North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling To Host Maryland On Saturday
1/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 16, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling season continues for NC State on Saturday when the Maryland Terrapins will come to Reynolds Coliseum for a 2 p.m. bout.
Although the Wolfpack (2-2, 1-0 ACC) has won two of the last three ACC championships and has prevailed in 19 of its last 24 dual matches with ACC competition, the Pack on Saturday will look to get off to a 2-0 start in conference action for the first time in four years.
NC State will be led by the senior trio of Scott Garren (157 pounds), Dustin Kawa (165) and Jake Giamoni (149). Garren and Kawa are 9-2 thus far in 2003-04, while Giamoni is 8-4. Each is the defending ACC champion in his weight class, and each has won a pair of conference titles. Garren currently is ranked No. 14 nationally by intermat.com.
The Pack also has gotten strong performances from junior 141-pounder Alex Hernandez (10-6), while freshmen Jeremy Hartrum (6-4 at 125), Zach Garren (5-9 at 197) and Jainor Palma (5-9 at heavyweight) all been competitive.
Maryland (1-2, 0-0 ACC) will be led by senior 125-pounder Matt Pandullo (11-6) and junior 141-pounder Jason Gribschaw (13-8).
Guzzo Wins No. 350: NC State head coach Bob Guzzo reached another milestone in his 30-year career with the Wolfpack when he picked up his 350th dual-match victory Wednesday night at North Carolina. The winningest active coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Guzzo now stands just 18 wins shy of the conference record of 378, set by UNC's Bill Lam from 1974-2003.
Kawa Flattens Opponents: Senior 165-pounder Dustin Kawa has always been a tough customer for opposing wrestlers, but as a senior, Kawa has given the Wolfpack bonus points. At 9-2 on the season, Kawa already has recorded six victories by fall this season, including four pins in his last five wins.
Kawa is just one pin from equalling his total from his first three seasons combined. He had three each as a freshman and sophomore, and one as a junior.
Although single-season totals for falls have not been kept at NC State, Kawa currently has the seventh most pins for a single season since the 1990-91 campaign. With 13 pins for his career, Kawa needs five more to move into the top 10 in NC State history. Terkay (1990-93) holds the school record with 64 career pins.
Garren On Winning Tear: At 9-2 so far this season, senior 157-pounder Scott Garren is off to a strong start, but that is nothing new. Garren has not lost very often during his career with the Wolfpack. In compiling a 63-17 career won-lost record (.788), Garren has won 37 of his last 43 matches (.860). In regular-season competition, Garren has won 29 of his last 31 bouts (.935), with both losses coming earlier this season to the No. 1 wrestler in the country at the time of the match.
Garren got off to an 18-0 start a year ago, which gave him a 23-match winning streak dating back to his final five bouts of the 2000-01 season. (Garren tore five ligaments in his right knee in February 2001 and was unable to wrestle again until the start of the 2002-03 campaign.)
Garren's 23-match winning streak was the longest by an NC State wrestler since Sylvester Terkay went 41-0 at heavyweight and won the national championship in 1993.
Garren now has lost just four times since February 2001. All four of those losses were to ranked wrestlers - two to the No. 1 wrestler at the time, one to No. 3, and one to No. 13.
A two-time ACC champion, Garren began his career in 1999-2000 by winning seven of his first nine bouts and eight of his first 11. He opened the 2000-01 season by winning five of his first seven and 10 of his first 13.
In The Rankings: The Atlantic Coast Conference is not getting much respect from the pollsters at Intermat.com. Only three ACC wrestlers show up in Intermat.com's latest national poll, and no conference teams are either ranked.
NC State's Scott Garren is No. 14 at 157, but Jake Giamoni and Dustin Kawa both have dropped out of the rankings altogether. Giamoni was No. 17th at 149, but a pair of losses at the NC State Duals pushed him out of the rankings. Kawa dropped from 18th at 165 to unranked, mainly due to inactivity. He has not wrestled since early December because of injuries, but returns to action this week. Virginia's Scott Moore (No. 2 at 141) and Tim Foley (No. 16 at 165) are the only other two ACC wrestlers in this week's rankings.
Milestones: With four wins at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, senior 165-pounder Dustin Kawa moved into 17th place in NC State history in career victories. Kawa is 71-31 for his career.
Senior 157-pounder Scott Garren improved to 63-17 with his major decision over North Carolina's Garrett Atknison on Wednesday. Garren's career winning percentage, subject to fluctuation, now stands at .788, which ranks 11th in school history. Jim Zenz (1977-80) is 10th at .804 (92-22-1). Sylvester Terkay (1990-93) is the all-time leader at .897 (122-14). Terkay is the only Wolfpack wrestler ever to win 100 or more matches in a career. He went 41-0 and won the NCAA heavyweight championship as a senior in 1993.
After his victory over UNC's Andrew Slack on Wednesday, senior 149-pounder Jake Giamoni's career record stands at 69-37, but that includes a 17-10 mark as a freshman at Boston University. Giamoni is 52-27 in two-plus seasons at NC State.
Up Next: The Wolfpack will face Campbell for a dual match with the Camels at Reynolds Coliseum on Tuesday, January 20. The match will start at 7:30 p.m.
