IOWA CITY, Iowa, April 10, 2016 – Middletown High graduate Richard Perry won three matches at the U.S. Olympic Trials at 86 kilograms (189 pounds) Sunday at Carver Hawkeye Arena and finished tied for fifth place. He came into the tournament seeded seventh.
Perry beat Tyler Caldwell of Morgantown, West Virginia in his first match, 10-4. A four-point throw with 23 seconds left in the first period gave Perry a four-point lead, 8-4, after one period and left him in control of the bout.
In the quarterfinals, Perry dropped a 10-7 decision to four-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake of Cornell. Perry led by one point, 5-4, after one period and had a three-point lead, 7-4, early in the second period.
But Dake exposed Perry to his back three times to earn the victory. Dake’s two-point exposure with 1:51 remaining in the bout cut Perry’s lead to one and Dake’s two-point exposure with 27 seconds left gave him an 8-7 edge. Dake got a final two points with one second left in the bout.
Perry rallied to win his first consolation round bout by pinning Clayton Foster of Laramie, Wyoming in 3:40. Next, Perry beat Deron Winn of Cyclone Wrestling Club in Ames, Iowa, 8-4. Perry led 6-1 after one period thanks to a four-point throw and a two-point exposure of Winn’s back.
But in the consolation semifinal, Keith Gavin of Charlottesville, Va., scored 11 unanswered points in the second period to win, 11-1 by technical fall. Four two-point exposures were the difference for Gavin.
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of Connecticut Wrestling Online. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.
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