NC State wrestling posted a 2-1 record at the Collegiate Duals, which featured wins against Lock Haven and No. 25 Northern Iowa along with an upset loss to No. 10 Ohio State.
Lock Haven (0-5) stunned the No. 2 Pack (9-1) early, taking the first two bouts and a 6-0 lead. But the Wolfpack didn’t panic — instead, it turned up the heat on Lock Haven. Freshman Koy Buesgens earned NC State’s first points before junior Ryan Jack earned a 17-2 victory to give NC State an 8-6 lead.
Not to be outdone, No. 5 junior Ed Scott earned a tech fall in the 157-pound bout, stretching the red-and-white’s lead to 13-6. The Pack continued to stack wins and didn’t lose another bout to Lock Haven.
The highlight of the Wolfpack’s win over Lock Haven came in the 197-pound bout, when No. 2 redshirt senior Trent Hidlay earned the Pack’s first pin of the day and stretched the lead to 29-6. A tech fall in the 285-pound bout from redshirt freshman Chase Horne capped off the match and gave NC State a 34-6 win to begin the day.
The Pack got off to another slow start against Northern Iowa (1-3), dropping two of the first three matches and facing a 3-7 deficit. However, No. 5 sophomore Jackson Arrington quickly earned a pin in the 149-pound bout, suddenly putting NC State up 9-7.
In the 157-pound bout, Scott fell behind early and it appeared that Northern Iowa would retake the lead. But Scott remained poised and eventually earned a gritty 7-6 decision.
Already holding a large lead, NC State showed its dominance in the 165-pound bout. Redshirt sophomore Derek Fields earned an 18-3 win, good for a tech fall. The win gave NC State a 17-7 lead.
While it seemed that the red-and-white had clinched the match, Northern Iowa was not ready to go down without a fight. The Panthers took two straight matches to cut the Pack’s lead down to 17-16 with Hidlay on deck.
Hidlay dominated his match, winning a 19-4 tech fall. The Pack notched another decision win to close the match and record a 25-16 victory over Northern Iowa.
The Wolfpack’s match against Ohio State (7-1) got off to an even rockier start than the first two. The Buckeyes earned three consecutive pins to start the match, taking a commanding 18-0 lead. Down by such a wide margin, it seemed that NC State would be run out of the gym. However, the red-and-white had different plans.
Arrington got the Pack back on track with a 5-3 victory over Dylan D’Emilio in a star-studded battle. Both wrestlers are ranked in the top five nationally, and Arrington proved himself to be worthy of the lofty ranking.
Scott kept the positive momentum rolling with another decision to cut the deficit to 18-6. Scott fought a difficult battle with Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher and topped him 4-3, adding another ranked win for the Pack.
The Wolfpack continued to chip away at the deficit, slowly accumulating points. With chances running out, the Pack needed a spark. Hidlay earned a dominant 22-7 victory, making the score 21-17. With only the heavyweight match remaining, NC State needed at least a major decision to even the score.
No. 16 redshirt junior Owen Trephan pulled out an 8-6 win in the heavyweight bout, proving himself to be one of the best in the nation. The Pack scored three team points, leading to a 21-20 loss to Ohio State.
Next up, the Pack will make its home debut on Friday, Jan. 5 against Oklahoma State in Reynolds Coliseum. The match will begin at 7 p.m. and is available on ESPNU.
