North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling Embarks On Busy Week
1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 26, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State wrestling team will conclude something of a January homestand on Tuesday when Old Dominion comes to Reynolds Coliseum for a dual match with the Wolfpack. Weather permitting, the match will begin at 7:30 p.m.
The match vs. the Monarchs will be NC State's sixth at Reynolds in a seven-match span, and the home cooking has been good for the Wolfpack, which has won four of six matches in that time and run its record for the season to 5-2. Following the Old Dominion match, the Pack will embark on its toughest stretch of the season, with road matches at UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night at 7:30, and at ninth-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. A week later, on February 7, the Wolfpack will travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to take on No. 8 Lehigh.
The Wolfpack enters this crucial juncture of the season wrestling at its highest level of the season, having won three matches in a row by an average score of 33-8. Seven of the Pack's 10 starters now have winning records and at least 10 wins on the season, led by junior 141-pounder Alex Hernandez (12-6), senior 165-pounder Dustin Kawa (11-2), senior 157-pounder Scott Garren (10-2), senior 149-pounder Jake Giamoni (10-4), and sophomore 184-pounder Daniel Humphries (10-8).
Junior 133-pounder Daniel Pacitti (9-6) and redshirt-freshman 125-pounder Jeremy Hartrum (8-4) are just shy of the 10-win plateau. True freshmen Rick Brownlee (1-4 at 174), Zach Garren (8-9 at 197) and Jainor Palma (6-10 at heavyweight) round out the NC State lineup.
"We've certainly gotten better during this recent time at home," Wolfpack head coach Bob Guzzo said. "We've faced an awfully tough schedule already this year, and that has worked in our favor. And we'll continue to face top competition over the next few weeks. Our kids have been tested and will be tested throughout the season. Hopefully, that will pay off in March in the postseason."
