North Carolina State University Athletics
Wrestling Heads To Blacksburg For ACC Championships
3/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
RALEIGH, N.C. - Wrestling coach Carter Jordan has said from day one that he built his 2008-09 team with the postseason in mind. The postseason begins Saturday with the 55th Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championships on the campus of Virginia Tech.
The doors at Blacksburg’s Cassell Coliseum will open for Saturday’s events at 10 a.m. First-round matches will start at 11 a.m., with semifinals set to begin at 1 p.m. and the championship finals at 7 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Virginia Tech Ticket Office at 1-800-828-3244.
For NC State, the ACC and NCAA tournaments will offer a chance to erase the disappointment of a 4-15-1 regular-season record in dual matches. Although Jordan built his squad for the postseason, much of the Wolfpack’s regular-season record was due to injuries. At one point or another during the season, the Wolfpack was without starters at 125 pounds, 141, 165, 184, 197 and heavyweight.
Heading to Blacksburg, the Wolfpack is as healthy as at any time since the start of the season, and while the lineup has been altered considerably since November, the 10 NC State wrestlers heading to this year’s ACC Championships are ready to go.
“We’re excited,” Jordan said. “It’s an opportunity for us. We’re healthy for the first time in a long time, and the guys who are in the lineup are really looking forward to this weekend.”
Junior 149-pounder Darrion Caldwell will be the focal point for NC State. The 2008 All-American has been ranked No. 3 all season long and heads into the tournament with a sparkling 30-1 record with 15 pins. He is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings. Caldwell’s only loss was an injury default to Oklahoma’s Kyle Terry on January 30.
Senior 157-pounder Kody Hamrah is 28-8 on the season and enters the postseason with career highs for wins and falls (7). Hamrah has won nine of his last 11 matches and 12 of his last 15.
Senior 141-pounder Joe Caramanica has battled a balky knee all season, the result of a season-ending injury at last year’s ACC Championships. Caramanica did not return to action until December 28 at the Southern Scuffle, and after winning his first 10 matches, including the championship at the Scuffle, and rising as high as No. 10 in the national polls, he finished the season at 11-7. Regardless of his record, however, Caramanica has won 84 bouts in his career, is a seasoned and highly skilled veteran wrestler, and should be a contender for the conference championship at 141.
Sophomore 133-pounder Darrius Little finished second in the conference a year ago. After a 15-14 season in which the promising Little went 3-3 against conference opponents, he heads into postseason capable of scoring points and advancing to the NCAA meet.
“We have several guys capable of winning their weight class,” Jordan said. “Everyone knows how good Darrion is. He’s one of the very best wrestlers in the country, regardless of weight class, and he’s always worth the price of admission. I expect Kody Hamrah to wrestle well here, and I think Joe Caramanica is ready to bounce back.”
The Championship will feature a number of wrestlers who posted unbeaten ACC records in their respective weight classes, including Virginia Tech’s Jarrod Garnett (5-0 at 125 pounds), Pete Yates (4-0 at 149) and Tommy Spellman (4-0 at 184); North Carolina’s Keegan Mueller (4-0 at 165) and Justin Dobies (5-0 at heavyweight); Maryland’s Steve Bell (5-0 at 133), Alex Krom (5-0 at 141) and Hudson Taylor (5-0 at 197); Virginia’s Chris Henrich (5-0 at 174); Duke’s John Barone (4-0 at 184), and NC State’s Darrion Caldwell (3-0 at 149).
Returning individual champions include Maryland’s Bell at 133, NC State’s Caldwell at 149, Virginia Tech’s Matt Epperly (the 2008 Championship’s Outstanding Wrestler) at 165, Virginia’s Rocco Caponi (two-time defending champ) at 184, Maryland’s Taylor at 197 and North Carolina’s Dobies at heavyweight. Maryland’s Brian Letters, the defending champion at 157, also returns but is competing in the 165 weight class this season.
Caldwell enters the meet as the ACC’s highest nationally ranked wrestler in his weight class at No. 3. Caldwell, who owns an 86-12 career record with 48 pins. He compiled his 30-1 overall record despite being sidelined for several matches late in the regular season due to back spasms.
Other ACC wrestlers listed in the latest InterMat/NWCA/NWMA national rankings include Virginia Tech’s Garnett (12th at 125), Maryland’s Bell (11th at 133), Maryland’s Krom (ninth at 141), Virginia’s Nick Nelson (16th at 141), Virginia Tech’s Chris Diaz (17th at 141) and North Carolina’s Victor Ramirez (18th at 141).
North Carolina’s Nick Stabile is ranked 15th at 149, while Virginia Tech’s Yates holds the 20th spot. Virginia Tech’s Jesse Dong is ranked 19th at 157, while North Carolina’s Mueller holds a No. 17 ranking at 165.
Virginia’s Henrich is the nation’s seventh-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds, and Maryland’s Taylor is ranked No. 9 at 174. The 197-pound weight class has two other representatives among the top 20 in North Carolina’s Dennis Drury (18th) and Virginia’s Brent Jones (19th). Duke’s Konrad Dudziak is the fifth-ranked heavyweight.
