The NC State wrestling program had its arsenal on full display Saturday, defeating UNC-Pembroke and the Air Force Academy in dominating fashion at the Wolfpack Duals in Cary.
The No. 9 Wolfpack (2-0) began the day with a 43-6 win over Pembroke (0-2) and followed with a 29-6 defeat of Air Force (1-1). Between the two matches, State recorded 16 out of a possible 20 wins, including 11 bonus point wins.
State enjoyed success in its matches by jumping out to big leads early and never looking back.
In the first match against UNC-Pembroke, NC State freshman Wade Cummings defeated his opponent at 125 pounds by pin to open up a 6-0 lead. The Wolfpack followed Cummings’ bout by winning its next five, two of which were also by pins, to extend its lead to 33-0. Redshirt sophomore Sean Fausz and redshirt junior Chad Pyke recorded wins by technical falls in their respective bouts.
Junior captain Kevin Jack, who currently holds the No. 7 ranking in the 141 pounds, defeated his opponent by technical fall, 16-0. Redshirt junior captain Michael Macchiavello, the No. 18 wrestler at 184 pounds, defeated his opponent by major decision, 14-6. NC State won 8 of 10 possible matches against the Braves, four by pins and three by tech falls, to uphold a 37-point victory.
The second match of the day saw much of the same dominance as the first, with NC State handily dispatching of Air Force. Once again the Wolfpack got out to a hot start by winning its first six bouts and opening up a 19-0 lead over the Falcons.
Senior Max Rohskopf, the No. 4 ranked wrestler in the country at 157 pounds, won his second bout of the day with a 6-5 decision over Dane Robbins of Air Force. As it did against UNCP, NC State won eight out of the 10 matches, recording two major decisions, one by Cummings at 125 pounds and one by Macchiavello at 184 pounds.
Redshirt senior Mike Kosoy sealed the win for the Wolfpack when he received six points for pinning his opponent at 285 pounds.
The Wolfpack entertain a well-balanced roster, with five different wrestlers ranked within the top 20 in the country in their respective weight classes.
The team hosted its annual Wolfpack Open, which is an event open to any and all post high school participants, on Sunday in Carmichael Gymnasium.
NC State will get its first big test of the 2016-17 season when it takes on No. 23 Appalachian State Nov. 30 in Reynolds Coliseum.
