ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Norwich University wrestling team took on stiff competition at the 23rd-annual All-Academy Championships on Sunday at the United States Naval Academy. 

The Cadets joined the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in taking on NCAA Division I wrestlers from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, The Citadel, the U.S. Naval Academy and the Virginia Military Institute. 

Norwich finished the day with three team points scored, placing eighth in the crowded field. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy earned the NCAA Division III championship on the day, edging Norwich and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The U.S. Military Academy (Army West Point) finished as the overall champion. 

Freshman Joseph Hennessey (Boonville, N.Y.) won the first match of the afternoon for the Cadets, taking down The Citadel's Chandler Sambets at 184 pounds by major decision (13-1). The tables were turned on Hennessey in the semi-final consolation round, Hennessey battled VMI's Chris Beck to a hard-fought, 3-2 loss by decision. 

Senior Pat McCurdy (Woodstown, N.J.) also earned a victory for Norwich in the first round, defeating VMI's Cade Kiely by an 11-4 decision at 165 pounds before dropping a 6-1 decision to Merchant Marine's Christian Willoughby. In his third match of the day, McCurdy fell to Tyler Widerholt of Air Force by a 17-3 major decision. 

Junior Zachary Gibson (Lithopolis, Ohio) competed at 174 pounds for Norwich, losing via tech fall in the opening round to Navy's Jadaen Bernstein, the 16th-ranked wrestler in NCAA Division I at that weight classification. Gibson rebounded in the next round, edging Merchant Marine's Collin Kiel to earn a 6-4 win by decision. 

Norwich will close out its home schedule with a 1 p.m. tilt against New England College this Sunday, Feb. 5.