ATHENS, Ohio Junior 184-pounder Ryan Goodman used riding time to take a 4-3 decision over Erik Schuth in the final match of the day, lifting
NC State to a 23-18 victory over the Bobcats in a dual wrestling match.
The victory extended NC State’s unbeaten streak to six matches and improved the Wolfpack to 6-5-1 in dual matches for the season. Ohio University fell to 5-11 with the loss.
NC State got victories from its big four 125-pounder Taylor Cummings, 141-pounder Joe Caramancia, 149-pounder Darrion Caldwell, and Goodman at 184 plus decisions from 197-pounder Mark Jahad and 165-pounder Jalil Dozier. Cummings won by tech fall, and Caldwell recorded his 14th pin of the season.
The two teams traded wins through the first four weight classes, with Jahad defeating Chris Iammarino 6-5 in the first match of the dual, and Cummings winning a 16-0 tech fall over Heath Allen at 125. Cummings improved to 17-8 on the season with his fourth technical fall of the year.
With Ohio University holding a 10-8 lead through four matches, Caramanica, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCWA poll, jumped to an early four-point lead on a takedown and near fall, then held on to take an 8-7 decision over Germane Lindsey in a bout that was tight throughout. Caramanica improved to 21-4 with the win.
Caldwell then gave NC State a 17-8 lead by pinning Kevin Christensen in 1:46. Caldwell, who improved to 22-3 for the season, now has 14 pins for the season, has won his last six bouts by fall or technical fall. He has 24 pins for his career, which is tied with Pierre Pryor 1998-2002) for fifth place in school history.
NC State’s nine-point lead was tenuous. Clay Tucker recorded a technical fall over Chris Gambino at 157 to make to 17-15, and after Dozier and Ohio’s Jacob Ison swapped decisions at 165 and 174, Goodman and Schuth entered the final bout of the match with the Wolfpack holding a 20-18 victory.
NC State returns to action on Saturday, January 26. The Wolfpack will face Maryland in College Park at noon, and then will roll down the road to Annapolis to take on Navy at 7 p.m.
Notes: With 22 victories so far this season, Caldwell is on a pace that will put him within reach of the school record of 32 victories in a season by a sophomore, held by Sylvester Terkay. Caldwell has eight dual matches, plus the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA championships, still to go this season. Caldwell also has a shot at becoming the first NC State wrestler since Mike Miller in 1995 to win 30 matches in a season. Caramanica also is within reach of 30 wins for the year.
Of Caldwell’s 24 career pins, 21 of them have been first-period falls, 10 in the first minute, and six in the first 30 seconds of the bout. His pin of Liberty’s Scottie Clymer a week ago was the first in Caldwell’s career that came after the second period of a match. Add in technical falls and defaults, and 26 of Caldwell’s 42 career victories came well shy of the seven-minute mark. All but two of his nine career losses were by pin or technical fall.
NC State 23, Ohio 18
197 Mark Jahad (NCS) dec. Chris Iammarino, 6-5
Hwt Jason Marshall (Ohio) pinned Bobby Isola, at 7:48
125 Taylor Cummings (NCS) tech fall Heath Allen, 16-0
133 Seth Morton (Ohio) major dec. Darius Little, 10-2
141 #7 Joe Caramanica (NCS) dec. Germane Lindsey, 8-7
149 #10 Darrion Caldwell (NCS) pinned Kevin Christensen, at 1:46
157 Clay Tucker (Ohio) tech fall Chris Gambino, 19-1
165 Jalil Dozier (NCS) dec. Kent Smith, 11-6
174 Jacob Ison (Ohio) dec. Randy Goodman, 8-4
184 Ryan Goodman (NCS) dec. Erik Schuth, 4-3
