Rolling into the Blue Ridge Mountains, NC State wrestling continued its climb towards a championship season, knocking off App State 21-14.
The Wolfpack (3-2) opened the afternoon by taking six of the first seven bouts against the Mountaineers (2-4), wrapping up the result with ease. The stars showed out with three major decisions to pad the lead. However, when the upper weight classes took the mat, the Pack lost the final three bouts — a concerning trend for the red-and-white.
No. 1 redshirt sophomore Vince Robinson continued his strong start in the 125-pound bout, cruising to an 11-2 major decision over App’s Cooper Foster. Robinson’s match set the tone for NC State by taking command early and showing no mercy throughout the bout.
After redshirting last season, No. 11 redshirt junior Ryan Jack and No. 11 sixth-year Jackson Arrington dominated in the 141 and 157 pound bouts respectively. Both earning major decisions, Jack and Arrington are done shaking off the rust and now building cases to be ACC title contenders. The addition of both wrestlers back into the lineup is a much-needed boost for a lineup filled with less experienced wrestlers.
One of those newer wrestlers is No. 21 freshman Will Denny. The Illinois native has burst onto the scene nationally with a hot start to his first collegiate campaign. Winning 11-4 over Anthony Conetta in the 165-pound match, Denny is proving to be a consistent contributor to the Pack’s revamped lineup.
Rounding out the Wolfpack’s wins, No. 4 redshirt junior Matty Singleton and No. 9 redshirt sophomore Koy Buesgens handled business in their matches. Singleton competed in the 174-pound bout and won 9-6, while Buesgens earned a 4-2 decision in the 149-pound match. Both wrestlers are emerging as national names to know as two of the Wolfpack’s most consistent wrestlers.
The Pack’s lone upset loss came in the 133-pound bout. No. 26 sixth year Zach Redding suffered a 9-4 defeat at the hands of Jarvis Little. With former star Kai Orine out of eligibility, Redding transferred in from Iowa State to compete in the 133-pound slot. The Pack will need more consistency from Redding to reach its full potential.
The Wolfpack dropped the 184, 197 and heavyweight bouts in blowout fashion. Sixth year Don Cates gave the best fight in an 11-5 loss to No. 33 Tomas Brooker — the Mountaineer’s lone ranked wrestler. Redshirt junior Andrew Macchiavello and freshman Xavier Wilson both made their season debuts. Macchiavello lost 13-0, while Wilson suffered a 17-3 defeat.
The Wolfpack’s biggest thing to work on is improvement in its heavier weight classes. While the matches didn’t cost NC State with the match already secured, finding ways to prevent teams from running up points in the heavier classes could be the difference in wins and losses when the competition ramps up.
Next up, NC State will face Morgan State and No. 14 Rutgers in Fuquay-Varina on Sunday Dec. 7. The Wolfpack will open the afternoon against the Bears first at 1 p.m. before facing the Scarlet Knights at 3 p.m.
