Men’s wrestling lands three in finals at Builder Invitational, preps for NCWA National Duals

Saturday, January 18

Newport News, VA

TBD

Liberty University Club Sports

Shipbuilder Invitational

Carson Meadows Ronnie Black Miguel Betantourt

Sophomore Carson Meadows placed second at 235 pounds and Ronnie Black took second at 174 while fellow freshman Miguel Betancourt placed fourth at 165 at the Builders Invitational in Newport News, Va.

Men’s wrestling lands three in finals at Builder Invitational, preps for NCWA National Duals

1/21/2025 2:34:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

Liberty Head Coach Jesse Castro held his top wrestlers back for this past Saturday's event in Newport News, Va., saving them for a return there in less than two weeks.

Ronnie Black wrestling Apprentice — Freshman Ronnie Black puts RPI's Matthew Klein in a headlock before pinning him to reach the 174-pound final. (Photo by Kyle Jackson)

Developing depth for the future, while not flexing its strength this season, Liberty University's men's wrestling team posted an eighth-place finish out of 15 teams at Saturday's Builders Invitational hosted by the Apprentice School in Newport News, Va.

Flames Head Coach Jesse Castro held back many of his top wrestlers not to show his hand before the NCWA National Duals, which will be hosted for the first time by Apprentice on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.

"We only brought 10 guys, most our third-string wrestlers and couple second-stringers, so the score is pretty relative to what we brought," he said. "We were getting guys experience, wrestling a lot of backup guys to get them some matches."

Castro said part of the strategy was to give his starters a chance to rest and recuperate for the NCWA National Duals, where he plans to carry two wrestlers in most of the 11 weight classes.

"The rest of the NCWA sees that we're down from what we have been, so it is a good opportunity for them to knock us off our pedestal, but we hope to surprise them," Castro said. "The less they see of us the better."

The tournament was won by the host Shipbuilders (154 points), who appear to be the powerhouse of the Mid-Atlantic Conference this season with twice as many wrestlers ranked in the top 30 (six compared to the Flames' three). The field featured a handful of other NCWA programs, including the University of Central Florida (third, 105.5), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (sixth, 63.5), Liberty (51.5), East Carolina (10th, 38), and James Madison (12th,19).

Others in the field included NCAA Division III Averett University, the runner-up with 149.5 points, fourth-place Marymount (Va.) University (79.5), cross-town Lynchburg, Va., rival Randolph College (seventh, 60), and Ferrum (11th, 49), as well as NAIA representative West Virginia Tech, which Liberty will host in a dual match on Feb. 6.

Individually, the Flames had three wrestlers advance to the championship or consolation finals — freshman Ronald Black (3-1, second at 174), sophomore Carson Meadows (1-1, second at 235), and junior Miguel Betancourt (1-2, fourth at 165).

Black won his first match by 16-10 decision over Slippery Rock's Steven Green before pinning Marymount's Joseph Alexander in 33 seconds and RPI's Matthew Klein in 5:50 to advance to the final, where he dropped a 12-6 decision to West Virginia Tech's Ryan Turney.

"That was a good showing on his part," Castro said of Black. "He did a good job and showed improvement technically. He has a tendency to over-wrestle, and he controlled himself much better. That was a good opportunity for him to build his confidence."

After receiving two byes, Meadows won his first match by 10-2 major decision over Apprentice's Austin Moore before falling by 16-5 major decision in the final to the Builders' Grayson Starrett.

"Carson Meadows has been injured for last two years off and on, so it was a good showing for him, and we were proud of his performance," Castro said.
Complete results are available online.

Liberty anticipates being one of 10 teams entered in the NCWA National Duals, with host Apprentice, UCF, Colorado State, ECU, Life (Ga.), Thomas More (Ky.) University, Springfield (Mass.) Tech, and Washington State among the others. The Flames' top-ranked wrestlers are 133-pound freshman Blaise Verdino (No. 15), junior heavyweight Wade Wheeler (No. 22), and 157-pound freshman Matox Allen (No. 27).

In the NCWA National Duals' women's tournament run simultaneously, the Lady Flames will be matched up with the host Builders, UCF, and William & Mary.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer