The No. 3 NC State wrestling team will take on the No. 8 Virginia Tech Hokies Friday night and the No. 5 University of Missouri Tigers on Sunday with the chance to cap an undefeated season.
The Hokies and Tigers are ranked eighth and fifth, respectively, and each has recent success against the Wolfpack.
The Hokies took on the Wolfpack last season in Blacksburg, Virginia. While redshirt senior Nick Gwiazdowski and sophomore Nicky Hall both registered wins in the match, the Wolfpack was blown out and fell to the Hokies 29-9.
The match looked very similar to the match against the Tigers just a few weeks earlier that year in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers got off to a fast 13-0 start after a forfeit and three straight losses by the Pack, a deficit that NC State couldn’t recover from as it fell 29-10 to the Tigers.
The Wolfpack is a much different team than the team that took on the Tigers and Hokies last year. The 2015-16 Wolfpack has been dominating top competition, a stark contrast from last season.
During the 2014-15 campaign, the Wolfpack only won three of its seven matches against opponents ranked in the NWCA top-25. This season has been a much different story; the Wolfpack has yet to lose to a single opponent, including an impressive 7-0 record against ranked opponents. The Wolfpack has also outscored opponents 186-69 in its matches against ranked opponents.
The Wolfpack also has consistency in their wins this year. In the Wolfpack’s 21 wins this year, only three of the wins have been by single digits, with two coming over top-15 teams in the Oklahoma State Cowboys (fourth) and the Nebraska Cornhuskers (11th).
The Hokies have been on a tear since they lost to the No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones. Since the loss, the Hokies have won six-straight matches, the last four of which the Hokies failed to let their opponents score in double figures.
Much like the Wolfpack, the Tigers have been dominant against top-25 teams. The Tigers are currently 6-1 against ranked opponents, with the lone loss coming against Oklahoma State.
While the obvious choice for the wrestler to watch for the Wolfpack would be Gwiazdowski or redshirt senior Tommy Gantt, the wrestler to pay attention to this weekend will be junior Max Rohskopf.
The Killbuck, Ohio native has been flying under the radar to opponents focusing on stopping Gantt and Gwiazdowski. Along with the two redshirt seniors, Rohskopf has posted an undefeated record in his main weight class of 165 pounds and an 11-1 record overall, with the only loss coming at 174 pounds against No. 4 Kyle Crutchmer of the Cowboys.
The match against the Hokies will also sport great matchups between No. 3 sophomore Kevin Jack and Solomon Chishko at 141 pounds and Gwiazdowski against Ty Walz at the heavyweight matchup.
Jack currently holds a record of 18-3 at the 141-pound weight class, with a 4-0 record in the ACC, while Chishko is currently 23-2 and 3-0 in the ACC.
As for the heavyweight matchup, both Gwiazdowski and Walz are both undefeated in their weight classes with a combined 44-0 record on the season between the two.
Against the Tigers, the wrestler to watch between the two schools will be Tigers’ Lavion Mayes at 149 pounds. Mayes is currently undefeated with a 22-0 record overall and a 13-0 record in duals, which will be sure to give probable starter sophomore Beau Donahue a tough challenge.
The match between the two schools this weekend will be tough matchups for the Wolfpack, despite being on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. The Hokies and Tigers are a combined 11-1 away from their respective homes.
The top-10 matchups will get started this Friday at 7 p.m. in the Holshouser Building of the fairgrounds.
