North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Travels to Old Dominion For Weekend Showdown
1/31/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 31, 2003
RALEIGH, N.C. - Having won back-to-back dual matches for the first time in 2002-03, the NC State wrestling team will look to extend its winning streak to three on Saturday afternoon with a non-conference date at Old Dominion.
The Wolfpack, which improved to 4-5 on the season with a doubleheader sweep over Campbell and UNC Greensboro on Thursday night at Reynolds Coliseum, will take on an ODU team that also is 4-5 in dual matches. The Wolfpack horsewhipped both the Camels and Spartans, defeating Campbell 36-6 and UNCG 34-9, losing just five of 20 bouts in the two matches.
NC State will be looking for senior 125-pounder George Cintron and junior 165-pounder Dustin Kawa to continue their current hot streaks, for junior 149-pounder Jake Giamoni to build on his impressive performance of Thursday, and for junior 157-pounder Scott Garren and sophomore 174-pounder Kevin Gabrielson to continue to recover from nagging injuries.
Garren and Gabrielson have both struggled to stay in the lineup this season. Gabrielson (7-5), who is wrestling at 174 after finishing last season at 157, is still fighting the effects of a high ankle sprain suffered back in November while simultaneously adjusting to a heavier weight class. He picked up a pair of wins on Thursday, including a first-period pin, and is 3-2 since moving up to 174. Garren, who is undefeated this season at 10-0, has had to deal with a concussion suffered in practice during the Christmas break, and then suffered a knee injury in his second bout on Thursday.
Having those two back in the lineup made an obvious difference against Campbell and UNCG.
"We've been battling injuries and dealing with some position changes this season, and it's affected our team, kept us from really getting untracked," Wolfpack coach Bob Guzzo says. "Getting Garren and Gabrielson back really makes our lineup much stronger. Add those two to Cintron, Kawa and Giamoni and you have five guys who should be able to compete with anyone."
Giamoni (9-8), who has struggled with inconsistency, had his most impressive night of the season on Thursday, winning one his matches in the Campbell-UNCG doubleheader by technical fall and the other by first-period pin. The defending ACC champion at 149, Giamoni went 21-13 a year ago, including a 12-3 mark at 149. He has now won four of his last five matches, and the one loss in that stretch was by one point.
Cintron and Kawa both have won eight matches in a row. Kawa is 12-3 overall and 8-1 since moving down from 174 to 165 in early January. He is two wins away from equalling his career-best winning streak. Kawa has won 27 of his last 33 bouts dating back to last season. Since dropping down to 165, Kawa has three major decisions and a tech fall among his six wins. He is the defending ACC champion at 174 and will be a favorite to win the conference title at 165 this season.
Cintron (11-4), the two-time defending ACC champion at 125, has rolled after a 3-4 start this season. His eight-match winning streak is six shy of his career best, which he accomplished last season. With 65 career wins, Cintron needs just three more to break into the school's top 25 for career victories.
