North Carolina State University Athletics
Wrestling Closes Season With Home Bouts Vs. UNCG, VT
2/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
RALEIGH, N.C. The college wrestling season is all about March. Everything prior to March is just preliminaries. Well, the preliminaries end for NC State this week.
The Wolfpack (8-9-1 overall, 1-3 in the ACC) will close out its regular-season schedule with dual matches against UNC Greensboro on Wednesday and Virginia Tech on Friday. Both matches will be held at Reynolds Coliseum and are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts.
UNCG come to Raleigh 8-7 overall. The Spartans are led by a pair of standout seniors in Jeff Hedges (21-9 and ranked No. 17 nationally at 133 pounds) and Daren Burns (27-6 and No. 11 at 197). Burns has won 99 matches in his career and is looking to become the first UNCG wrestler to win 100 matches in a career.
NC State is 13-0 all-time against UNCG in a series that began in 1993-94.
Virginia Tech currently is 6-7 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. The Hokies have lost two in a row and five of their last seven. One of the two wins in that span was an 18-16 decision over Virginia, which handed the Wolfpack a 30-12 setback on Sunday at Durham’s Riverside High School.
The Hokies are led by redshirt-freshman 165-pounder Matt Epperly (20-10), sophomore 174-pounder Eric Decker (19-9) amd freshman 184-pounder Tommy Spellman (19-10).
NC State holds a 30-18-1 lead in the overall series with Virginia Tech, which dates back to 1926.
Entering action this week, the Wolfpack remains shorthanded. Specifically, Randy and Ryan Goodman both are listed as doubtful. Randy suffered a head injury at Maryland on January 26 and has not wrestled since. Ryan suffered a knee injury that same day at Navy. Neither is likely to wrestle again before the ACC Championships on March 8 at College Park, Md.
Following are the probable starters for NC State, UNC Greensboro and Virginia Tech for this week’s matches:
NC State (8-9-1)
125: Taylor Cummings (20-11)
133: Darius Little (10-10)
141: #6 Joe Caramanica (27-4)
149: #9 Darrion Caldwell (27-3)
157: Colton Palmer (5-9, 1-3 at 157)
165: Jalil Dozier (11-11)
174: Ray Ward (5-7)
184: Dane Coffee (0-9)
197: Mark Jahad (9-16)
Hwt: Bobby Isola (14-12)
UNC Greensboro (8-7)
125: Mitchell Johnson (11-13)
133: No. 17 Jeff Hedges (21-9)
141: Ben Wilmore (4-13)
149: Marcus Hannah (14-5) or Andrew Saunders (9-9)
157: Mark Ring (7-12)
165: Byron Sigmon (13-12)
174: Mikal McKee (10-16)
184: Jeremy Cannon (5-4)
197: No. 11 Daren Burns (27-6)
Hwt: Ryan Hsu (18-11)
Virginia Tech (6-7)
125: Justin Staylor (9-9)
133: Jared Jones (3-4)
141: Chris Diaz (13-13)
149: Matt Rosen (16-13) or Nick Murray (7-11)
157: Andre Johnson (2-16) or Paul Grinups (1-2)
165: Matt Epperly (20-10)
174: Eric Decker (19-9)
184: Tommy Spellman (19-10)
197: D.J. Bruce (1-2) or Kevin O'Connor (9-8)
Hwt: David Marone (13-10)
NC STATE WRESTLING NOTEBOOK
CALDWELL AND PINS: This past weekend’s pins of North Carolina’s Vincent Ramirez and Virginia’s Shawn Harris gave sophomore 149-pounder Darrion Caldwell 27 falls for his career, and 17 for the 2007-08 season. Caldwell now ranks fifth in school history for career pins.
Caldwell still has a ways to go to break the school record of 64 by Sylvester Terkay (1990-93), but he is within quick-strike range of third place. The late Tab Thacker (1981-84) ranks second in career pins with 54, but Dan Madsen, third with 29, is just two ahead of Caldwell. With his next pin, Caldwell will tie Lynn Morris (1975-78) for third place in school history with 28 career pins.
Caldwell has 17 pins thus far in 2007-08, third most ever in a single season by an NC State wrestler. Terkay has the top two single-season figures in school history 27 in 1991-92 and 25 in 1992-93.
