North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling Opens ACC Season At Home Vs. Duke
1/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
RALEIGH, N.C. — The college wrestling season hits another gear for NC State on Wednesday when Duke comes to Reynolds Coliseum for the opening of the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the Wolfpack’s schedule. The match begins at 7:30 p.m.
At 5-4, NC State has faced a demanding schedule to date, having taken on four powers from the Big Ten along with participating in the Southern Scuffle, one of the top early-season tournaments. The Wolfpack finished seventh at the Southern Scuffle and has won three dual matches in a row heading into the Duke match.
“We’re wrestling well and getting better, but we have a long ways to go,” Wolfpack head coach Carter Jordan says. “The conference schedule is an important part of the season because it goes a long ways towards determining seeding for the conference tournament, which in turn will determine NCAA bids. We have some guys who are banged up a little and a few guys who are scuffling some, but we’ve made progress to this point. we need to keep the momentum we’ve gained the last couple of weeks.”
The Wolfpack will be led by sophomore 197-pounder Ryan Goodman (9-1), senior heavyweight Jainor Palma (14-3) and junior 157-pounder Kody Hamrah (10-5). Freshman 174-pounder John Barone (14-6), junior 141-pounder Wes Kuser (11-9) and sophomore 165-pounder Aaron Glover (10-10) have been Duke’s winningest performers.
Following are the probable starters for Wednesday night’s match
Wt - NC State vs. Duke
125 - Taylor Cummings (5-5) vs. Kellan McKeon (8-10)
133 - Garrett Cummings (8-6 / 8-7) or or Ryan Tice (1-0 / 1-2) vs. Spencer Jasper (8-6)
141 - Darrion Caldwell (7-3) or Jake Smith (0-2) vs. Wes Kuser (11-9) or Philip Wightman (1-3)
149 - Joe Caramanica (9-4) vs. Daniel Shvartsman (4-4)
157 - #19 Kody Hamrah (10-5) vs. Addison Nuding (7-6)
165 - Obie Simpson (6-4) or Jalil Dozier (1-5) vs. Aaron Glover (10-10)
174 - Randy Goodman (1-5) vs. John Barone (14-6)
184 - Jeremy Colbert (3-5) or Mark Jahad (1-3) vs. Dan Fox (9-8) or Dan Tulley (1-8)
197 - #13 Ryan Goodman (9-1) vs. Patrick Keenum (2-8)
Hwt - #18 Jainor Palma (23-11) vs. Mike Tunick (5-7)
• The Series Vs. Duke: NC State has won 31 of the last 32 matches against Duke, including the last nine in a row. Duke’s only win in the series in that span was a 26-15 victory on February 27, 1997, at Reynolds Coliseum. A year ago, the Wolfpack handed the Blue Devils a 26-7 defeat at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Pack won eight of the 10 bouts, ijncluding major decisions by Joe Caramanica at 149 and Jeremy Colbert at 184. Duke picked up wins by Michael Degli Obizzi at 125 and Konrad Dudziak at 197.
• In The Rankings: Three NC State wrestlers are ranked in the latest NCWA poll. Sophomore 197-pounder Ryan Goodman (9-1 including a 3rd-place finish at the Southern Scuffle) is 13th. Senior heavyweight Jainor Palma (14-3, 5th at the Southern Scuffle) is 18th, down a spot from a week ago despite going 3-0 during the week. Junior 157-pounder Kody Hamrah (10-5, 5th at the Southern Scuffle) is 19th following a major decision this past Saturday over Drexel’s previously unbeaten and then-13th-ranked Ryan Hluschak.
• Palma Climbs Wins List: Off to a phenomenal start at 14-3, senior heavyweight Jainor Palma’s career record stands at 65-44 heading into action tonight vs. Duke. Palma needs four more victories to move into a four-way tie with Chris Kwortnik (1991-94), Steve Williams (1989-92) and Gregg Fatool (1982-85) for 20th in career wins at NC State.
• Record Vs. Ranked Foes: NC State wrestlers so far this season have compiled a 9-20 record against opponents ranked in the national top 20 of their respective weight classifications. The last time Wolfpack wrestlers won that many bouts against ranked opponents in an entire season was 1998-99, when the Pack compiled a 9-37 mark vs. ranked opponents for the season.
A year ago, NC State went 7-31 against ranked opponents, with then-freshman 197-pounder Ryan Goodman accouting for four of the seven wins.
This season, junior 157-pounder Kody Hamrah leads the team with three wins against ranked opponents, while Goodman and senior heavyweight Jainor Palma have two apiece. Freshman 141-pounder Darrion Caldwell and sophomore 165-pounder Obie Simpson each have one victory against a ranked opponent.
