165, Jay started the day with a sudden victory loss against Mount Union's Tony Rupert before getting a pair of decisions. He beat Ferrum's Josh Alston 7-4 and Huntingdon's Wyatt Miller 10-5. Scott also lost his first match of the day, an 8-3 setback to Mount Union's Brian Olson. He came back with an 11-6 decision over Ferrum's Adam Bresson and closed the day with a 32-second pin against Dieondiedre Jeffries.

The Storm dominated Huntington in the final match of the day, getting seven wins by bonus points or forfeit. In addition to Melton and Scott's pins, Jason Kiehne won by fall at 141. Devan Berrian won by technical fall at 133 and Jacob Irwin (125) and Spencer Ward (174) won by major decision.

Up next: The Storm are off until Jan. 5 when they host Dubuque at Blake Fieldhouse. Start time is set for 7 p.m.