No. 6 NC State wrestling extended its winning streak over Virginia to 11 with a 32-4 rout Friday night in Charlottesville, Virginia.
From start to finish, the Wolfpack (8-1, 2-0 ACC) proved its dominance. The red-and-white took nine of the 10 matches for its first ACC road win of the year. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers (4-2, 0-1 ACC) started ACC competition on a poor note after a promising start to non-conference play.
Redshirt sophomore Troy Hohman recorded the most surprising result of the night in the second match. Virginia’s No. 27 Gable Porter was the presumptive favorite as he was the ranked wrestler in the 133-pound bout. However, Hohman flipped the script and secured a first-period takedown to seize a 3-0 lead before holding on to take a 5-1 victory. The win set the tone early for NC State.
The Wolfpack secured one other ranked win during the match in the 149-pound bout when No. 33 redshirt freshman Koy Buesgens earned a 4-2 decision over No. 28 Jack Gioffre. The bout remained tight the entire way, but Buesgens emerged victorious. The Pack had one other opportunity for a ranked win in the 141-pound bout, but redshirt freshman Tyler Tracy suffered an 8-0 loss to No. 21 Dylan Cedeno.
The Wolfpack’s biggest win came in the final match of the night in the heavyweight bout. After suffering a rare loss Monday, No. 4 redshirt junior Isaac Trumble came to Charlottesville ready to dominate. Facing Virginia’s Gabe Christenson, Trumble quickly jumped ahead 5-0 before pinning his opponent. It’s already Trumble’s fourth fall of the season — an impressive feat with several ACC matches remaining.
The Pack’s other dominant win came in the 125-pound bout. No. 3 redshirt freshman Vince Robinson, fresh off a top 2 ranked win, thoroughly disposed of Virginia’s Anthony Rossi. Just over four minutes into the match it ended in a tech fall, with Robinson taking a 20-4 lead over Rossi. After beginning the year as an intriguing but unproven option in the lineup, Robinson is rapidly emerging as one of the best wrestlers on the squad, along with Trumble.
The rest of the Wolfpack’s matches ended in wins by decision. While the margins may not be impressive, the Pack’s consistency across the board stands out as a good sign for the team. What may be the most impressive of these wins came in the 174-pound bout when No. 19 redshirt sophomore Matty Singleton beat Michael Murphy 9-2, missing out on a major decision by a single point. No. 14 senior Ed Scott senior also missed a major decision by only one point with an 11-4 win in the 157-pound bout.
Next up, the Wolfpack will host No. 16 Pitt for Military Appreciation night. The dual meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and will be available on ACC Network Extra.
