Highlighted by a commanding 29-3 win on the road against No. 12 Nebraska, the NC State wrestling team is off to a blazing start in its young season and has pushed its way up to No. 5 in the national rankings.
The Wolfpack (10-0) has come out of the gate for the 2017-18 season firing on all cylinders, compiling a flawless record through 10 matches. The Pack isn’t just winning, it is winning big, with its closest win being a 25-15 victory over Old Dominion.
NC State has also shutout four opponents this season, with a 43-0 win over The Citadel, 48-0 win over UNC-Pembroke, 54-0 win over Reinhardt and a 41-0 win against Chattanooga. In total, the Wolfpack has limited seven of its 10 opponents to under 10 points.
The highlight for NC State was the win over Nebraska, as the Wolfpack traveled to Lincoln and completely shut down the Cornhuskers, winning all but one match with three NC State wrestlers defeating top-10 opponents.
The Wolfpack followed up the strong performance against Nebraska with a great showing in the Reno Tournament of Champions, taking top team honors with three wrestlers winning their weight class. Redshirt freshman Hayden Hilday, redshirt senior Pete Renda and redshirt senior Michael Macchiavello all captured gold for their weight, while four other members of the Pack finished in second.
Six members of the Pack are ranked in the top 20 nationally for their weight class according to InterMat Wrestling, led by Hilday and Renda, both at No. 3, at 157 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively. Hilday is starting his first full college season out in dominating fashion, as the redshirt freshman is 13-0 with two pins and five technical falls.
Renda has been even better in the 184 division, putting together a 14-0 record with five pins and three tech falls. Senior Kevin Jack, who finished third at NCAAs last season and earned All-American honors, is ranked fourth in the nation in the 141-pound class, and is 12-1 with five technical falls.
Other ranked members of the Pack include No. 8 redshirt junior Sean Fausz (125 pounds), No. 7 Macchiavello (197 pounds) and No. 17 redshirt senior Beau Donahue (149 pounds).
Donahue is 13-2 with four pins, while Macchiavello is an undefeated 12-0 with three tech falls and the tournament win in Reno. Fausz is 9-1 with two pins and three technical falls. Another key member for NC State has been redshirt freshman Daniel Bullard (174 pounds), who leads the team with six pins.
Redshirt freshman Tariq Wilson (133 pounds) has a team-high 17 wins. Rounding out the Pack starters that are having strong seasons are redshirt junior Malik McDonald (285 pounds), who has a 14-2 record and three pins, and redshirt senior Brian Hamann (165 pounds). Hamann is 14-3 with four technical falls.
The Pack will have one more non-conference match before starting up ACC play, and it will be a special one. NC State will travel to Naples, Italy on Jan. 5 for a top-five matchup against No. 3 Oklahoma State.
