North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling Readies For North Carolina Bout
1/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 13, 2003
RALEIGH, N.C. - Although the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule calls for league teams to wrestle one another only once a year, NC State vs. North Carolina is special. Once is not enough when these two old rivals are the combatants, so in a situation unique to the ACC, the Wolfpack (1-3) and Tar Heels (2-2) square off twice a year in wrestling.
The first meeting of the 2002-03 season will be Tuesday, January 14 at Reynolds Coliseum. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and another hotly contested match is anticipated.
"Certainly, whenever NC State faces North Carolina in any sport it's a big game, and that has definitely been true in wrestling," longtime Wolfpack coach Bob Guzzo said. "Both programs have been strong over the years, and because we're both right here in each other's backyard, so to speak, it means a lot to both teams. It's been a terrific rivalry."
Not only has it been a terrific rivalry, it had been extremely competitive, especially since Guzzo and Tar Heels coach Bill Lam arrived on the scene, 29 and 30 years ago, respectively. Guzzo and Lam have won 26 conference championships between them - 14 for Lam and 12 for Guzzo - and no team other than NC State or North Carolina has won the ACC team championship since Virginia in 1977. NC State has won the last two conference titles, and UNC has won four of the last seven. That's the kind of rivalry the Wolfpack and Tar Heels have in wrestling.
NC State and North Carolina have split the two-match season series in four of the last five years, with NC State sweeping the Tar Heels in 1999-2000. Last year, on January 16 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina won seven of 10 matches and thumped the Wolfpack 21-9. The Pack retaliated on February 13 at Reynolds, winning six matches and blowing open a one-point match with a decision and a pin in the final two bouts to win 22-12 at Reynolds Coliseum.
Perhaps the focal point of the rivalry a year ago was the 125-pound matchup between NC State's George Cintron and North Carolina's Chris Rodrigues. Rodrigues handed Cintron a 3-0 defeat when the two met in Chapel Hill, and Cintron evened things with a 3-2 decision at Reynolds.
The rubber match came in the finals of the ACC Tournament on March 9, also at Reynolds Coliseum. Cintron and Rodrigues waged a championship bout for the ages, wrestling to a thrilling 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. The final seconds of the third period featured a pulsating sequence, during which both wrestlers flipped and tumbled to avoid being taken down. Regulation ended with the crowd giving the two a standing ovation. Cintron finally prevailed 3-1 with a takedown in overtime and was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler, but both wrestlers battled like champions.
NC State Wrestling Notes: NC State's Scott Garren comes into the North Carolina bout undefeated at 7-0 and riding a 12-match winning streak that dates back to February 2001. Garren, a junior 157-pounder from Gibbstown, N.J., missed the final two dual-meet bouts of that season and all of 2001-02 while recovering from knee surgery. Garren, who has won 17 of his last 19 matches, has a 43-13 career record and is 5-0 with two pins and a technical fall against wrestlers from UNC.
Garren's seven-match streak this season ties for the longest in-season winning streak of his career, while his overall 12-match winning streak is a career best. Both are the longest current streaks on the team, and his 12-match winning streak is the second-longest by any current NC State wrestler. Cintron had a 14-match winning streak a year ago.
Rankings: Garren was ranked 15th at 157 pounds by Intermat in its rankings of January 7. For North Carolina, Rodrigues was ranked ninth at 125, and Evan Sola was 17th at 133.
Over The Weekend: Cintron, Garren and Dustin Kawa each went undefeated in the NC State Duals, held this past Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum. Cintron, a senior from Wellington, Fla., defeated Mark Koszyk of East Stroudsburg State 7-3, Ryan McClester of The Citadel 5-4, and Aaron Suranofsky of George Mason 3-1. Cintron improved to 6-4 on the season with the three victories.
Kawa, a junior wrestling at 165 pounds, also went 3-0 on the day, dumping Brandon Mihalko of East Stroudsburg 7-2, James Rose of The Citadel 11-4, and J.C. Cuffee of George Mason 18-4. Kawa, who has wrestled at 174 his first two seasons and for most of the 2002-03 campaign, improved to 7-4.
Garren wrestled twice and remained undefeated on the season, laying a 10-1 major decision on East Stroudsburg's Keith Smith, and then edging Travis Piccard of The Citadel by a 5-3 score. Garren was held out of the Wolfpack's third bout. He has been recovering from a concussion suffered in practice.
Gabrielson Dinged Up: One other stalwart for the Pack, sophomore Kevin Gabrielson, has been out of action since the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on December 6-7 with a high ankle sprain. Gabrielson is 4-3 at 165, including a convincing 6-4 win over then-11th-ranked Oscar Santiago of Purdue in the Vegas tournament.
Fowler Back In Action: Heavyweight Ricky Fowler made his season debut at the NC State Duals, but lost on a medical default in his only bout. Fowler, an offensive lineman on the Wolfpack football team, was 6-5 two years ago as a true freshman. He redshirted a year ago.
Milestone: Cintron's three victories at the NC State Duals gave him 60 career victories at NC State.
On Deck: The Wolfpack will next be in action on January 18 at Maryland, and January 24 at VMI. NC State's next home wrestling match will be January 30, a doubleheader against Campbell and UNC Greensboro.
