The NC State wrestling team got its season off to a strong start at the Northeast Duals, going 3-0 in Troy, New York. The Wolfpack came into the meet ranked 12th in the country and went up against Army, Sacred Heart and No. 16 Minnesota.
In the first matchup against Army, the team dominated the mats, resulting in a 32-6 victory. Eight of the 10 wrestlers, including redshirt senior Nick Gwiazdowski and sophomore Kevin Jack, defeated their opponents, with five winning by double digits. The match also proved to be a breakout performance for sophomore Pete Renda.
The Topton, Pennsylvania native competed at the 184-pound weight class after wrestling at 174 during the 2014-15 season. While hesitant at first wrestling at the new weight, Renda gained confidence as the match progressed, resulting in a 15-3 major decision win.
“I was a little nervous when the year started,” Renda said. “I thought I would be a little undersized wrestling at a heavier weight class. But I think I got off to a solid start and came out with the win.”
Head coach Pat Popolizio also noticed the change in attitude as the match progressed.
“You could tell that he was starting to get more confidence,” Popolizio said. “He kept getting more confidence and came out with a big win for us.”
The next matchup pitted NC State against Sacred Heart, with the Pack securing a 32-13 victory, including eight of the 10 wrestlers winning their matchups. Renda continued his dominant showing on the day, defeating freshman Mark Boyle by a tech fall 16-1 to give the Pack an insurmountable 26-7 lead.
The final matchup with Minnesota was NC State’s first of the year against a top-25 opponent, and the Pack proved it was ready for the test. The Wolfpack crushed the Golden Gophers 31-3 to seal an undefeated day in upstate New York. Nine wrestlers won their matchups for the Pack, including Gwiazdowski, who secured a 10-6 decision against No. 7 Michael Kroeils. Popolizio used the win as a lesson for the other wrestlers.
“[Nick] is always gonna get the best that each opponent has to offer,” Popolizio said. “It’s sort of a reminder that if you want to be the best, you have to do all the little things right in order to win.”
In addition to Gwiazdowski getting the first pin of the year for the Pack, fellow redshirt senior Tommy Gantt made his return from a redshirt last season, winning in his matchups with Army and Minnesota. Many on the team saw this return as a valuable asset and morale boost going forward.
“I think it’s a great addition to us,” Renda said. “To have a guy that can dominate like that is going to be huge for us going forward.”
Jack agreed with his teammate’s assessment.
“[Tommy] wrestled with me in a couple tournaments last year,” Jack said. “It’s gonna be huge for us to have another guy like that in our rotation this year.”
Following the victories this weekend, NC State moved up in Flo Wrestling’s national rankings, jumping from ninth to fifth as a team. Jack moved up to first for the 141-pound weight class, giving the Pack two No. 1 ranked wrestlers in the country.
With the first duals of the season completed, the Pack will now turn its sights to the Wolfpack Duals Saturday at Cary Academy High School, followed by the Wolfpack Open Sunday at Carmichael Gym.