North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling Gearing Up To Defend ACC Championship
10/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 18, 2001
RALEIGH, N.C. - If a coach had to name the essential components of a championship team, he probably would list talent, experience, depth, and a blend of youth and veterans.
NC State wrestling coach Bob Guzzo has those very qualities in abundance with the 2001-02 Wolfpack. The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions return six starters from last year's team, including a pair of individual conference champions. The Pack has several key backups returning, giving the team experienced depth across the lineup. And to top things off, Guzzo has brought in a recruiting class that ranks among the top five in the country.
"I feel for the first time in quite a while that we have the caliber of athlete that can compete with the best teams in the country," Guzzo says. "Now, whether we actually beat those teams remains to be seen, but we certainly have the talent, and more important, we have the talent and the attitude to want to compete at a very high level. So I'm extremely excited.
Pierre Pryor (157) and George Cintron (125) won their individual conference championships last season, and will be counted on to lead the Wolfpack this season. Pryor, an All-America candidate who went 22-5 last year and has a 62-24 career record with 19 pins, probably will move up to 165 for his senior season. Cintron, 22-8 last year and 36-15 in his first two seasons with the Wolfpack, will be the team's anchor at the front end of the lineup.
In addition, sophomores Dustin Kawa (174) and Ryan McCallum (133) are coming off outstanding rookie seasons and should continue to blossom. Kawa took second at 174 in the ACC Tournament and went to the NCAA Championships, while McCallum took third in the ACC at 133. Jason Gore, an ACC finalist at 197 two years ago, moves back to that weight for this, his senior season, while sophomore heavyweight Ricky Fowler turned in a solid first season after coming over from football.
The 2001-02 Wolfpack has a solid history of recent success on which to build. The Pack has finished first in the ACC each of the last two regular seasons and won the 2001 ACC Tournament. The six returning starters had a combined record of 85-61 last year, 113-79 over the last two years.
As a team, NC State has won 12 dual matches each of the last two seasons and has a 24-11 mark overall in that time, 9-1 in the ACC. The Wolfpack has won 12 of its last 13 dual matches against ACC competition.
"We lost two very valuable veterans from last year in Zach Breitenbach (197) and Tommy Davis (149), but we have a pretty good contingent coming back, and the young kids that we brought in are really good," Guzzo says. "It's going to take them some time, obviously, but this is a very talented group of kids. The big thing is they're good kids, good students, and they all have really good attitudes. They work very hard and have impressed me with the way they go about their business. So I'm very excited, not just about the upcoming season, but about what the future has in store for us."
Among NC State's newcomers are four wrestlers who were ranked in the top 10 nationally in their respective weight classifications either last year or the year before. Two of the newcomers were national prep champions last season, and another won the U.S. Open championship. As many as four newcomers could be in the starting lineup right away for the Wolfpack, possibly more by the end of the season.
"This is probably the most talented group of kids we've brought in, with the possible exception of 1990," Guzzo says. "We've always had kids who developed and did well over the years, but we've never had a group of kids with this much talent."
Following is a class-by-class breakdown of the 2001-02 NC State wrestling team:
125 - George Cintron has done nothing but improve since he came to NC State for the start of the 1999-2000 season. He started slowly a year ago, then went on a tear. He fashioned a career-high 12-match winning streak at one point, and captured the ACC championship at 125 pounds. Kenneth Alphin and Clarence Davis, a transfer from The Citadel, will provide backup at both 125 and 133.
133 - Ryan McCallum struggled at times as a true freshman last season, but he got stronger as the year went along and won six of his last eight matches. Guzzo says that McCallum made more progress in the offseason than anyone on the team and that the former Pennsylvania state champion should take a huge step forward as a sophomore.
141 - Oraefo Brown, the starter the last two years and a conference runner-up a year ago, is gone, but Jake Giamoni, a transfer from Boston University, is one of the prized jewels in this year's recruiting class. A sophomore, Giamoni will be counted on to make an immediate impact.
149 - The loss of Tommy Davis would be a crushing blow to many programs, but thanks to outstanding recruiting, the Wolfpack should be able to move on at 149 without skipping a beat. Dave Miller lost just one match his last three years of high school, and went 72-0 the last two years. He finished his senior season as the two-time New Jersey state champion and was ranked No. 3 nationally by USA Wrestling.
157 - An injury has forced some shuffling in the lineup. Pierre Pryor, a two-time ACC champion at 157, will move up to 165 as Scott Garren recovers from offseason knee surgery. In Pryor's stead, Kevin Gabrielson, a two-time national prep champion, will look to move into the starting lineup as a true freshman. He will be challenged by veterans Phil Davanzo and Justin Parlier. The two who don't get the starting nod will provide depth at 149, 157 and 165.
165 - Pierre Pryor should be able to make a smooth transition to the higher weight. Combining strength and quickness as well as anyone, Pryor, who ranks seventh in Wolfpack history in career pins, is a legitimate All-American candidate.
174 - Dustin Kawa came to NC State three years ago as the first high school national champion in Wolfpack history. He struggled early last season, but his final record of 17-14 was deceptive. Kawa faced a team-high six ranked opponents, and while he lost to all six, he wrestled most of them well, losing three of the six matches by one or two points. He won six of his last eight matches (both losses to ranked opponents), and as a redshirt-sophomore should be ready to blossom. In addition, Joe McGann, a prep national champion, will compete for time at 174 and 184.
184 - This probably will be the most hotly contested spot in the lineup. Incumbent starter Jason Gore has moved back to 197, where he enjoyed his most successful season two years ago, leaving the 184 position wide open. Sophomore Jon Godwin saw action last year 174, 184 and heavyweight and is a solid competitor, while McGann has excellent high school credentials and could be a factor.
197 - Two years ago, Jason Gore went 10-11 and finished second in the ACC at this weight. He showed promise for the future, but former high school teammate Zach Breitenbach beat him out at 197 last year. Gore dropped down to 184, where he never seemed comfortable. With Breitenbach gone, Gore moves back to 197 and should have a solid senior season.
Heavyweight - Ricky Fowler joined the Wolfpack in January after spending the fall playing football. He fit in quickly and put together a strong freshman season, finishing 6-5 and taking third place in the ACC Tournament. Fowler will have some competition. Ngozi Collins, a senior who did not participate in wrestling a year ago, is back and has a big advantage in terms of experience. Alan Klinner was a national top 10 wrestler last year, while Jed Paulsen, another football player, was a state champion in Missouri. Klinner and Paulsen are both freshmen. While the job should be Fowler's to lose, Klinner and Collins will get a head start on both football players.
