North Carolina State University Athletics
Young NC State Quartet Looks to End All-America Drought
3/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 15, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Four NC State wrestlers made the trip to compete in the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., which begin Thursday, March 16 at 11 a.m. and conclude with the championship finals on Saturday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. When the competition is over the Wolfpack hopes to have its first All-American since 118-pounder Mike Miller in 1996. Here is a glimpse at the four qualifiers.
149 Joe Caramanica Fr. (25-7). Caramanica, a freshman from Nazareth, Pa., placed third at the ACC Championships, but an impressive season enabled him to go to the NCAA tournament as one of the ACC's four wild-card entries. Caramanica's 25 wins positions him as third all-time on the NC State freshman wins list. Mike Koob (1977) and Matt Reiss (1980) hold the record with 29 victories.
When competition begins on Thursday morning, Caramanica will not have to wait long to begin his hunt for All-America status. He will be the 10th bout of the tournament, facing Patrick Simpson of Army. Simpson (33-6), a senior, took third place in the EIWA Tournament. If Caramanica, a high school All-American and a two-time state champion in Pennsylvania, defeats Simpson, he will most likely face senior Jonathan Masa (30-8) from Hofstra, a returning All-American and the No. 6 seed.
Caramanica on wrestling in front a big crowd: "I've been through lots of crowds, thousands of people rooting against me and thousands of people rooting for me. I think I'm prepared for that. I don't think it's gonna make that big of a difference. Maybe it's a mental edge I've got on people."
157 Kody Hamrah So. (11-2). Hamrah was sidelined for much of the season with numerous injuries. Since he returned to the lineup full-time in late January, however, no one on the team has been hotter than Hamrah. He has won nine of the 10 matches he has wrestled since then, and has won eight straight matches. That 8-0 tear allowed to Hamrah to gain the NCAA berth that he narrowly missed last season, when he was the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year.
Hamrah's first round opponent is Wisconsin sophomore Craig Henning (25-7), the fifth-place finisher out of the Big Ten. Henning is the No. 8 seed in the tournament. If Hamrah beats Henning in the first round, a second-round match-up with returning NCAA runner-up Joe Johnston of Iowa is likely. Johnston enters the tournament as the No. 9 seed.
Hamrah on qualifying for NCAAs: "After getting kind of gypped out of one (NCAA bid) last year, it makes this one that much more special and that much more precious. I gotta make the best of it."
184 Jeremy Colbert So. (20-10). Colbert steadily improved over the course of the season and became one of the Wolfpack's most consistent wrestlers over the last month and a half of the season. Like Hamrah, Colbert carries an eight-match winning streak into the national tournament. By winning an ACC championship, Colbert earned a homecoming. A native of El Reno, Okla., Colbert will get a rare chance to compete with his parents in the stands.
Colbert's first match is a rematch with Minnesota junior, Roger Kish (33-4). Kish won the Big Ten Championship and is the No. 2 seed in the tournament. In their only meeting, Colbert was pinned by Kish at Southern Scuffle.
Colbert on returning to Oklahoma: "I'm excited to go. I'll be in front of my home crowd; my parents will be there. This will be my first time wrestling in front of my parents in college. I'm excited; I finally get to wrestle in front of my parents. It's gonna be a big deal for me."
197 Ryan Goodman Fr. (21-4). Goodman began this season with immediate success, garnering a fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and a runner-up finish at the Southern Scuffle. He was slowed by injuries midway through the season, but returned to the everyday lineup in February and has not lost a match since. At the ACC Tournament, Goodman was honored as the Most Outstanding Wrester. He is the first Wolfpack wrestler to receive that honor since 2002.
As the No. 11 seed in the tournament, Goodman has the luxury of waiting to see which wrestler will earn the right to face him in the first round. His opponent will either be sophomore Joe Fendone (28-7) from Edinboro or senior Chris Pogue (27-10) from Navy. With a first-round win, Goodman could face the No. 6 seed, Penn State junior, Phil Davis (21-3). Davis is a returning All-American and a Big Ten champion.
Goodman on his feelings before leaving for NCAAs: "I don't know if I'm nervous right now or just ready to go. Hopefully, I'm ready to go. We'll see when I get out there."
