VMI Wrestling Sweeps Tri-Meet Slate, Moves to 3-0 at Home

VMI wrestling remains undefeated at Cormack Hall after sweeping Mercyhurst and ACC foe Duke in a tri-meet Nov. 22, 2025.

The Keydets (3-2) now sit above .500 and earned their first program win over the Lakers and their second-straight home win and 34th overall over the Blue Devils.

VMI vs. Mercyhurst

The Keydets tallied eight straight bout victories in their 42-6 win over the Lakers.

VMI came out swinging right off the bat, getting a major decision from Waylon Rogers ’28, 125-pounder, followed by a technical fall from Declan Strait ’29, 133-pounder. Earning a first-period fall at 141 pounds was Phoenix Alyea ’27, his second pin of the season, before Patrick Jordon ’27 got a shutout major decision at 149 pounds to put the Keydets up 19-0 through four matches.

157-pounder Ray Cmil ’26 dominated the mat, putting up the highest bout score of the afternoon with a 20-5 technical fall. Returning from injury, Ryan Vigil ’26, 165-pounder, picked up where he left off last season with a major decision to add to the Keydets’ lead.

It was a late pin by Beau Lewis ’29 at 174 pounds and an early technical fall by Andrew Barford ’29 at 184 pounds to seal VMI’s victory and cap off the eight-match streak. At heavyweight, Cole Will ’29 took control and left with a 7-1 decision.

Final Results (VMI 42, Mercyhurst 6)

125: Waylon Rogers (VMI) over Travis Browning (MERC) (MD 16-7)
133: Declan Strait (VMI) over Edwin Mooney (MERC) (TF 17-1 4:29)
141: Phoenix Alyea (VMI) over Marcus Colson (MERC) (Fall 2:07)
149: Patrick Jordon (VMI) over Colin Scherer (MERC) (MD 8-0)
157: Ray Cmil (VMI) over Xavier Dombkowski (MERC) (TF 20-5 4:25)
165: Ryan Vigil (VMI) over Keith Mincin (MERC) (MD 10-2)
174: Beau Lewis (VMI) over Maxx Fesinger (MERC) (Fall 5:28)
184: Andrew Barford (VMI) over Jake LeClerc (MERC) (TF 18-2 2:22)
197: Josh Johnson-Cantrell (MERC) over (VMI) (For.)
285: Cole Will (VMI) over Joey Baronick (MERC) (Dec 7-1)
Ex 285: Drake Garrison (VMI) over Gino Guerrisi (MERC) (TF 19-4 5:04)

VMI vs. Duke

The Keydets controlled the mat early, bringing much-needed energy that resulted in a 28-10 final over the Blue Devils.

Starting the dual off with a bang was Rogers, dominating his way to a major decision, right before Kyle Gibson ’28 scored a shutout decision at 133 pounds to put the Keydets up 7-0.

Alyea and Jordon kept VMI rolling at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, with major decisions.

However, Duke started making a comeback, winning its next three bouts to make it 15-10. Despite the slight momentum switch, VMI never faltered, earning the last three match victories.

Barford stunned the Keydet faithful with a big decision that came at a crucial point in the dual, forcing the Blue Devils to win out the dual. Putting the nail in the coffin and Duke out of reach was Toby Schoffstall ’27 at 197 pounds by recording a major decision. Capping off the night in fashion with a second-period pin was Will in the heavyweight battle.

Final Results (VMI 28, Duke 10)

125: Waylon Rogers (VMI) over Riley Rowan (DUKE) (MD 14-2)
133: Kyle Gibson (VMI) over John King (DUKE) (Dec 6-0)
141: Phoenix Alyea (VMI) over Raymond Adams (DUKE) (MD 11-2)
149: Patrick Jordon (VMI) over Dylan Ross (DUKE) (MD 12-1)
157: Mikey Boulanger (DUKE) over Ray Cmil (VMI) (MD 16-3)
165: Aurelius Dunbar (DUKE) over Ryan Vigil (VMI) (Dec 6-3)
174: #24 Aidan Wallace (DUKE) over Beau Lewis (VMI) (Dec 5-1)
184: Andrew Barford (VMI) over David Hussey (DUKE) (Dec 8-4)
197: Toby Schoffstall (VMI) over Owen McGrory (DUKE) (MD 11-1)
285: Cole Will (VMI) over Tyler O’Boyle (DUKE) (Fall 4:10)

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.