The ACC will be allotted 27 automatic berths in NCAA competition in 2009, nearly double the 14 it received last season. The number of ACC automatic qualifiers in each weight class will be as follows:
125: 2
133: 3
141: 5
149: 3
157: 3
165: 1
174: 1
184: 2
197: 4
285: 3
The doors at Blacksburg’s Cassell Coliseum will open for Saturday’s events at 10 a.m. First-round matches will start at 11 a.m., with semifinals set to begin at 1 p.m. and the championship finals at 7 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Virginia Tech Ticket Office at 1-800-828-3244.
For NC State, the ACC and NCAA tournaments will offer a chance to erase the disappointment of a 4-15-1 regular-season record in dual matches. Although Jordan built his squad for the postseason, much of the Wolfpack’s regular-season record was due to injuries. At one point or another during the season, the Wolfpack was without starters at 125 pounds, 141, 165, 184, 197 and heavyweight.
Heading to Blacksburg, the Wolfpack is as healthy as at any time since the start of the season, and while the lineup has been altered considerably since November, the 10 NC State wrestlers heading to this year’s ACC Championships are ready to go.
“We’re excited,” Jordan said. “It’s an opportunity for us. We’re healthy for the first time in a long time, and the guys who are in the lineup are really looking forward to this weekend.”
Junior 149-pounder Darrion Caldwell will be the focal point for NC State. The 2008 All-American has been ranked No. 3 all season long and heads into the tournament with a sparkling 30-1 record with 15 pins. He is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings. Caldwell’s only loss was an injury default to Oklahoma’s Kyle Terry on January 30.
Senior 157-pounder Kody Hamrah is 28-8 on the season and enters the postseason with career highs for wins and falls (7). Hamrah has won nine of his last 11 matches and 12 of his last 15.
Senior 141-pounder Joe Caramanica has battled a balky knee all season, the result of a season-ending injury at last year’s ACC Championships. Caramanica did not return to action until December 28 at the Southern Scuffle, and after winning his first 10 matches, including the championship at the Scuffle, and rising as high as No. 10 in the national polls, he finished the season at 11-7. Regardless of his record, however, Caramanica has won 84 bouts in his career, is a seasoned and highly skilled veteran wrestler, and should be a contender for the conference championship at 141.
Sophomore 133-pounder Darrius Little finished second in the conference a year ago. After a 15-14 season in which the promising Little went 3-3 against conference opponents, he heads into postseason capable of scoring points and advancing to the NCAA meet.
“We have several guys capable of winning their weight class,” Jordan said. “Everyone knows how good Darrion is. He’s one of the very best wrestlers in the country, regardless of weight class, and he’s always worth the price of admission. I expect Kody Hamrah to wrestle well here, and I think Joe Caramanica is ready to bounce back.”
The Championship will feature a number of wrestlers who posted unbeaten ACC records in their respective weight classes, including Virginia Tech’s Jarrod Garnett (5-0 at 125 pounds), Pete Yates (4-0 at 149) and Tommy Spellman (4-0 at 184); North Carolina’s Keegan Mueller (4-0 at 165) and Justin Dobies (5-0 at heavyweight); Maryland’s Steve Bell (5-0 at 133), Alex Krom (5-0 at 141) and Hudson Taylor (5-0 at 197); Virginia’s Chris Henrich (5-0 at 174); Duke’s John Barone (4-0 at 184), and NC State’s Darrion Caldwell (3-0 at 149).
Returning individual champions include Maryland’s Bell at 133, NC State’s Caldwell at 149, Virginia Tech’s Matt Epperly (the 2008 Championship’s Outstanding Wrestler) at 165, Virginia’s Rocco Caponi (two-time defending champ) at 184, Maryland’s Taylor at 197 and North Carolina’s Dobies at heavyweight. Maryland’s Brian Letters, the defending champion at 157, also returns but is competing in the 165 weight class this season.
Caldwell enters the meet as the ACC’s highest nationally ranked wrestler in his weight class at No. 3. Caldwell, who owns an 86-12 career record with 48 pins. He compiled his 30-1 overall record despite being sidelined for several matches late in the regular season due to back spasms.
Other ACC wrestlers listed in the latest InterMat/NWCA/NWMA national rankings include Virginia Tech’s Garnett (12th at 125), Maryland’s Bell (11th at 133), Maryland’s Krom (ninth at 141), Virginia’s Nick Nelson (16th at 141), Virginia Tech’s Chris Diaz (17th at 141) and North Carolina’s Victor Ramirez (18th at 141).
North Carolina’s Nick Stabile is ranked 15th at 149, while Virginia Tech’s Yates holds the 20th spot. Virginia Tech’s Jesse Dong is ranked 19th at 157, while North Carolina’s Mueller holds a No. 17 ranking at 165.
Virginia’s Henrich is the nation’s seventh-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds, and Maryland’s Taylor is ranked No. 9 at 174. The 197-pound weight class has two other representatives among the top 20 in North Carolina’s Dennis Drury (18th) and Virginia’s Brent Jones (19th). Duke’s Konrad Dudziak is the fifth-ranked heavyweight.
The ACC will be allotted 27 automatic berths in NCAA competition in 2009, nearly double the 14 it received last season. The number of ACC automatic qualifiers in each weight class will be as follows:
125: 2
133: 3
141: 5
149: 3
157: 3
165: 1
174: 1
184: 2
197: 4
285: 3
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