NC State Riding High As ACC Tournament Opens: Coming off its second consecutive 12-win dual-match regular season in as many years, the NC State wrestling team enters competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament this weekend on a high note.
Tied for first place in the final regular-season standings, the Wolfpack has won its last four matches against ACC opponents, and has won its last three regular-season matches and eight of its last nine. The Pack has finished first or tied for first in the regular season for the past two seasons and enters the tournament as one of the favorites, along with North Carolina, which also finished the regular season at 4-1.
The Wolfpack and Tar Heels split a pair of close regular-season matches, each winning on the other's home mat. UNC came to Reynolds Coliseum on January 16 and handed the Pack a 16-14 defeat. NC State returned the favor with a 19-16 win on February 15 at Chapel Hill. The win at UNC was NC State's fourth in a row at Carmichael Auditorium.
NC State Vs. The ACC: Collectively, NC State wrestlers had an outstanding season against ACC competition, compiling a 33-17 mark in individual bouts against conference competition. Three Wolfpack wrestlers finished the regular season unbeaten against ACC foes and enter the tournament as obvious favorites in their respective weight classifications.
Sophomore 125-pounder George Cintron went 20-6 overall and 5-0 with one major decision against ACC opponents. Cintron enters the tournament having won his last 10 matches in a row.
Junior 157-pounder Pierre Pryor, the ACC champion at 157 two years ago, went 19-3 during the regular season and 5-0 with one fall and one major decision against ACC wrestlers. Pryor, who has not lost to an ACC opponent since 1998, begins competition in the ACC Tournament having won his last 14 matches.
Senior 197-pounder Zach Breitenbach went 24-4 during the regular season, 5-0 with a major decision and a technical fall in the ACC. Breitenbach is 16-4 vs. ACC opponents and has won his last15 matches heading into the ACC Tournament.
Garren Suffers Season-ending Knee Injury: The Wolfpack suffered a serious blow February 15 in Chapel Hill when sophomore 165-pounder Scott Garren suffered a serious multiple-ligament tear in his left knee. He will undergo surgery sometime in late March or early April and not only will miss the remainder of the current season, but could miss next season as well.
During the third period of his 5-2 decision over North Carolina's Jason Wilson, Garren completely tore the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and partially tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), the medial meniscus and the popliteal.
Following surgery, Garren will face an extensive rehabilitaion process that could stretch well into the 2001-02 season.
Garren, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship at 157 pounds as a freshman a year ago, finished his sophomore season with a 20-7 mark. He won five major decisions, had three pins, and had two victories over opponents ranked in the national top 10. He has a career mark of 36-13 with seven falls. This season he became the 11th NC State sophomore to record 20 wins in a season.
Career-Best Winning Streaks: Three NC State wrestlers enter action tonight riding winning streaks of 10 matches or more. All are career highs.
Senior Zach Breitenbach (23-4 at 197) has won his last 15 matches
a career high 17 of his last 18, and 20 of his last 22. At one point during his winning streak, Breitenbach won five in a row by either major decision or technical fall, and over the course of the streak, he has won six major decisions, two technical falls, and one fall. He is currently ranked 8th nationally by Intermat and 14th by Amateur Wrestling News. He is tied for the team lead with two techincal falls, and ranks second with six major decisions.
At 125, redshirt sophomore George Cintron is 20-6 on the season after a slow start and has won 10 in a row
a career high 14 of his last 15, and 17 of his last 19. Cintron has a team high 8-0 record in matches decided by major decision. He has a 34-13 career record.
At 157, redshirt-junior Pierre Pryor is 19-3 on the season and has won 14 in a row, also a career high. Pryor, the 1999 ACC champion at 157, has won 16 of his last 17 matches, and 23 of his last 26 dating back to last season. Pryor also has won his last 12 matches against Atlantic Coast Conference competition. Eleven of Pryor's 19 victories this season have been by fall or major decision. He is tied for seventh in NC State history with 18 career pins.
Beating Ranked Opponents: So far this season, the Wolfpack has faced 27 ranked individual opponents and defeated seven of them, the team's best mark vs. ranked wrestlers in several years. The Pack was 4-30 vs. ranked opponents a year ago, and 9-37 in 1999.
Leading the way vs. ranked opponents this season has been senior 197-pounder Zach Breitenbach (3-3) and Scott Garren (2-1). A year ago, no NC State wrestlers had more than one win against ranked opponents, and only Pierre Pryor, at 1-0, has a winning record against ranked foes.
Breitenbach Named ACC Wrestler of the Week For Second Time: For the second time in three weeks, NC State senior 197-pounder Zach Breitenbach was named the ACC Wrestler of the Week the week of January 29 through February 4. Breitenbach, currently ranked 9th nationally by Intermat and 14th by Amateur Wrestling News, scored heavy team points for the Wolfpack in its doubleheader sweep over Virginia and James Madison on January 27, picking up a 17-1 technical fall over Virginia's Zach Freday in the afternoon bout, and then winning a 13-2 major decision over James Madison's Steve Kodish that evening. Breitenbach, 20-4 on the season, now has won 11 in a row, the last five by either major decision or technical fall.
Milestones: Senior Tommy Davis (149 pounds) picked up his 70th career victory February 10 at Navy. At 72-21, Davis needs just five more wins to break into NC State's top 10 list for career victories Senior Zach Breitenbach (197) picked up his 20th win of the season on February 3 with a 10-1 thrashing of Appalachian State's Geoff McIntosh. Breitenbach currently is 24-4 for the season and now has won 20 matches for the second season in a row. He went 20-10 a year ago Breitenbach picked up his 60th career win on January 31 with a 16-0 technical fall over Campbell's Jason Greenawalt. Breitenbach joined Tommy Davis as the only active NC State wrestlers with at least 60 career wins George Cintron's 5-3 win over Appalachian State's Rich Caisse was the 30th of his career Pierre Pryor enters competition in the ACC Tournament needing one more win to reach 60 for his career. Pryor is 59-22 with 18 pins.
NC State's Recent 20-Bout Winners: With 24 wins already to his credit, senior 197-pounder Zach Breitenbach has an outside chance of becoming just the 11th wrestler in school history to record 30 wins in a season, and the first since Sylvester Terkay went 41-0 in 1992-93. With his 10-1 win over Geoff McIntosh of Appalachian State on February 3, Breitenbach became the first NC State wrestler to record 20 wins in back-to-back seasons since Tommy Davis in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Davis went 20-8 as a freshman at 126 in 1998, and then went 23-6 at 141 in 1999. Prior to Davis, the last NC State wrestler to post consecutive 20-win seasons was Mike Miller in 1994-95 and 1995-96. Miller went 29-4 in 1994-95 and 27-6 in 1995-96. Breitenbach, who has won 15 matches in a row, is 24-4 this season and went 20-10 a year ago.
Sophomore 165-pounder Scott Garren joined Breitenbach in the 20-win circle this season when he defeated North Carolina's Jason Williams 5-2 on February 15, and George Cintron (20-6 at 125) made it a troika when he defeated Duke's Tommy Hoang on February 22. Pierre Pryor (19-3 at 157) should reach 20 wins this weekend at the ACC Tournament. Assuming Pryor joins Breitenbach, Garren and Cintron, NC State will have its first quartet of 20-match winners since since 1994-95, when Mike Miller (29-4), Wayne Jackson (22-9), Troy Charney (23-8) and Kirk Stehman (24-8) all won 20 matches.
Following is a list of all Wolfpack wrestlers who have won 20 or more matches since the 1990-91 season:
Wrestler Year W-L
Ricky Strausbaugh 1990-91 21-11
Clayton Grice 1990-91 21-8
Mark Mangrum 1990-91 25-9
Sylvester Terkay 1990-91 32-3
Mark Cesari 1991-92 28-6
Steve Williams 1991-92 29-7
Sylvester Terkay 1991-92 35-2
Mike Miller 1992-93 20-17
Mark Cesari 1992-93 27-6
Chris Kwortnik 1992-93 25-2
Dan Madson 1992-93 21-12
Sylvester Terkay 1992-93 41-0
Mike Miller 1994-95 29-4
Wayne Jackson 1994-95 22-9
Troy Charney 1994-95 23-8
Kirk Stehman 1994-95 24-8
Mike Miller 1995-96 27-6
Anthony Sorantino 1995-96 22-13
Dan Madson 1995-96 28-8
Lee Carroll 1996-97 23-12
Jelani Chase 1996-97 23-9
Tommy Davis 1997-98 20-8
Billy Blunt 1997-98 23-9
Tommy Davis 1998-99 23-6
Kevin Boross 1998-99 23-8
Joel Dramis 1999-2000 21-7
Zach Breitenbach 1999-2000 20-10
Zach Breitenbach 2000-01 21-4
Scott Garren 2000-01 20-7
George Cintron 2000-01 20-6
George Cintron, 125, So., Wellington, Fla.
20-6 in 2001, 34-13 career.
Has a 6-2 career mark vs. ACC opponents.
Has had two winning streaks this season of at least four matches, including his current winning streak of 10, which is a career high The first four-match streak came during the Duke Duals and the NC State Duals.
Is one of three Wolfpack wrestlers riding a winning streak of at least 10 matches Has won 10 straight, and 14 of his last 15 matches, with the one loss at the hands of 17th-ranked Ryan Escobar of Illinois.
Has won 17 of his last 19 matches, dating back to the Lehigh Duals in December.
Is 1-2 vs. ranked wrestlers.
Ryan McCallum, 133, Fr., Reading, Pa.
11-9 with 2 falls in 2001.
Is 2-3 vs. ACC opponents.
Clinched the Wolfpack's 19-16 win at North Carolina on February 15 with a clutch 5-2 win over Brad Byers, a tested veteran, in the final match of the evening.
Has won four of his last five matches.
Pinned Appalachian State's Travis Drake at the 2:34 mark on February 3.
Lost to 20th-ranked Brandon York of Maryland 6-1 on January 20, his first college match against a ranked wreslter.
Snapped a four-match losing streak on January 27 with a 7-2 win over Dalton Head of James Madison.
Struggled against tough competition early, dropping four of his first five matches at the Navy Invitational and the Lehigh Duals.
Oraefo Brown, 141, So. Miami, Fla.
7-10 in 2001, 18-23 with 1 fall career.
Has a 7-2 career mark vs. ACC competition.
Has won four of his last eight matches after starting the year at 3-6.
Won three in a row earlier in the year, one shy of his career-best winning streak of four matches.
Tommy Davis, 149, Sr., Newark, Del.
13-3 in 2001, 72-21 career.
Has a career winning percentage of .774.
Has a 22-6 career mark vs. ACC opposition.
Two-time ACC champion: (141 pounds in 1999) and (149 pounds in 2000)
Has won eight of his last nine matches.
Had a six-match winning streak broken February 15 by North Carolina's JohnMark Bentley, who picked up the 3-2 decision.
Had won six matches in a row before the Bentley match, with four of the six wins by major decision Has won twice since the Bentley loss, once by major decision and once by technical fall.
Has never lost three matches in a row, and has lost two in a row only twice, once this season and once in February 1999.
All three losses this season came to national top 10 wrestlers (#1 Adam Tirapelle of Illinois, and two vs. #7 JohnMark Bentley of UNC) Has lost only six times in his career to unranked wrestlers, and just twice since his freshman season.
Has won 26 of his last 31 matches dating back to last season, including a career-best 12-match winning streak last season Had winning streaks of nine and 10 matches earlier in his career.
His first loss to UNC's Bentley this season, on January 16 in Reynolds Coliseum, was his first to an ACC foe in two years, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive wins vs. ACC opponents.
Needs five wins to crack the NC State career top 10 for victories.
Pierre Pryor, 157, R-Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.
19-3 with 5 falls in 2001, 59-22 with 18 falls career.
Has a 15-4 career record vs. ACC opposition.
The 1999 ACC champion at 157.
