The No. 6 NC State wrestling team defeated No. 24 UNC-Chapel Hill 26-7 in Raleigh Friday night in front of a packed crowd in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State won an impressive 8 of 10 bouts against its ranked rivals.
The Wolfpack (14-1, 4-0 ACC) dominated the Tar Heels (8-10, 2-2 ACC) in most bouts, with its only two losses coming against ranked opponents.
“I thought it was a great environment to compete in,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “I thought our guys went out and competed hard. It meant something to them. We get up for these kind of matches whether its in-state rival or another team coming in that are a ranked opponent. We had to be ready to go tonight.”
The night started with NC State’s redshirt junior Sam Melikian facing off against Josh McClure in the 165-pound weight class. Melikian was in for redshirt senior Brian Hamann. McClure took an early lead with a two-point takedown at the end of the first period.
Melikian came storming back in the second period with seven points including a four-point near fall. He would end up taking the victory 10-4 to give State a 3-0 lead.
Daniel Bullard, ranked No. 19 nationally, faced off next against UNC’s No. 16 Ethan Ramos. This high-scoring bout included eight takedowns by Ramos with a riding-time bonus to give Ramos a 17-8 major decision over Bullard.
Wolfpack redshirt senior Pete Renda, ranked third nationally, matched up against No. 18 Chip Ness for the third duel of the night. This bout was dominated by Renda with over three minutes of riding time, resulting in an 8-0 major decision to make the score 7-4 NC State. Renda’s record improves to an incredible 19-0 this season.
Sixth-ranked redshirt senior Michael Macchiavello faced No. 16 Danny Chaid in one of the lowest-scoring matchups of the evening. Macchiavello had a takedown in the first period, but Chaid answered with two escapes to tie it up.
Macchiavello broke the tie in the final period with an early escape and was able to hang on for a 3-2 victory. Macchiavello improved his overall record to 15-1.
No. 22 senior Michael Boykin had several tough takedowns on Cory Daniel, ranked 23rd nationally, for the Tar Heels. Boykin took down his opponent four times in his dominant performance which saw him earn a riding-time point.
The largest blowout of the night was by NC State redshirt junior Sean Fausz, ranked fourth nationally, when he beat unranked James Szymanski in the 125-pound weight class. The duel included four takedowns by Fausz in the first period and two near falls in the third period.
Fausz look significantly quicker and stronger than his opponent, throwing him to the mat with force frequently. His 16-2 major decision increased NC State’s overall lead to 17-4 and improved his record to 11-1 on the season.
Redshirt freshman Tariq Wilson, ranked 19th in the 133-pound division, had the lowest-scoring match of the night, tallying just three points and shutting out his opponent in a match that was mostly contested on foot.
Senior Kevin Jack, ranked No. 2 in the nation, took on No. 20 A.C. Headlee in a closely-fought battle in the 141-pound division. Jack started strong with a takedown in the first period, but Headlee came back with a pair of escapes to tie the score at two by the end on the second period.
As the crowd grew louder, Jack was able to take the lead with an escape late in the third period. He was able to hold on to his lead and added another with a riding-time bonus to take the duel 4-2. Jack’s record is now 16-1.
Redshirt senior Beau Donahue was taken down twice in his 5-1 loss, one of which was challenged by the NCSU coaching staff for an illegal grab of the chinstrap. The video review found no conclusive evidence to overturn the call and with only five seconds left Donahue had no time to mount a comeback.
Undefeated redshirt freshman Hayden Hidlay, ranked third, was down 3-2 to Kennedy Monday heading into the third and final period. Hidlay knew he had his opponent tired and he had four takedowns in the final period to eventually win the bout 12-6 to give the Pack the final dagger in the win and to remain one of two freshman starters undefeated in the country.
“I knew I had him reeling. I had him on his heels the whole time backing up,” Hidlay said. “If I could just keep going I could wear him out. I heard from my corner ‘just keep moving forward, he’s so tired, he’s not going to be able to handle your pace,’ so I just needed to keep at it, keep my head; make sure I didn’t do anything stupid an just my composure.”
Hidlay’s match got a little personal as Monday elbowed him and Hidlay responded by shoving his face in the mat. The animosity between the two freshmen should build for the next four years in what could be one of college wrestling’s greatest rivalries over the coming years.
“It was good it got a little personnel at the end he give me a little elbow in the earlobe,” Hidlay said. “I shoved his face down into the mat. I’m sure he’s not really going to enjoy seeing that on tape, and he’s not gonna like wrestling in the future because of what happened. It’s good that’s what happens in a rivalry match. I’m looking forward to wrestling him for the next three years. This postseason too. I’m going to correct what I did wrong and comeback and beat him more.”
Hidlay being undefeated is not a surprise to him or Popolizio as he came in with such tough competition to start the year and has been building his way to being more and more dominant in his first season.
“I think he’s a guy out there wrestling early in the year against guys in the national finals last year, third or fourth in the country,” Popolizio said. “He knows he’s good enough to win a national title, but for him right now he just needs to go out there and continue to do what he’s good at an not worry about the outcome just the process.”
With UNC behind it, the Pack is looking ahead at its two remaining match. Both are at home against top-10 teams, starting with a matchup against No. 9 Virginia Tech next Friday.
