No. 8 NC State wrestling headed up to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Nov. 12-13 for a pair of duals and Wrangle Mania Round Robin, seeing success in both.
The Pack (3-0) started the weekend well with a doubleheader sweep over the No. 17 Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-2) and the Lock Haven Bald Eagles (0-2). NC State stifled the Bald Eagles in a 32-4 rout. Later, the Cornhuskers barely managed to eclipse double digits in a 23-10 Wolfpack win.
The Wolfpack made quick work of Lock Haven, winning all but one of the 10 bouts. Sophomore Don Cates opened the match with a tech fall win in the 165, followed by another tech fall by No. 3 redshirt junior Trent Hidlay to win the 184.
The Wolfpack swept its first five bouts against the Bald Eagles until No. 21 redshirt junior Jarrett Trombley suffered a close defeat to No. 13 Anthony Noto in the 125. NC State kept taking care of business otherwise, however, as freshman Jackson Arrington scored the Pack’s third tech fall win of the match.
The Huskers proved themselves a more competitive opponent, but the Pack still won that top-25 matchup handily. Nebraska took an early 3-0 lead when Jacob Van Dee beat Trombley in the 125 bout to open the match, but redshirt sophomore Kai Orine’s upset win over No. 26 Boo Dryden sparked a run of three won bouts for the Wolfpack.
Nebraska struck right back with arguably the biggest bout of the weekend when No. 4 Peyton Robb bested No. 6 sophomore Ed Scott in the 157 bout. Scott lost the top-10 showdown 8-2 as Robb pulled the Cornhuskers back into the match at the halfway mark.
NC State proceeded to pull away, winning four of the last five bouts to win the match and remain undefeated. Hidlay scored a tech fall win, his second of the weekend, over Nathan Haas before No. 18 sophomore Isaac Trumble won a top-25 matchup within the top-25 matchup by beating No. 24 Silas Allred 9-2. Senior Tyrie Houghton put an exclamation point on the match by upsetting No. 28 Cale Davidson to clinch the match for the Pack.
The second day featured a series of round robin competitions with seven Wolfpack wrestlers competing, but only two won their pools. Freshman Finn Solomon won the 149B pool over Drew Witham of Long Island and Calvin Pineda of Sacred Heart, and freshman Aaron Faison took the 165B pool over Nebraska’s Jagger Condomitti, Lehigh’s Connor Herceg and Army West Point’s Christian Hunt.
NC State will return to action Friday, Nov. 18 in Albany, New York for a doubleheader against Central Michigan and Illinois.
