North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Wrestling's History of Success
8/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Since winning its first ACC team championship in 1976 under legendary head coach Bob Guzzo, the NC State wrestling program has been a perennial power, producing 13 ACC team champions, 99 individual conference champions, 25 All-Americans and four individual national champions.
The Wolfpack has finished in the top 10 nationally three times, including a seventh-place finish in 1993, the school’s best-ever showing at nationals. The Wolfpack has finished in the national top 20 in 12 of the last 27 seasons.
Guzzo took over the reigns of the program in 1975 and immediately put NC State wrestling on the map. Guzzo won ACC championships twice in his first four seasons, then made the program a national power in 1980 when the Wolfpack finished eighth in the team standings at the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Matt Reiss swept through the field at 167 pounds that year to win the national championship, the Wolfpack’s first NCAA champion. From there, Guzzo’s program took off, finishing in the national top 20 11 times in 14 seasons, including four finishes in the national top 10.
The Wolfpack’s rise to prominence was fueled by individual excellence. In 1984, Tab Thacker became the second Wolfpack wrestler in five years to win a national championship, cruising to the heavyweight title, and four years later, Scott Turner produced the ACC’s most impressive individual showing ever at the national tournament. Turner not only won the 1988 national championship at 150 pounds, he swept through the tournament without yielding a single point other than for riding time, earning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award, the highest honor a collegiate wrestler can attain. Turner was the first of two wrestlers from the ACC ever to earn that honor.
In 1993, heavyweight Sylvester Terkay put together a perfect season, going 41-0 and winning NC State’s fourth individual national championship. The Pack finished seventh nationally that year, its highest national finish in program history.
Guzzo’s Wolfpack continued to reside at or near the top of the ACC throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and won three conference championships in his final four years 2001, 2002 and 2004.
Guzzo’s longtime assistant coach, Carter Jordan, took over the program for the 2004-05 season and began the process of steadily building the program back to the heights it enjoyed in the 1980s and early 1990s. Carter’s Wolfpack won the ACC championship in his third season as head coach, 2007, winning the tournament by a whopping 36 points, the largest margin of victory in 13 years. Five Wolfpack wrestlers won conference titles that year, and a school-record-tying eight appeared in the finals.
The Wolfpack failed in its bid to repeat as conference champions in 2008, but made a huge step forward nationally, finishing 25th at the NCAA Championships, the program’s first top-25 finish since the 1993 team finished seventh. In addition, Darrion Caldwell finished fifth at 149 pounds to become the Wolfpack’s first All-American since Mike Miller at 118 pounds in 1996.
Coaching History
Red Hicks (1925-26)
Buck Drennan (1927-31)
Red Hicks (1933-34)
