The NC State wrestling program finished as runners-up in the 2017 ACC Championship, but had five wrestlers earn All-ACC honors and one claim an individual title. The Wolfpack will also send six wrestlers to the NCAA championships with automatic bids.
The Pack couldn’t defend last season’s ACC title, with favorite Virginia Tech taking the title 93-64. Pittsburgh took third, Virginia fourth, UNC-Chapel Hill fifth and Duke sixth in the final team standings.
Junior Kevin Jack won his second-straight individual ACC Championship at 141 pounds, winning his two matches by a combined score of 27-8. Jack’s sheer dominance earned him the 2017 ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
In addition to Jack, four other Wolfpack wrestlers reached the finals of their respective classes, but none were able to seal the deal with a championship.
Redshirt sophomore Sean Fausz, seeded at No. 3, upset the No. 2 seed to reach the finals. A runner-up a year ago, Fausz wasn’t able to capture the title this year either, losing to No. 1 Joey Dance of Virginia Tech in overtime. Fausz received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for his performance.
In the 133 weight class, redshirt sophomore Jamal Morris followed suit with Fausz when he upset the second seed to reach the finals. Morris, ranked third himself, couldn’t overcome No. 1 Dom Forys of Pitt, however, falling 5-0 in the final. The runner-up finish was good enough for an NCAA bid for the young Morris, his second straight.
No. 2 in the 165 class, redshirt junior Brian Hamann reached the finals by defeating UNC’s Devin Kane 9-4 in the semis. Hamann fell to top-seeded Te’Shan Campbell of Pittsburgh in the final, 7-0. While Hamann didn’t win the title, he did earn his first ever NCAA bid.
Redshirt junior and team co-captain Michael Macchiavello entered the ACC Championship with the No. 1 seed in the 184 class, which he earned when he upset Virginia Tech’s Zack Zavatsky when the Wolfpack faced off with the Hokies during the regular season.
Macchiavello handled his semifinal match easily, winning by a pin. In the final, Macchiavello faced the No. 2 seed, Zavatsky, in a rematch. An intense and competitive match saw Zavatsky take the title with a 3-2 win. Macchiavello earned All-ACC honors and an automatic bid to the NCAAs for his performance, both firsts.
Jack captured his second-straight title by first defeating Nick Zanetta of Pitt, 17-4, and then George DiCamillo of Virginia Tech, 10-4. For Jack, the focus is now completely on winning an individual NCAA national championship.
Redshirt senior Sam Speno and freshman Nick Reenan both placed fourth at 149 and 174 pounds, respectively. Redshirt sophomore Malik McDonald earned a third-place finish in the 197 and a trip to the NCAAs in his first ever ACC Championship.
Redshirt senior Mike Kosoy went 1-2 in his ACC Championship finale, losing his first two matches but getting the 6-3 decision to take fifth place and secure his spot in the NCAA championships.
Overall, Virginia Tech’s six No. 1 seeds, five of which won individual titles, were too much for the rest of the ACC to overcome. NC State’s young team performed well, with half of its wrestlers reaching the finals, but wasn’t able to finish the deal.
With the ACC Championship now over, the Wolfpack will look ahead to the NCAA Championships. Four Pack wrestlers will await at-large decisions, which they will find out sometime next week.
The NCAA Championships are held from March 16-17 in St. Louis.
