Coker Wrestling to Open 2015 with No. 10 Newberry

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker Cobra wrestling team will get 2015 started by taking on the nationally ranked No. 10 Wolves of Newberry College on Friday (Jan. 2). The match will pit two of the top teams in Super Region Two, Newberry is ranked third and Coker is ranked seventh, against each other.

The Cobras will be putting their undefeated dual match record on the line when the Wolves come to town. Coker is currently 6-0 in dual matches with their most recent dual match victory coming against St. Andrews (37-3) on Dec. 3.

Newberry enters the match with a record of 5-1 in dual matches. The Wolves only loss was to Virginia Tech (41-9) back on Nov. 8, since then they have rattled off five straight victories, including their most recent win against Belmont Abbey (29-19) on Dec. 18.

Leading the way for the Cobras will be their seven regionally ranked grapplers; Travis Laxton, Kevin Thompson, Rashad Cunningham, Derek Rothermel, Luis Peguero, Robert Parland and Alex Green. 

Two key match-ups to watch during the match will be the 125-pound match and the 184-pound match. At 125-pounds, Coker's Laxton will face off against Newberry's Trung Duong. The two faced off in the championship match of the Midwest Classic where Laxton was forced to retire due to an injury.

In the 184-pound match, Coker's Peguero, ranked No. 3 in the region, and Newberry's Jared Holliday, ranked No. 2 in the region, will be battling for supremacy in their weight class. This is the first meeting the two have had this season.  

The match begins at 2 p.m. at Coker's DeLoach Center. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students and all Coker faculty, staff and students received free admission with ID. Live stats and video of the match will be available online at www.cokercobras.com.