No program in NC State’s athletics department dominates rivalries as much as Wolfpack wrestling. The Pack is on an 11-match winning streak over UNC-Chapel Hill with its last loss coming on Feb. 1, 2012. NC State will look to continue its dominance in the series when it visits North Carolina this Friday.
“It’s seemed pretty one-sided,” said redshirt senior Kai Orine. “We’re on a winning streak for a reason right? And we always expect to win that duel.”
While NC State is still the more impressive team on paper, this year’s Tar Heel squad will be a bigger challenge than usual. Rapidly improving under second-year head coach Rob Koll, Carolina is off to a hot start in ACC play. The Heels upset then-No. 8 Virginia Tech in a tight 20-17 battle, before smashing Duke 40-3. The Blue Devils are the only common opponent in dual meets thus far between the Pack and the Heels, with both teams dismantling Duke.
North Carolina’s best wrestler by far is No. 5 Lachlan McNeil. The Canadian competes in the 149-pound class and will likely face No. 21 redshirt freshman Koy Buesgens. After one of his best performances this season in a win over Pitt’s No. 22 Finn Solomon, Buesgens secured ACC Co-Wrestler of the Week and will enter the match with momentum. While McNeil will be tough to beat, Buesgens shouldn’t be counted out.
One of the most exciting bouts of the night will be the 125-pound match. No. 3 redshirt freshman Vincent Robinson is expected to put his undefeated record on the line against Carolina’s No. 13 Spencer Moore. Robinson is enjoying one of the bigger breakout seasons nationally, after redshirting last year to becoming a potential national championship contender. While Moore has multiple top-15 wins this season, he hasn’t faced anyone as talented as Robinson. The bout should be close, but Robinson will be very tough to beat.
It seems the most competitive matchup will take place in the 133-pound bout, where the likely competitors are ranked next to each other. No. 12 Orine will likely see Carolina’s No. 13 Ethan Oakley in a top-15 showdown. As the back-to-back ACC champion, Orine will be ready to handle the pressure of a high-stakes bout as he works his way towards one more ACC crown.
One final matchup to be sure to tune into is the 157-pound bout. No. 14 senior Ed Scott will look for revenge in a rematch against No. 19 Sonny Santiago. One of the few bright spots for Carolina in last year’s dual meet came when Santiago, at the time unranked, stunned Scott in an upset, who was ranked fifth nationally entering the bout. Since then, Santiago has only improved making for a difficult matchup. However, Scott is one of the most experienced wrestlers for the red-and-white, with multiple ACC championships and an All-American honor to his name. This one is bound to be a tense, action-packed matchup.
For both sides, a win in the dual meet would be important. A victory for NC State would preserve NC State’s undefeated ACC record and extend the Wolfpack’s historic run of dominance over Carolina. Meanwhile, for the Tar Heels, a win would knock off the ACC’s premier program and be Koll’s biggest win during his tenure at Carolina so far. Given the Wolfpack’s high number of ranked wrestlers, including two ranked in the top four of their weight classes, NC State should expect to win this one comfortably, even against an improved Tar Heel squad.
“It’s at their gym and we’re gonna pack it red,” Orine said. “We’re gonna turn their gymnasium red with NC State fans like we always do.”
The rivalry showdown is set for Friday at 7 p.m. inside North Carolina’s Carmichael Arena.
