Fresh off five straight ACC titles, NC State wrestling opened the 2024 conference schedule with a lopsided 31-6 win over No. 19 Pitt.
The No. 8 Wolfpack (11-2, 1-0 ACC) put the No. 19 Panthers (7-6, 0-1 ACC) away early, winning six of the first seven bouts. Additionally, the Pack earned three major decisions during the evening to tack on extra points.
The night began with a 13-4 major decision in the 125-pound bout. Graduate student Jarrett Trombley, who made his return to the lineup, had no problems disposing of Pitt’s No. 31 Colton Camacho.
The 133-pound bout featured a top 20 matchup between No. 6 redshirt junior Kai Orine and No. 20 Vinnie Santaniello. However, the Panthers barely put up any fight as Orine easily tossed him around for a 10-1 major decision.
In early trouble and facing an eight-point deficit, the 141-pound bout was a must-win for the Panthers. No. 4 junior Ryan Jack and No. 27 Cole Matthews locked into an intense battle that lasted all three rounds. Matthews ultimately pulled away with a 15-10 win, cutting the Pack’s team lead to 8-3.
The red-and-white bounced back in the 149-pound bout as No. 4 sophomore Jackson Arrington won a low-scoring match over No. 29 Finn Solomon. The 4-2 win for Arrington was the first of four consecutive victories for the Wolfpack.
NC State landed its third major decision in the 157-pound bout, courtesy of No. 7 junior Ed Scott. His competition, Jared Keslar, had no answer for Scott’s moves, leading to a 16-3 Wolfpack win.
The Panthers didn’t fare much better in the 165-pound match, which once again appeared uncompetitive from the start. No. 16 redshirt sophomore Derek Fields gave No. 14 Holden Heller no shot, resulting in a 7-1 final. Most notably, Fields limited Heller’s ability to escape after takedowns.
In an upset, No. 31 fifth-year senior Alex Faison topped No.17 Luca Augustine 7-5 in the 174-pound bout. The result stretched NC State’s lead to 21-3, shutting down any chance for a Pitt comeback.
The Panthers eventually got another win in the 184-pound bout when No. 12 Reece Heller pulled out a 4-3 victory over No. 7 redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback. Despite entering the final round tied, Fishback failed to corral Heller, who earned a bout-clinching escape point to take the match.
After the 184-pound bout, The Pack went back where it left off and did its best work to close the evening. No. 4 redshirt senior Trent Hidlay earned a 20-4 tech fall in the middle of the third round. No. 13 Mac Stout offered little resistance, only scoring from escapes.
The heavyweight bout proved to be even less competitive when No. 14 redshirt junior Owen Trephan iced off Geoff Mahon 20-4 in a tech fall before the second round even ended. The win made the final tally 31-6, as NC State won its fifth straight over Pitt.
The Wolfpack will return home to Reynolds Coliseum to face UNC-Chapel Hill on Friday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. The Pack is gunning for its 11th straight over the Tar Heels.