Dave Morrah (1935-36)
Joe Matthewson (1937)
Herman Hickman (1938-1943)
Al Crawford (1947-67)
Jerry Daniels (1968-74)
Bob Guzzo (1975-2004)
Carter Jordan (2005-present)
NCAA Champions
1980 Matt Reiss 177
1984 Tab Thacker Hwt
1988 Scott Turner 150
1993 Sylvester Terkay Hwt
NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
1988 Scott Turner 150
NCAA Tournament Runner-Up
1989 Michael Stokes 126
1992 Sylvester Terkay Hwt
All-Americans
1979 Jim Zenz 118
1980 Jim Zenz 118
Matt Reiss 167
1981 Chris Wentz 118
Matt Reiss 167
1982 Frank Castrignano 150
Tab Thacker Hwt
1983 Chris Mondragon 158
Tab Thacker Hwt
1984 Tab Thacker Hwt
1986 Scott Turner 150
1987 Marc Sodano 126
1988 Scott Turner 150
Mike Lombardo Hwt
1989 Michael Stokes 126
Brian Jackson Hwt
1991 Chris Kwortnik 167
Sylvester Terkay Hwt
1992 Chris Kwortnik 167
Sylvester Terkay Hwt
Steve Williams 177
1993 Sylvester Terkay Hwt
Chris Kwortnik 167
1996 Mike Miller 118
2008 Darrion Caldwell 149
Academic All-Americans
1991 Sylvester Terkay (1st Team)
Mark Cesari (2nd Team)
Mark Mangrum (3rd Team)
1992 Sylvester Terkay (1st Team)
Mark Cesari (2nd Team)
1993 Sylvester Terkay (1st Team)
Mark Cesari (Honorable Mention)
Mike Miller (Honorable Mention)
1999 Zach Breitenbach (2nd Team)
2000 Zach Breitenbach (1st Team)
2001 Zach Breitenbach (1st Team)
ACC Team Champions
Year............................. Head Coach
1976............................... Bob Guzzo
1978............................... Bob Guzzo
1981............................... Bob Guzzo
1982............................... Bob Guzzo
1983............................... Bob Guzzo
1988............................... Bob Guzzo
1989............................... Bob Guzzo
1990............................... Bob Guzzo
1991............................... Bob Guzzo
1996............................... Bob Guzzo
2001............................... Bob Guzzo
2002............................... Bob Guzzo
2004............................... Bob Guzzo
2007............................... Carter Jordan
ACC Individual Champions
1955 Allen Henry 177
1962 Bill Sullivan Hwt
1964 Robert Brawley 167
1966 Greg Hicks 152
Robert Brawley 160
Chuck Amato Hwt
1967 Greg Hicks 160
1968 Chuck Amato 191
1970 Steve Rhode 167
1971 Steve Rhode 167
1974 Paul McNutt 142
1975 Paul McNutt 142
1976 Mike Zito 118
Terry Reese 158
Tom Higgins Hwt
1977 Terry Reese 158
Joe Lidowski 190
Lynn Morris Hwt
1978 Joe Lidowski 190
1979 Jim Zenz 118
Mike Koob 134
Joe Lidowski 190
1980 Jim Zenz 118
Mike Koob 150
Joe Lidowski 177
1981 Chris Wentz 118
Tom Newcome 134
Matt Reiss 167
Jerry Rodriguez 190
Tab Thacker Hwt
1982 Frank Castrignano 150
Chris Mondragon 158
Craig Cox 167
Matt Reiss 177
Jerry Rodriguez 190
Tab Thacker Hwt
1983 Vince Bynum 134
Chris Mondragon 158
Craig Cox 167
Gregg Fatool 177
Tab Thacker Hwt
1984 Scott Turner 142
Chris Mondragon 150
Tab Thacker Hwt
1985 Scott Turner 142
Gregg Fatool 167
1986 Marc Sodano 126
Dave Schneiderman 134
Mike Lombardo 190
1987 Marc Sodano 126
1988 Michael Stokes 126
Bill Hershey 134
Joe Cesari 142
Scott Turner 150
1989 Michael Stokes 126
Darrin Farrow 150
Dave Zettlemoyer 167
1990 Steve Cesari 150
Sylvester Terkay Hwt
1991 Clayton Grice 126
Mark Mangrum 134
Steve Williams 177
Sylvester Terkay Hwt
1992 Clayton Grice 134
Chris Kwortnik 167
Steve Williams 177
Sylvester Terkay Hwt
