The No. 7 NC State wrestling team picked up a huge win in Reynolds Coliseum Sunday afternoon, storming back from an 11-point deficit to top No. 11 Nebraska 18-17 after tiebreaking criteria.
The Wolfpack (6-0) lost four of the first five bouts, falling behind 14-3 at the intermission against the Cornhuskers (5-2). However, NC State powered back to tie things at 17-17 after No. 4 redshirt sophomore Tariq Wilson captured five team points for a technical fall in the final bout of the day.
“Anytime you can leave a dual meet and things that were supposed to happen didn’t happen and you can come away with a win, I think that’s promising,” head coach Pat Popolizio told NC State Athletics. “That shows the character of this team right now. We need that little bit, of some new guys to step up.”
The Pack was awarded the victory after a tiebreaker, thanks to outscoring the Cornhuskers 56-43 throughout the 10 bouts.
Wilson entered the 133-pound bout needing a technical fall to tie things up, and that is exactly what he did against Tucker Sjomeling. Wilson won 18-2, sealing the victory with a four-point near fall.
“I said to myself ‘You have to go out there and get a pin or a tech. The team needs you. This is the time to stand up,’” Wilson said. “I knew it was going to come down to me when I had seen how the matches were going, throughout the whole progression of the match. I reminded myself what Pat told me earlier in the week. He said ‘we’re going to need you. We’re going to need you to put up bonus points. You’re going to have to step up and be the leader that you know you are.’”
The Pack also had three ranked wins to propel its comeback, highlighted by an upset for redshirt sophomore Nick Reenan in the 184-pound bout. Reenan, ranked fifth in the country, won a close 8-6 battle over No. 3 Taylor Venz out of the intermission to spark the Pack’s run and cut Nebraska’s team lead to 14-6.
“You need to spark some momentum and he went out there and had some big moves right away,” Popolizio said. “That’s a big match for him. He’s got to, one, worry about the team and then worry about himself wrestling one of the best kids in the country that placed last year. There was a lot on the line for him and the team and he stepped up big today.”
Redshirt senior Malik McDonald followed up Reenan’s ranked win with one of his own, as 19th-ranked McDonald defeated No. 9 Eric Shultz 3-2, cutting Nebraska’s lead even further to 14-9.
After freshman Deonte Wilson lost a close 5-2 bout to David Jensen, redshirt senior Sean Fausz picked up a key ranked win in his season debut. Fausz, ranked sixth, beat No. 11 Zeke Moisey 9-2 to make the Cornhuskers’ lead just 17-12 and set up Wilson to tie things up with his technical fall.
The first five bouts were much less friendly to the Wolfpack, as only graduate Justin Oliver, ranked fourth nationally, was able to pick up a win. Oliver defeated Zemua Baptista 8-2 in the 149-pound bout.
No. 13 redshirt senior Jamal Morris lost to Chad Red 3-2 to open the meet in the 141-pound division. At 157 pounds, sophomore Hayden Hidlay, ranked fourth, lost just the second dual bout of his career. No. 5 Tyler Berger beat Hidlay 5-2.
No. 18 redshirt sophomore Thomas Bullard and redshirt sophomore Daniel Bullard both took major decision losses heading into the intermission, leading to Nebraska’s big 14-3 lead.
The undefeated Wolfpack will have another great opportunity to build on its strong resume later this month, as it travels to the South Beach Duals on Dec. 29. The event will feature three other ranked teams.
Redshirt sophomore Nick Reenan, No. 5 in the 184 weight class, grabs hold of No. 3 redshirt sophomore Taylor Venz. Reenan took down Venz 8-6 and the Wolfpack came away with a last-minute 18-17 win over Nebraska on Sunday, Dec. 16 in Reynolds Coliseum.
