Redshirt junior Nick Gwiazdowski became the first back-to-back national wrestling champion in NC State wrestling program history Saturday, dominating the heavyweight division while leading the Wolfpack to a 16th place finish overall in St. Louis, Missouri.
True freshman Kevin Jack (141), unranked upon entering the tournament, also made waves, scoring four big upsets against seeded opponents and accruing a 4-2 overall record en route to a fifth-place finish and All-American honors.
Together, Gwiazdowski and Jack became the first Pack wrestling duo to achieve All-American honors since 1993.
The Wolfpack sent five wrestlers to the Scottrade Center to compete for top honors in their respective weight classes. Sophomore 165-pounder Max Rohskopf was able to go 1-2 in the tournament while sophomore Pete Renda (174) went 2-2. Senior Joe DeAngelo (125) finished his Pack career with a pair of tough losses.
Jack, the surprise of the tournament, went 4-2, putting together an impressive run before running into Ohio State’s four-time national champion, senior Logan Stieber, in the semifinals.
The Connecticut native, who was planning on redshirting until mid-season, showed that he has the potential to be a dominant force in the 141-pound weight class with his offensive firepower and length, and his fifth-place finish
“There was nothing greater than getting my hand raised in that arena and I got to experience that four times this weekend,” Jack told NC State Athletics. “It certainly has been a great experience.”
The talented true freshman rose from being an unseeded underdog to an All-American with his tournament performance. With his impressive run, Jack recorded the most wins in one season for a freshman in NC State program history (31).
Gwiazdowski was able to run through most of the heavyweight class, recording two major decision victories and two decision victories en route to the championship round. The talented heavyweight was dealt the tough hand of taking on sophomore Adam Coon from Michigan, who defeated Gwiazdowski in their first matchup last year, 3-1.
“I knew it was going to be a war, it was not going to be easy,” Gwiazdowski said. “You can look at all of his matches and he doesn’t stop.”
The match proved to be an intense one, as every takedown Gwiazdowski was able to score was countered with a standup from Coon. Gwiazdowski had the more prolific offensive game but Coon’s length was something that troubled him as the match wore on.
“I thought about my preparation,” Gwiazdowski said. “And I just had to wrestle the whole time.”
Gwiazdowski was able to score a late standup with 17 seconds left in the match to give him the lead 7-6. The New York native was then able to hold off Coon in the final seconds to become the back-to-back heavyweight national champion.
Though the championship match was Gwiazdowski’s closest in the tournament, the junior showed veteran poise to extend his win streak to 55 matches in a row.
Gwiazdowski piled up more accolades to add to his giant collection, adding his third All-American honor, becoming only the third wrestler in ACC history to win back-to-back national championships and becoming the first NC State wrestler in school history to win back-to-back national championships.
“I think I am a lot better this year,” Gwiazdowski said. “I think winning the second [national championship] was tougher. This one I am going to enjoy a lot more. I am going to enjoy saying I am the two-time champ.”
The team’s collective performance only validates the Wolfpack’s elite status among Division I wrestling programs, a status that will only improve in the years to come.