1993 Mark Cesari 142
Chris Kwortnik 167
Dan Madson 190
Sylvester Terkay Hwt
1994 Troy Charney 142
Steve Tenney 177
1995 Mike Miller 118
1996 Mike Miller 118
Anthony Sorantino 126
Dan Madson 190
1998 Billy Blunt Hwt
1999 Tommy Davis 141
Pierre Pryor 157
Kevin Boross 174
2000 Tommy Davis 149
Scott Garren 157
Joel Dramis 165
2001 George Cintron 125
Pierre Pryor 157
Zach Breitenbach 197
2002 George Cintron 125
Jake Giamoni 149
Pierre Pryor 165
Dustin Kawa 174
Jason Gore 197
2003 Jake Giamoni 149
Scott Garren 157
Dustin Kawa 165
2004 Jake Giamoni 149
Scott Garren 157
2005 Kevin Gabrielson 174
2006 Kody Hamrah 157
Jeremy Colbert 184
Ryan Goodman 197
2007 Taylor Cummings 125
Darrion Caldwell 141
Joe Caramanica 149
Ryan Goodman 197
Jainor Palma Hwt
2008 Darrion Caldwell 149
ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
Robert Brawley (167) 1964
Robert Brawley (160) 1966
Steve Rhode (167) 1970
Chris Wentz (118) 1981
Chris Mondragon (158) 1983
Scott Turner (142) 1984
Gregg Fatool (167) 1985
Marc Sodano (126) 1987
Michael Stokes (126) 1988
Michael Stokes (126) 1989
Steve Tenney (177) 1994
Dan Madson (190) 1996
George Cintron (125) 2002
Ryan Goodman (197) 2006
Ryan Goodman (197) 2007
All-ACC
(Est. 1986)
1986 Jim Best, Norm Corkhill, Mike Lombardo,
Marc Sodano, Scott Turner
1987 Dave Cummings, Mike Lombardo,
Dave Schneidermann, Marc Sodano
1988 Joe Cesari, Bill Hershey, Mike Lantz,
Mike Lombardo, Michael Stokes, Scott Turner
1989 Joe Cesari, Darrin Farrow, Brian Jackson,
Jeff Kwortnik, Mark Mangrum,
Michael Stokes, Dave Zettlemoyer
1990 Steve Cesari, Clayton Grice, Steve Kinard,
Mike Lantz, Sylvester Terkay
1991 Mark Cesari, Clayton Grice, Mark Mangrum,
Sylvester Terkay, Steve Williams
1992 Mark Cesari, Clayton Grice, Chris Kwortnik,
Sylvester Terkay, Steve Williams
1993 Mike Norton, Clayton Grice, Mark Cesari,
Chris Kwortnik, Dan Madson, Sylvester Terkay
1994 Troy Charney, Chris Kwortnik, Dan Madson,
Mike Norton, Steve Tenney
1995 Mike Miller, Ryan Nunamaker, Ken Johnson
1996 Mike Miller, Anthony Sorantino,
Ryan Nunamaker, Troy Charney, Ken Johnson,
Kurt Sykes, Dan Madson
1997 Lee Carroll, Joel Dramis
1998 Billy Blunt, Kevin Boross, James Kocher,
Pierre Pryor
1999 Tommy Davis, Pierre Pryor, Kevin Boross,
Zach Breitenbach, Billy Noble
2000 Kevin Boross, Tommy Davis,
Zach Breitenbach, Scott Garren, Joel Dramis,
Jason Gore
2001 Zach Breitenbach, Oraefo Brown,
George Cintron, Tommy Davis, Dustin Kawa,
Pierre Pryor
2002 George Cintron, Jake Giamoni, Jason Gore,
Dustin Kawa, Dave Miller, Pierre Pryor
2003 George Cintron, Jake Giamoni, Scott Garren,
Dustin Kawa
2004 Jeremy Hartrum, Dan Pacitti, Alex Hernandez,
Jake Giamoni, Scott Garren, Dustin Kawa,
Zach Garren
2005 Alex Hernandez, Kody Hamrah,
Kevin Gabrielson
2006 Kody Hamrah, Jeremy Colbert, Ryan Goodman
2007 Taylor Cummings, Darrion Caldwell,
Joe Caramanica, Kody Hamrah, Rick Brownlee,
Jeremy Colbert, Ryan Goodman, Jainor Palma
2008 Darrion Caldwell, Darius Little, Ryan Goodman
ACC Wrestler of the Year (est. 1991) 1991 Sylvester Terkay Hwt 1992 Sylvester Terkay Hwt 1993 Sylvester Terkay Hwt 2007 Darrion Caldwell 141 ACC Coach of the Year (est. 1986) 1988 Bob Guzzo 1989 Bob Guzzo 1991 Bob Guzzo 1996 Bob Guzzo 2001 Bob Guzzo 2002 Bob Guzzo 2007 Carter Jordan ACC Rookie of the Year (est. 2005) 2005 Kody Hamrah 157 2007 Darrion Caldwell 141
