Photo courtesy of GoWolfpack.comNC State press release
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Winning three of the final four matches, the ninth ranked NC State wrestling team scored a 19-11 win at North Carolina Monday night. With the Wolfpack (9-1, 2-0 ACC) holding a slight 9-8 lead (UNC was deducted a team point) after the first six matches, NC State scored back-to-back wins at 285 and 125 pounds, and concluded the night with a dominating 10-4 decision at 141 pounds in a top-three showdown.
The dual started at 149 pounds. #11 R-Sr. Sam Speno got the Pack its first victory of the night, defeating #32 Troy Heilmann 6-3. Speno scored a pair of first period takedowns, and got a clinching takedown with 45 seconds left. Speno improves to 6-0 in duals this year.
After UNC won at 157, #24 R-Jr. Brian Hamann gave the Pack the lead once again with an 8-2 decision over Devin Kane. Hermann scored an early takedown in the first, and got a four-point near fall at the end of the period to take a 6-0 lead.
UNC retied the score with a decision at 174, but the Pack answered once again. Junior Nicky Hall earned the shutout win, 5-0 over Anderson Pope at 184 pounds and NC State was up 9-6.
The Tar Heels once again closed the gap, as Daniel Chaid scored an OT win over #10 Michael Macchiavello, 3-1. Macchiavello was wrestling up a weight class from his normal 184 pounds, but after the win UNC was deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct, and it was 9-8 NC State with four bouts left.
For the first time in the dual, NC State got back-to-back wins and an insurmountable lead.
A second straight OT match went the way of NC State this time around. At heavyweight, #21 Mike Kosoy got a takedown in extra time to earn the 5-3 victory. Seeing action at 125 pounds for the first time this season, redshirt-sophomore Sean Faust scored a 12-3 major decision.
NC State was unable to clinch the dual, as UNC won at 133 pounds and pulled within 16-11 heading into the top-3 showdown between #2 Kevin Jack and #3 Joey Ward to close the ACC dual.
Jack took care of business and closed out the dual with his 21st straight win on the season, including third over a top-five foe. Jack started with the lone takedown in the first period. After a Jack escape and second takedown it was 5-1 Jack in the second. Starting the third on top, Jack turned Ward and for a two-point near fall and closed with another late takedown in a dominating 10-4, where he did not give up a takedown.
Up Next: The Pack will return to ACC action this weekend, as NC State will be in action at Virginia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
UNC press release
CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina and NC State split the first six bouts of the Brawl At The Hall, but the Wolfpack took three of the final four to score a 19-11 win over the Tar Heels Monday night at Memorial Hall. Joey Moon, Ethan Ramos, Danny Chaid and Nick Lirette were winners for Carolina, which hosted its first dual at the venerable campus landmark.
In front of one of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds in recent UNC wrestling history, the two old rivals put on a show. Five of the 10 bouts were decided in the final seconds and two required overtime.
After No. 10 Sam Speno opened the night with a 6-3 win at 149 pounds, Joey Moon beat Thomas Bullard in a 6-5 thriller at 157. Moon had a takedown in each of the first two periods before Bullard tied it late with a pair of reversals. But Moon escaped in the final seconds to break a 5-5 tie and even the dual at 3.
Brian Hamann briefly put NCSU back in front at 165 before No. 7 Ramos thumped Nick Reenan 11-4 at 174. Ramos improved to 14-6 on the year and 8-2 in duals and just missed the major with a flurry of action in the dying moments of the match.
Nicky Hall restored the Wolfpack lead with a 5-0 win over Anderson Pope at 184 before a barnburner at 197. Chaid faced Michael Machiavello, the No. 10-ranked 184-pounder who was wrestling up a class. The two were active throughout despite the low score, which was tied at 1 at the end of regulation. With 11 seconds remaining in the first sudden victory period, Chaid scored a takedown to bring the Memorial Hall crowd to its feet. State maintained a 9-8 lead, however, as Carolina was docked a point for unsportsmanlike conduct following the bout.
Mike Kosoy and Cory Daniel made it back-to-back bouts with overtime at 285. After staying tied through two sudden victory periods and one round of 30-second tiebreakers, Kosoy came out on top with a late takedown that gave the Wolfpack (9-1, 2-0 ACC) some separation in the dual for the first time.
Sean Fausz scored a major decision at 125 to make it 16-8 before Carolina (5-5, 0-2 ACC) got its last win of the night at 133. Lirette, facing No. 15 Jamal Morris, picked up his first career ACC victory with an 8-7 decision. Lirette lost to Morris by first-round technical fall in November, but this time the Tar Heel freshman got the better of things, escaping late to seal the win.
In the feature match of the night, No. 2 Kevin Jack took an early lead and carried it to a 10-4 decision over No. 3 Joey Ward. It was the fifth all-time meeting between the two and the first since Ward beat Jack in the blood round at last year's NCAA Championships. Jack now holds a 3-2 advantage in the series, but round six figures to come in March at the ACC Championships.
"I can't thank the people who helped make this happen enough," head coach Coleman Scott said after the Brawl. "We're still working to get where we need to be, but this was an awesome environment for college wrestling and an incredible event for both our fans and our team. We hope to make this a regular tradition in the coming years."
Carolina returns to action Saturday, Jan. 28, when the Tar Heels travel to Pittsburgh to face Pitt at 7 p.m.
#9 NC State 19, North Carolina 11
149: #11 Sam Speno (NCSU) dec. #32 Troy Heilmann; 6-3 - 3-0
157: #25 Joey Moon (UNC) dec. #28 Thomas Bullard; 6-5 - 3-3
165: #24 Brian Hamann (NCSU) dec. Devin Kane; 8-2 - 6-3
174: #6 Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. #30 Nick Reenan; 11-4 - 6-6
184: Nicky Hall (NCSU) dec. Anderson Pope; 5-0 - 9-6
197: #32 Daniel Chaid (UNC) dec. #10 Michael Macchiavello; 3-1 (SV1) - 9-8 (UNC deducted a team point)
285: #21 Mike Kosoy (NCSU) dec. #30 Cory Daniel; 5-3 (TB2) - 12-8
125: Sean Fausz (NCSU) major dec. James Szymanski; 12-3 - 16-8
133: Nicholas Lirette (UNC) dec. #14 Jamal Morris; 8-7 - 16-11
141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) dec. #3 Joey Ward; 10-4 - 19-11
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