The ACC Championships are being held in Charlottesville, VA, at John Paul Jones Arena this weekend, and several N.C. State wrestlers are ready to compete for the conference championship in their respective weight classes.
Winning the conference crown means a lot to each and every wrestler, but coming out on top this weekend also equates to a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the ACC has been awarded 21 automatic bids, which are separated into a certain amount for each weight class.
The most bids that a weight class earned was three, which was awarded to the 141-pound, 157-pound, and 184-pound weight classes. Therefore, redshirt juniors Darrius Little and Colton Palmer have the best chance of making it in through automatic bids.
But Palmer says he doesn’t even want to think about having to leave his opportunity up to chance. He plans on controlling his own destiny by winning the whole tournament this weekend.
“My weight class actually has three bids this year,” Palmer said. “But I’m really setting my sights on just winning the whole thing. I don’t want to put myself in the situation where the NCAA will have to pick me, so I haven’t even been thinking about the possibility of losing.”
Palmer has been one of the most consistent wrestlers for the team thus far in the season. He leads the team in wins with a 26-11 record, and enters the weekend with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
When the Wolfpack traveled to Chapel Hill earlier this season, it was beaten by the Tar heels by a final score of 24-12. During that match, Palmer was pinned by Corey Mock in what Palmer believed was an illegal pin.
“I’m looking forward to every single match,” Palmer said. “I would love to get my hands on Corey Mock again. With him being from UNC, makes me want to beat him a lot more.”
Another contender for the Pack this weekend will be Little, who is second in wins on the team this season with an overall record of 25-8. Little’s 141-pound weight class is expected to have a strong crop of competitors this weekend, as three automatic bids are on the line for the NCAA Tournament.
Little says that while his weight class may be one of the toughest, he feels prepared to make a late run and possibly win this weekend in Charlottesville.
“Everybody in my weight class is tough this year,” Little said. “A thin line separates the No. 6 seed and the No. 1 seed, so I’ve got a feeling that whoever comes in the most prepared will take the belt this weekend, and I feel like I’m ready to contend for the championship this weekend. “
Little was undefeated early on against ACC competition, but struggled in his last two matches against conference foes. While he may not have won his final two matches, he had two close contests against Maryland and Virginia Tech, losing 3-2 and 8-2, respectively, against ranked competition.
While Little knows he will have some tough competition this weekend, he said he will still be watching and rooting for everyone on the team to pull out a championship.
“I’ve always been the guy who roots for everybody on the team,” Little said. “If my team can’t hear me while they’re on the mat, they must be deaf. I don’t care what the circumstances are or what tournament we’re at. I’m always screaming for my guys to win.”
This weekend will also be the last conference championship for redshirt senior Darrion Caldwell, who is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, as well as the No. 1 wrestler in the country in the 149-pound weight class.
Caldwell said the key to his success this weekend will be not underestimating his competition and continuing to keep up the pace that has led him to an undefeated 12-0 season to this point. Caldwell said that he wants to finish up his career the same way he started it – with a bang.
“Coming in with a bang and leaving with a bang would be a blessing to me,” Caldwell said. “I would love to win another ACC Championship, but I also understand that anything can happen. So wrestling tough throughout the entire competition will be a key to winning this whole thing.”
While Caldwell may be one of the only favorites from the Pack going into this weekend, he still said that he feels the entire team has a chance to shock some people this weekend by going deep into the tournament.
“I feel like from top to bottom we are going to be solid this weekend,” Caldwell said. “From Mike Moreno all the way down to Eloheim Palma, we are set to have some great performances this weekend. I have a great feeling about every individual on this team, including myself.”
