NC State wrestling continued its homestand with another win, throttling Virginia 38-3 — taking all but one bout throughout the night.
For its Military Appreciation Night celebration, NC State honored veterans throughout the night. At the conclusion of the dual meet, No. 15 redshirt junior Owen Trephan was sworn into the US Army, capping a special night.
“I got to dedicate this whole match and everything to all the veterans out there who have served,” Trephan said. “To be a part of that and join that family is pretty awesome — it’s special to be a part of that.”
During the dual meet, the Wolfpack (13-2, 3-0 ACC) turned in its best performance in ACC competition. Despite the Cavaliers’ (7-4, 1-2 ACC) best efforts, the two sides were miles apart in talent.
“We expect to go out there and win every match, whether it’s on paper we’re going to win or not,” said redshirt junior Kai Orine. “For everybody to come together and have such a lopsided victory is part of an expectation.”
The dual meet opened with the 157-pound bout, featuring No. 16 junior Ed Scott and Nick Sanko. While the unranked Wahoo kept it tied through one period, Scott disposed of Sanko with ease in the following two rounds to finish with a 9-1 major. The bout was a strong bounce-back by Scott after suffering an upset loss in his last match against North Carolina.
“Ed wrestles aggressive; he has the experience, and he’s at this point where he knows he needs to make little adjustments,” said head coach Pat Popolizio. “That’s what you saw out of him tonight. I don’t worry about Ed Scott at all. I know he’s got the experience to show up and beat anyone at any given time in the country.”
The Pack earned a decision to extend its lead to seven in the 165-pound match. No. 17 redshirt sophomore Derek Fields leaped out to a seemingly safe 10-1 lead over Nick Hamilton. Out of nowhere, however, the Cavalier furiously fought back and earned six points to close the bout. Nevertheless, Fields held on for an 11-7 win.
Virginia got on the board in the 174-pound bout, which pitted No. 33 fifth-year Alex Faison against No. 15 Justin McCoy. As Virginia’s best wrestler, McCoy gave the Cavaliers their best chance to win a bout, making the match critical for Virginia. McCoy pulled out a narrow 3-0 decision over Faison, cutting NC State’s lead to 7-3. The four-point difference was the closest Virginia would come to catching NC State the rest of the night.
No. 13 redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback found himself in a challenging 184-pound bout against Ethan Weatherspoon, who typically competes in the 197-pound bout. Neither wrestler could gain an edge early, as Fishback took a 1-0 lead into the final period. A late takedown sealed the deal for Fishback, making the score 10-3.
Virginia’s Krystian Kinsey faced a herculean task in the 197-pound bout: wrestling with No. 2 redshirt senior Trent Hidlay. Kinsey held off Hidlay for two minutes, then the floodgates opened and Hidlay poured on takedown after takedown. The Pack’s star wrestler eventually won 18-4 in a major decision.
“Guys that just keep putting point ups, wrestle seven minutes hard,” Popolizio said. “Trent’s been a great leader in showing this is how you win at an elite level.”
Before Trephan took the oath of enlistment, he dominated the heavyweight bout. The Summerville, South Carolina native quickly seized the lead with a takedown and never looked back. By the time the whistle sounded to mercifully end the bout, Trephan held a 12-4 lead to secure a major decision.
“Every match I got a little fire under me to just go out and win,” Trephan said. “Win every match no matter what the score is, find a way to win every match no matter what the score is, then I can walk away feeling good.”
Despite holding a commanding 18-3 lead, the Wolfpack remained hungry for points. Redshirt junior Jakob Camacho jumped out to an early six-point lead in the 125-pound bout. Camacho continued to pile on till he earned a tech fall, ending the bout early and giving NC State five points as a team.
Not to be outdone, Orine earned the red-and-white’s first pin of the night, despite being under the weather. After a couple of takedowns, the home crowd was already fired up by Orine, but the pin brought the red-and-white faithful to a loud roar while icing off any hopes of a Virginia comeback.
“For me, pins are a little rare, so they’re always nice to come by,” Orine said. “… You got to pull something out of your toolbelt, and I pulled the kitchen sink out, and I threw it at him pretty hard.”
The final two bouts were easy Wolfpack wins to close the night with a 38-3 final margin. As if Pack fans hadn’t had enough fun, No. 4 sophomore Jackson Arrington ended the night with an emphatic 15-0 tech fall, one final blow to the Cavaliers in the lopsided affair.
Next up, NC State will host Cornell in a non-conference clash in Reynolds Coliseum on Friday, Feb. 16. The dual meet is set to start at 7 p.m. and will be available on ACC Network Extra.