Received a medical hardship last season after fracturing his wrist the first day of the season.
Has now won a career-high 14 matches in a row Previous longest streak was seven in a row over the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, winning all four matches a year ago and his first three this season.
Has won 16 of his last 17 matches Has won 23 of his last 26 matches, including eight first-period falls and five major decisions, dating back to the beginning of the 1999-2000 season.
Eleven of his 19 wins this season have been by fall or major decision.
Has won his last 12 matches vs. ACC competition.
Currently ranks seventh in school history with 18 career pins.
Philip Davanzo, 165, R-So., Vestal, N.Y.
2-1 at 165 and 3-4 overall with 2 falls in 2001; 4-8 career with 2 falls.
Moved into the lineup when Scott Garren went down with a knee injury February 15 at North Carolina.
Has won both matches since moving into the lineup, including a pin of Duke's Tim Marcantonio at 3:18.
Has recorded NC State's fastest fall of the season, pinning West Virginia's Mike Catullo in just 47 seconds.
Scott Garren, 165, So., Paulsboro, N.J.
Season is over after suffering a serious knee injury February 15 at North CarolinaWill probably undergo knee surgery and could be out of action for up to 12 months.
Finished the 2001 season at 20-7 with 3 falls; 36-13 with 7 falls career.
Is 7-2 lifetime vs. the ACC.
The defending ACC champion at 157.
Was ranked 18th nationally by Intermat.
Is the Wolfpack's second 20-match winner this season, and won 20 for the first time in his career.
Had a five-match winning streak snapped January 20 at Maryland, his first-ever ACC loss.
Won five in a row three times this season, including his streak of five straight wins to end the season Career-longest winning streak was seven matches a year ago.
Was 2-1 vs. ranked opponents this season, with both victories coming against wrestlers ranked in the top 10.
Had three falls, one technical fall and four major decisions to his credit in 2001.
Won 10 of his last 12 matches, and 15 of his last 19.
Dustin Kawa, 174, R-Fr., Lithonia, Ga.
14-11 with 2 falls in 2001.
Has a 4-2 record vs. ACC opponents.
NC State's first-ever high school national champion.
Has won four of his last six matches, six of his last nine, and 10 of his last 15.
Picked up his third career pin on February 21 with a 4:50 fall over UNC-Greensboro's Terry Garbis.
Won a career-high four in a row during the Duke Duals and the NC State Duals.
Jason Gore, 184, R-Jr. Cary, N.C.
5-17 with 1 fall in 2001; 15-34 with 1 fall career.
5-9 lifetime vs. ACC opponents.
Snapped an eight-match losing streak on February 20 with a 5-2 decision over UNCG's Luke Bialy.
Zach Breitenbach, 197, Sr. Cary, N.C.
24-4 with 1 fall in 2001, 65-34 with 4 falls career.
Has a 16-4 career record vs. ACC opponents.
Academic All-American and ACC Honor Roll
Ranked 8th nationally by Intermat, and 13th by Amateur Wrestling News.
Is 3-3 this season vs. ranked opponents.
Has won 15 matches in a row, a career high Previous longest winning streak was five matches, which he did once a year ago.
During the 15-match winning streak, he has won six by major decision, two by technical fall, and one by fall.
Won five in a row by either major decisions or technical fall at one point.
Six of his last nine victories have been by major decision or technical fall.
Has won 17 of his last 18 matches, 20 of his last 22, and 38 of his last 48 matches, dating back to the 1999 Lehigh Invitational.
Has suffered back-to-back losses just three times in the last two seasons, and just once in 2000-01.
Has a 44-14 mark over the last two seasons.
Was named ACC Wrestler of the Week the week of January 6-13, and again the week of January 20-27.
Ricky Fowler, Hwt., Fr., Columbus, Ga.
5-4 in 2001.
Is 3-2 career vs. ACC opponents.
Picked up his first career fall with a 2:27 pin of Duke's Levi Karnehm on February 22.
A member of the Wolfpack football team Started the last four games of the season at defensive tackle as a true freshman.
