The No. 7 NC State wrestling team began its final step toward national title contention at NCAA Championships on Thursday, March 18 in St. Louis, Missouri. Five of the Pack’s tournament participants advanced to the quarterfinal round in a first day that ended with the Wolfpack in fourth place in the team standings.
No. 6 seed redshirt sophomore Jakob Camacho scored the first major decision for NC State in 125 by defeating the No. 27 seed Gage Curry of American University 21-9. Camacho got off to a rough start early on, falling behind 4-0, but battled back to score seven unanswered takedowns and secure the victory. Camacho then defeated the No. 11 seed, Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin, in a chaotic third period that ended in a 10-8 victory for NC State. Camacho will take on No. 3 seed Brandon Courtney of Arizona State in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
The 133 bouts were less fortuitous for the Pack. No. 12 seed redshirt junior Jarrett Trombley narrowly defeated No. 21 seed Jared Van Vleet of Air Force in a 3-2 decision. Trombley mustered the only takedown in that defensive battle, but was neutralized by No. 5 seed Micky Phillippi of Pittsburgh in a decisive 6-1 loss.
No. 4 seed redshirt senior Tariq Wilson scored the largest margin of victory in the first wave of matches in a 16-0 tech fall over No. 29 seed Chase Zollman of Wyoming in the 141. Wilson notched three near falls in the bout including two the second period. Wilson advanced again by taking care of business against No. 20 seed Brian Courtney of the Virginia Cavaliers in a 7-3 win in which Wilson racked up just over two minutes of riding time. Wilson will look to stifle No. 21 seed Real Woods out of Stanford in the quarterfinals, as Woods knocked off the No. 12 and No. 5 seeds in his first two bouts.
In the 157, No. 2 seed redshirt senior Hayden Hidlay scored the second major decision in the first set of matches in a 14-5 win over No. 31 seed Michael Petite of Buffalo. Hidlay scored all six takedowns in the bout in a sustained effort, notching two in each period. Hidlay moved onto the quarterfinals by scoring a 20-3 tech fall win on No. 18 seed Cade DeVos of South Dakota State. Hidlay moves onto the quarterfinals to face No. 23 seed Jacob Wright from Wyoming.
No. 17 seed redshirt senior Thomas Bullard evened a personal score in the 165, where he defeated Appalachian State’s No. 16 seed William Formato 3-2. Formato defeated Bullard in their regular season matchup, but Bullard took a page out of Trombley’s playbook to score the only takedown on either side in the 3-2 win. Bullard slipped into the consolation bracket after the second round, however, as No. 1 seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa disposed of Bullard by a score of 13-2.
No. 8 seed redshirt senior Daniel Bullard had an easier time in the 174 against Air Force’s No. 25 seed Cody Surratt, shutting him down on the way to a 4-0 win. Bullard advanced to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed Michael Kemerer from Iowa. Bullard secured his spot in the quarterfinals by beating No. 9 seed Donnell Washington out of Indiana in a close 6-4 bout.
In the 184, No. 2 seed redshirt sophomore Trent Hidlay scored NC State’s second tech fall of the day, defeating No. 31 seed Ryan Reyes of Oregon State 17-2. Hidlay also made it to the quarterfinals as he beat No. 18 Alan Clothier in a 20-5 tech fall win, Hidlay’s second such victory of the tournament. He will go up against No. 7 seed Brit Wilson out of Northern Illinois in the next round.
The 197 bout between No. 28 seed redshirt senior Nick Reenan and Iowa’s No. 5 seed Jacob Warner saw the Pack’s first loss of the tournament, as Warner eked out a 9-7 victory in overtime. Reenan let a 7-2 lead slip away in the final period as he surrendered two points for stalling. This allowed Warner to force overtime, where he took down Reenan for the win. Reenan’s tournament outing ended on the same day that it started, as he bowed out in a 6-1 loss to No. 21 seed and Iowa State Cyclone, Michael Coleman.
The final bout in the 285 featured No. 10 seed junior Deonte Wilson defeated No. 23 seed Michael McAleavey of The Citadel 4-1. Wilson sealed the deal with a takedown in the third period, advancing to the next round where he lost a 7-2 bout to No. 7 seed Ethan Laird of Rider University. He will try to keep his title bid alive tomorrow when he faces No. 25 seed Nathan Traxford from Stanford.
On the team front, the Wolfpack sits in fourth place after day one, 2.5 points behind the third-place Missouri Tigers and 12.5 points away from the first-place Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Wolfpack will continue its quest on Friday, March 19. The quarterfinals will be aired on ESPNU starting at 11 a.m., and the semifinals will be broadcast on ESPNU at 3 p.m. before moving to ESPN at 8 p.m.
