On Feb. 22, the N.C. State wrestling team left Durham with its 14th dual meet win of the season – one shy of tying the school record – as the Wolfpack took care of Duke, 25-13. The victory over the Blue Devils wrapped up an astounding regular season for State, the team’s best since 1992.
However, all of State’s regular season success will be thrown out the window when the Pack heads to Blacksburg, Va., to participate in the ACC Championships on Saturday. Each of the seven ACC programs will send 10 wrestlers to compete for a team championship and an individual spot at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City on March 20.
The ACC is one of the best wrestling conferences in the nation, but State (14-7 overall, 2-4 ACC) has struggled against in-conference foes lately. The Pack mustered up at least two conference wins this season for the first time since 2008.
The Championships will be no cakewalk for State this season either, as the team will face strong programs in No. 10 Pittsburgh, No. 12 Virginia and No. 16 Virginia Tech, each of which boast at least seven starters in the top 33. The Cavaliers have ranked men at all 10 weight classes.
Though State sports five ranked competitors of its own, inexperience will continue to be an issue for the team. Of the 10 wrestlers that the Pack will be sending to Blacksburg, six are true freshmen.
State’s head coach Pat Popolizio said that while he knows his team is prepared for the tournaments, it’s hard to say what to expect from his young team.
“They’ve all wrestled their whole lives in big tournaments,” Popolizio said. “It’ll be exciting to see these guys compete for the first time in ACC Championships.”
Only three members of the Pack have seen action in a previous ACC Championship: No. 20 sophomore Sam Speno (141), No. 16 junior Tommy Gantt (157) and redshirt senior KaRonne Jones (197).
Jones will be the only senior in Saturday’s lineup for State. After redshirting the 2013 season, Jones has been a major contributor for the Pack, competing in 18 of the team’s 21 dual matches.
“He’s a guy that bought into our [the new coaching staff’s] philosophy,” Popolizio said. “I think he benefited a lot from that change.”
Though Jones ended the regular season on a five-match skid, the Fayetteville native will be competing against only six other wrestlers for five NCAA qualifying spots. Despite the fact that five of his six potential opponents are ranked, Popolizio said Jones can have a quality tournament.
“All he needs to do is put together a couple good matches,” Popolizio said. “He has the ability; it just matters if he believes that he can win the tournament.”
Gantt has been a consistent performer for the Pack during the season, finishing the year with a dual-meet record of 16-2. Gantt’s sole conference loss this season came at the hands of Virginia’s No. 13 Blaise Butler, the current favorite in the 157 weight class.
Gantt finished third at last year’s ACC Championships and just missed the cut for National qualifying. This year, however, Popolizio said he believes Gantt has the ability to finish on top of the podium.
“Last year, he fell short of his goal, and I know that has left a burning fire in him,” Popolizio said. “Right now, it’s the most motivated I’ve seen him and the best he’s been wrestling.”
The Pack’s top contender heading into the weekend is No. 3 redshirt sophomore Nick Gwiazdowski (285). Fresh off defeating the top-ranked heavyweight in the nation on Feb. 22, Gwiazdowski appears to be a surefire champion in the heavyweight tournament on Saturday.
“He’s really come a long way,” Popolizio said. “To beat the No. 1 guy in the country, that shows that you’re wrestling your best.”
With a record of 35-2, including 20-0 in dual meets, Gwiazdowski is a major threat to win the NCAA heavyweight title this season. After his latest victory, the Delanson, N.Y. native said he was “pretty close to” where he needed to be for Nationals.
