North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling Opens Conference Action Friday At Maryland
1/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 12, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. - The countdown to March and the postseason continues this weekend for the NC State wrestling team, which will begin action in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday night with a 7 p.m. match at Maryland. Following the match with the Terps, the Pack will fly to Oxford, Ohio, to face the Ohio University Bobcats on Saturday, also at 7 p.m.
The Pack heads into action this weekend with a 6-1 record after taking two of three bouts last weekend at the NC State Duals. NC State also will be without sophomore 157-pounder Kody Hamrah (2-1), probably out for the season with an ankle injury, and possibly without redshirt-freshman 197-pounder Ryan Goodman (15-3), who suffered a slight knee sprain vs. Appalachian State in the NC State Duals. Hamrah was the 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year, while Goodman currently is ranked No. 12 nationally according to Intermatwrestle.com.
The Wolfpack will not enter the weekend without front-line starters, however. Junior heavyweight Jainor Palma (17-3), freshman 149-pounder Joe Caramanica (16-4) and redshirt-junior 125-pounder Jeremy Hartrum (12-4) are off to strong starts, and sophomore 184-pounder Jeremy Colbert (10-7) has wrestled well through a tough stretch of the schedule.
Maryland is 1-7 in dual matches. Andrew Schlaffer (17-6 at 149), Jason Kiessling (12-3 at 165), Alex Krom (13-8 at 141) and Hudson Taylor (12-2 at 197) have given Maryland quality time on the mat.
Ohio is 4-4 in dual matches. Brian Cesar (12-8 at 184), Ryan Knapp (12-10 at 174), Nick Terbay (11-7 at 197) and Caleb Metcalf (10-9 at 125) lead the Bobcats.
Notes: At 3-3 vs. ranked opponents, Ryan Goodman already has singlehandedly defeated more ranked opponents than the entire 2004-05 Wolfpack did as a team, and has matched the team total of wins against ranked opponents from 2003-04. The last time NC State had more than three wins as a team against ranked opponents was five in 2002-03.
• At 17-4, Palma already has matched his career high for wins in a season, set a year ago when he was 17-14.
• NC State had five wreslters reach double figures in wins all of 2004-05. This season, five wrestlers (Hartrum, Caramanica, Colbert, Goodman and Palma) already have reached double figures, and two more (Jeff Breese and Rick Brownlee) both have won nine times. In addition, Cummings has seven wins and Bryant Reams has eight, and Simpson has seven, giving the Wolfpack 10 different wreslters with a legitimate chance of reaching 10 or more wins this season. Last year's team had six reach double figures all season. The last time NC State had 10 or more wrestlers with double-digit victories was 1995-96, when all 10 starters won at least 12 matches.
• With 10 dual matches remaining plus the postseason, both Caramanica and Goodman have a legitimate chance of a legitimate shot at tying or breaking Mike Koob's school record of 29 victories by a freshman, set in 1977. The last Wolfpack freshman to win 20 bouts was Tommy Davis (20-8 in 1997-98). The last and only time two NC State freshmen won 20 or more matches in the same season was 1977 (Koob and Joe Lidowski, 23).
