The NC State wrestling team (13-4, 1-1 ACC) defeated the rival North Carolina Tar Heels (7-4, 0-2 ACC), 22-18 in Chapel Hill on Sunday.
The match started out neck-and-neck as the Tar Heels and the Pack split the first four matches. Senior 125 pounder Joe DeAngelo and junior 141 pounder Sam Speno were secured two decisive victories to give the Pack an early l7-6 lead.
UNC-Chapel Hill answered these two matches by putting together a string of victories of their own, winning the next four matches and giving them a commanding 18-7 lead. The Tar Heels were led by No. 21-ranked freshman Ethan Ramos and No. 29-ranked junior John Michael Staudenmayer who topped two ranked opponents from the Pack in sophomore Max Rohskopf and sophomore Pete Renda respectively.
“We had a few close matches that we could have won but we didn’t,” said NC State head coach Pat Popolizio. “But, in other cases we had some guys step up and win when we really needed them and that was ultimately the decision in the dual meet.”
The Pack wouldn’t go away, as the team was able to win the final three matches of the day to secure the victory against the conference foe and in-state rival.
Freshman Nicky Hall was able to get the ball rolling for the Pack, recording a timely pin in his 184-pound bout, which allowed the Pack to get a spark as the match neared its end. Freshman 197-pound Michael Boykin followed up Hall’s performance with a decision victory of his own to narrow the score to 18-16 with the Tar Heels holding the narrow lead.
“We obviously dug a hole for [the freshmen],” Popolizio said. “For Nicky Hall to go out and perform like that and the same with Michael Boykin, that is why we recruited people like that, so they can step up and go out and perform in key situations.”
National Champion heavyweight junior Nick Gwiazdowski was able to win the final match of the day in dramatic fashion, recording a pin to give the Pack a 22-18 victory. The pin gave the talented heavyweight his 43rd win in a row, bolstering his NC State record for most consecutive victories. The big pin was Gwiazdowski’s ninth of the year and gave the Wolfpack its first back-to-back win over the Tar Heels since the 2004-2005 season.
“It is always great when you can beat a team that is considered a rival,” Popolizio said. “Our philosophy is to continue to train for the ACC and NCAA tournaments and obviously we have to wrestle these types of guys, but ultimately you have to train for everyone in the country.”
The Pack will continue its road trip in Virginia next week, as it faces off against the Old Dominion Monarchs and the No. 9 ranked Virginia Cavaliers before returning home for its match against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Valentine’s Day in Reynolds Coliseum.
