North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling To Host Camels
1/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 19, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - After jumping to an early lead in the Atlantic Coast Conference's regular-season standings with a 2-0 mark, the NC State wrestling team will take a three-week break from ACC competition, beginning with a Tuesday, January 20 match against Campbell at Reynolds Coliseum. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The Wolfpack (4-2 overall) opened the season with a 32-9 rout of the Camels back on November 19 that featured four pins by NC State wrestlers.
The Pack has made two lineup changes since that opening bout, with redshirt-freshman Jeremy Hartrum (7-4) moving in at 125 pounds and true freshman Rick Brownlee (0-4) taking over at 174. Those lineup changes, improvements from several other NC State wrestlers, and a return to health by the Wolfpack's senior leaders have propelled the Pack to a quick start in the dual-match part of the season. NC State has won two in a row and three of its last four matches.
Hartrum and junior 133-pounder Dan Pacitti (8-6) have each won their last two matches, while junior 141-pounder Alex Hernandez (11-6) has won four in a row and five of his last six.
Meanwhile, seniors Jake Giamoni (9-4), Scott Garren (10-2) and Dustin Kawa (10-2) - the heart of the NC State lineup - are healthy and wrestling well. Giamoni has won his last two bouts after surprisingly losing two of three at the NC State Duals. Kawa has won four of his last five bouts, and Garren has won four in a row and six of his last seven.
At the upper end of the lineup, sophomore 184-pounder Daniel Humphries (9-8), freshman 197-pounder Zach Garren and freshman heavyweight Jainor Palma (6-8) each have split their last two bouts. Humphries and Palma, however, has won three of their last four.
Guzzo Notches No. 350: NC State head coach Bob Guzzo, now in his 30th season, amassed yet another milestone January 14 at Chapel Hill when the Wolfpack defeated North Carolina 25-12. The victory was Guzzo's 350th in dual-match competition. Guzzo now has won 351 matches and needs 28 more wins to become the ACC's all-time leader.
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 10-2 on the season, Kawa already has recorded six victories by fall this season, including four pins in his last six 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 been kept at NC State for just a few years, 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 Notes: At 10-2, senior 157-pounder Scott Garren continues to compile one of the most impressive career won-lost record in school history. In compiling a 64-17 career won-lost record (.790), Garren has won 38 of his last 44 matches (.864). In regular-season competition, Garren has won 30 of his last 32 bouts (.938), with both losses coming earlier this season to the No. 1 wrestler in the country at the time of the match.
Garren has now won four matches in a row, but that's nothing. He 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.
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 72-31 for his career.
Senior 157-pounder Scott Garren improved to 64-17 with his two victories at the NC State Duals this past weekend. Garren's career winning percentage, subject to fluctuation, now stands at .790, 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 Maryland's Jerad Villecco on Saturday, senior 149-pounder Jake Giamoni's career record stands at 70-37, but that includes a 17-10 mark as a freshman at Boston University. Giamoni is 53-27 in two-plus seasons at NC State.
