The NC State wrestling team jumped out to a 4-1 record on the season after hosting a slate of matches in Reynolds Coliseum this past weekend.
The Wolfpack faced five schools in two days, posting dominant wins over Gardner-Webb, Lindsey Wilson, American and UNC-Pembroke, while suffering just one loss to No. 7 Nebraska.
The Pack matched the Cornhuskers during what would prove the dual of the weekend, splitting the 10 matches evenly. However, due to the amount of points the ‘Huskers scored in a few individual matches, they were able to pull out the victory 16-15, handing the Wolfpack its first and only loss of the season.
NC State head coach Pat Popolizio said he believes being close to teams of Nebraska’s caliber is good, but he expects greatness from his squad.
“Our expectations are to start beating teams like that,” Popolizio said. “As a program, that is our goal; we are training for the best teams in the country.”
This proved to be the Pack’s only slip up of the weekend, as NC State ran over the rest of the competition. The Pack wrestlers began Saturday with an impressive win over Gardner-Webb. State only gave up eight points to the Bulldogs on its way to a 26-8 win in the first match of the season.
The Pack followed up that performance with an even more impressive showing by winning the Wolfpack Duals Sunday. The team won all three matches against the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders, the American University Eagles and the UNC-Pembroke Braves. The Pack’s performance was enough to impress Popolizio and show it is improving.
“I thought, overall, winning three duals was good,” Popolizio said. “The guys showed a lot of good stuff; we are making progress.”
Sophomore Max Rohskopf (165) led the Wolfpack throughout the weekend. The Ohio native went 4-1 through the competitions, including an impressive win by tech fall and another win by major decision. Rohskopf improved his overall record to 8-3 on the season and provided some much needed points to the Wolfpack’s overall team score.
“Max Rohskopf, our 165 pounder, I thought had a very good weekend,” Popolizio said. “He wrestled two top-20 kids [Saturday] and came around [Sunday] and had three wins. He was good.”
Rohskopf wasn’t the only Wolfpack wrestler who had a strong performance this weekend as freshman Michael Boykin (197) went undefeated through his five matches. The 197-pound Coatesville, Pennsylvania native posted an impressive run in the Wolfpack Duals, rolling through the competition en route to a 5-0 finish.
“Michael Boykin went 5-0 on the weekend,” Popolizio said. “We are extremely impressed with where he is at as a true freshman.”
The Pack’s strong weekend performance provides a compelling case for inclusion in the top-25 National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) coaches’ poll when the rankings are updated today. The Pack received six votes on the last poll, so a move into the rankings this week is not out of the question before its schedule really picks up.
“This year’s schedule is really challenging, but we are ready for it,” Popolizio said. “As a team, we are working extremely hard. We have a lot of guys with talent and ability, and we need some guys with not as much experience to step up.”
The Pack will travel to Albany, New York, to participate in the Northeast Duals for its next event as it hopes to continue its hot start to the season.