A year ago, Caldwell set the school record for pins by a freshman with 10. Friday’s pin of Ramirez gave Caldwell the school record for pins by a sophomore, breaking a tie with Thacker, who had 15 as a sophomore in 1981-82.
SOPHOMORE RECORD IN SIGHT: With 27 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 two dual matches, plus the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA championships, still to go this season. Caldwell has won a career-high 11 matches in a row, seven of them by fall and one by technical fall.
WINNING PERCENTAGE: Darrion Caldwell has just 56 bouts to his credit so far in his career, but his .839 career won-lost percentage (46-9) would be fourth in school history. Because won-lost percentage is subject to fluctuation, NC State’s career leaders only include wrestlers who have wrestled 50 or more bouts and have exhausted their eligibility. Sylvester Terkay is the career leader at .897 (122-14).
CARAMANICA CLIMBS WINS LIST: With his 7-0 decision over Virginia’s Nick Nelson on Sunday, junior 141-pounder Joe Caramanica became the 21st wrestler in NC State history to record 70 victories in a career. Caramanica has won 13 matches in a row, a team high for the season and a career high for him. He has won 17 of his last 18 matches, dating back to December 30 at the Southern Scuffle.
SHUTOUTS: Caramanica’s 7-0 decision over Nelson on Sunday was his fourth shutout in five matches. North Carolina’s Nick Stabile lost 6-2 to Caramanica last Friday, his two points coming on a third-period takedown. Caramanica has won his last five matches by a combined score of 32-2. He has seven shutouts this season.
GUNNING FOR 30: With 27 wins apiece, Joe Caramanica and Darrion Caldwell are shooting to become just the second pair of NC State wrestlers ever to win at least 30 matches apiece in a single season. Both have two dual matches remaining plus the postseason. Brian Jackson (38) and Michael Stokes (34) both won more than 30 matches in 1989. Only nine wrestlers in the program’s history have won 30 or more matches, the last being Sylvester Terkay in 1993, when he went 41-0 and won the national championship.
FRESHMAN HEAVYWEIGHTS: At 14-12, Bobby Isola is tied with Sylvester Terkay (14-9 in 1989-90) as the second-winningest freshman heavyweight in program history. The late Tab Thacker went 19-3-1 as a freshman in 1980-81.
The Wolfpack (8-9-1 overall, 1-3 in the ACC) will close out its regular-season schedule with dual matches against UNC Greensboro on Wednesday and Virginia Tech on Friday. Both matches will be held at Reynolds Coliseum and are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts.
UNCG come to Raleigh 8-7 overall. The Spartans are led by a pair of standout seniors in Jeff Hedges (21-9 and ranked No. 17 nationally at 133 pounds) and Daren Burns (27-6 and No. 11 at 197). Burns has won 99 matches in his career and is looking to become the first UNCG wrestler to win 100 matches in a career.
NC State is 13-0 all-time against UNCG in a series that began in 1993-94.
Virginia Tech currently is 6-7 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. The Hokies have lost two in a row and five of their last seven. One of the two wins in that span was an 18-16 decision over Virginia, which handed the Wolfpack a 30-12 setback on Sunday at Durham’s Riverside High School.
The Hokies are led by redshirt-freshman 165-pounder Matt Epperly (20-10), sophomore 174-pounder Eric Decker (19-9) amd freshman 184-pounder Tommy Spellman (19-10).
NC State holds a 30-18-1 lead in the overall series with Virginia Tech, which dates back to 1926.
Entering action this week, the Wolfpack remains shorthanded. Specifically, Randy and Ryan Goodman both are listed as doubtful. Randy suffered a head injury at Maryland on January 26 and has not wrestled since. Ryan suffered a knee injury that same day at Navy. Neither is likely to wrestle again before the ACC Championships on March 8 at College Park, Md.
