NC State wrestling is in midseason form already, showcasing its talent and depth in a doubleheader against Princeton and Rutgers. The Wolfpack cruised past Princeton 34-6, before getting its first ranked win of the year over No. 17 Rutgers 23-14.
The Pack (3-0) opened the day on a heater, winning eight of its 10 bouts over the Tigers (1-1). No. 7 redshirt junior Isaac Trumble faced Princeton’s top-ranked wrestler, No. 33 Sebastian Garibaldi in the heavyweight bout.
Trumble proved to be quite the mismatch for Garibaldi, pinning the Princeton wrestler one minute and six seconds into the match. With the win, Trumble now has another impressive showing after moving up to heavyweight this season.
No. 20 redshirt junior Derek Fields and No. 25 redshirt sophomore Matty Singleton each earned tech falls in the 165- and 174-pound bouts, respectively. Both wrestlers won their matches 20-5 in dominant performances that could elevate their rankings moving forward.
Redshirt freshman Vince Robinson left his mark on the match with an impressive showing as he continues a breakout season. Facing Ethan Rivera, Robinson made short work of his opponent for a 9-0 victory in the 125-pound bout. In his first season as a full-time starter, Robinson is showing immense potential.
The Wolfpack faced stiffer competition against Rutgers (3-1), but successfully handed the Big Ten squad its first loss of the season. The Scarlet Knights are the best team NC State has faced to this point and certainly looked to be a worthy opponent. The Pack ultimately took six of the 10 matches in the 23-14 win, including four ranked wins.
Once again Trumble shined, facing No. 4 Yaraslau Slavikouski in the heavyweight bout. Slavikouski entered the match as the highest-ranked wrestler between the two teams, but couldn’t manage to score a point against Trumble, who won a 2-0 decision. With the win, Trumble proved he’s ready for any opponent in the heavyweight class this season.
Robinson also defeated a top 10 wrestler, facing No. 6 Dean Peterson in the 125-pound match. Robinson wrestled like the better of the two, taking an 11-4 lead before a head injury to Peterson ended the match early, giving the Wolfpack a win by injury default. Robinson deserves plenty of credit for an excellent showing against one of the best in the nation.
No. 7 redshirt senior Kai Orine earned a hard-fought victory over No. 22 Joey Olivieri. The 2-1 decision came down to the wire with Orine just barely escaping with the win. The Wolfpack’s other ranked win came courtesy of Singleton, who upset No. 13 Jackson Turley in a 9-6 decision. Both bouts provided valuable experience against top competition, helping prepare Orine and Singleton for ACC competition and the NCAA tournament.
Despite the wins, NC State also suffered some losses against Rutgers. While three of the losses were expected based on rankings, Field was upset by unranked Andrew Barbosa. The 8-6 decision in favor of Rutgers was hard fought by both sides and remained close through all three periods, but Fields ended up on the wrong side.
Next up, NC State will take on Utah Valley in Reynold Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. Utah Valley head coach Adam Hall formerly served as the associate head coach at NC State, setting up a highly anticipated homecoming.