Following are the probable starters for NC State, UNC Greensboro and Virginia Tech for this week’s matches:
NC State (8-9-1)
125: Taylor Cummings (20-11)
133: Darius Little (10-10)
141: #6 Joe Caramanica (27-4)
149: #9 Darrion Caldwell (27-3)
157: Colton Palmer (5-9, 1-3 at 157)
165: Jalil Dozier (11-11)
174: Ray Ward (5-7)
184: Dane Coffee (0-9)
197: Mark Jahad (9-16)
Hwt: Bobby Isola (14-12)
UNC Greensboro (8-7)
125: Mitchell Johnson (11-13)
133: No. 17 Jeff Hedges (21-9)
141: Ben Wilmore (4-13)
149: Marcus Hannah (14-5) or Andrew Saunders (9-9)
157: Mark Ring (7-12)
165: Byron Sigmon (13-12)
174: Mikal McKee (10-16)
184: Jeremy Cannon (5-4)
197: No. 11 Daren Burns (27-6)
Hwt: Ryan Hsu (18-11)
Virginia Tech (6-7)
125: Justin Staylor (9-9)
133: Jared Jones (3-4)
141: Chris Diaz (13-13)
149: Matt Rosen (16-13) or Nick Murray (7-11)
157: Andre Johnson (2-16) or Paul Grinups (1-2)
165: Matt Epperly (20-10)
174: Eric Decker (19-9)
184: Tommy Spellman (19-10)
197: D.J. Bruce (1-2) or Kevin O'Connor (9-8)
Hwt: David Marone (13-10)
NC STATE WRESTLING NOTEBOOK
CALDWELL AND PINS: This past weekend’s pins of North Carolina’s Vincent Ramirez and Virginia’s Shawn Harris gave sophomore 149-pounder Darrion Caldwell 27 falls for his career, and 17 for the 2007-08 season. Caldwell now ranks fifth in school history for career pins.
Caldwell still has a ways to go to break the school record of 64 by Sylvester Terkay (1990-93), but he is within quick-strike range of third place. The late Tab Thacker (1981-84) ranks second in career pins with 54, but Dan Madsen, third with 29, is just two ahead of Caldwell. With his next pin, Caldwell will tie Lynn Morris (1975-78) for third place in school history with 28 career pins.
Caldwell has 17 pins thus far in 2007-08, third most ever in a single season by an NC State wrestler. Terkay has the top two single-season figures in school history 27 in 1991-92 and 25 in 1992-93.
A year ago, Caldwell set the school record for pins by a freshman with 10. Friday’s pin of Ramirez gave Caldwell the school record for pins by a sophomore, breaking a tie with Thacker, who had 15 as a sophomore in 1981-82.
SOPHOMORE RECORD IN SIGHT: With 27 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 two dual matches, plus the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA championships, still to go this season. Caldwell has won a career-high 11 matches in a row, seven of them by fall and one by technical fall.
WINNING PERCENTAGE: Darrion Caldwell has just 56 bouts to his credit so far in his career, but his .839 career won-lost percentage (46-9) would be fourth in school history. Because won-lost percentage is subject to fluctuation, NC State’s career leaders only include wrestlers who have wrestled 50 or more bouts and have exhausted their eligibility. Sylvester Terkay is the career leader at .897 (122-14).
CARAMANICA CLIMBS WINS LIST: With his 7-0 decision over Virginia’s Nick Nelson on Sunday, junior 141-pounder Joe Caramanica became the 21st wrestler in NC State history to record 70 victories in a career. Caramanica has won 13 matches in a row, a team high for the season and a career high for him. He has won 17 of his last 18 matches, dating back to December 30 at the Southern Scuffle.
SHUTOUTS: Caramanica’s 7-0 decision over Nelson on Sunday was his fourth shutout in five matches. North Carolina’s Nick Stabile lost 6-2 to Caramanica last Friday, his two points coming on a third-period takedown. Caramanica has won his last five matches by a combined score of 32-2. He has seven shutouts this season.
GUNNING FOR 30: With 27 wins apiece, Joe Caramanica and Darrion Caldwell are shooting to become just the second pair of NC State wrestlers ever to win at least 30 matches apiece in a single season. Both have two dual matches remaining plus the postseason. Brian Jackson (38) and Michael Stokes (34) both won more than 30 matches in 1989. Only nine wrestlers in the program’s history have won 30 or more matches, the last being Sylvester Terkay in 1993, when he went 41-0 and won the national championship.
FRESHMAN HEAVYWEIGHTS: At 14-12, Bobby Isola is tied with Sylvester Terkay (14-9 in 1989-90) as the second-winningest freshman heavyweight in program history. The late Tab Thacker went 19-3-1 as a freshman in 1980-81.
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