Two Pins Lead @PackWrestle to 26-15 Win Over #24 Old Dominion

Thursday, December 17

NC State Fairgrounds - Holshouser Building

7 PM

NC State

#24 Old Dominion

Two Pins Lead @PackWrestle to 26-15 Win Over #24 Old Dominion

12/17/2015 9:03:00 PM | Wrestling

RALEIGH, N.C. - Four of the Wolfpack's five wins were bonus point wins, as the #3 NC State wrestling team defeated #24 Old Dominion 26-15 Thursday night. Starting with a technical fall in the first bout, the Wolfpack (11-0) scored back-to-back pins in the middle of the dual, and concluded the win with a DQ.

NC State improves its season record to a perfect 11-0, the most consecutive wins to start a season in school history. The Pack has also defeated all three ranked opponents it has faced thus far - #13 Minnesota, 31-3 and #4 Oklahoma State, 19-15.

Earlier in the day Tommy Gantt walked in graduation ceremonies getting his degree in Social Work, then tonight he started the Pack off with a bonus point win at 165 pounds. Wrestling up a weight, Gantt used a four-point near-fall in the third period and scored a 21-6 technical fall win that put NC State up 5-0.

ODU won the next two bouts by decision, giving the Monarchs a 6-5 lead. One of the featured bouts came at 184 pounds, as #2 Jack Dechow pulled off a comeback 11-9 OT win over #15 Pete Renda.

At 197 pounds, #18 Michael Boykin scored a 9-4 decision to put the Pack back up 8-6.

NC State then scored back-to-back pins, first at 285 pounds then at 125 pounds. No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski turned an early takedown into a 50 second pin to push his NCAA-best winning streak to 66 matches.

At 125, NC State's Sean Fausz scored the Pack's second straight win with a pin at the 5:56 mark. Up 6-5 in the third, Fausz scored a takedown and immediately turned it into his third pin of the season.

ODU reeled off three straight wins at 133, 141 and 149 pounds to pull within 20-15.

The Pack concluded the match with an unconventional six points at 157 pounds. NC State's Chad Pyke was in control of the bout late in the third with a 6-2 lead and the ride time point locked up, when ODU's Austin Eads threw a punch and was disqualified.

#3 NC State 26, #24 Old Dominion 15
165: #6 Tommy Gantt (NCSU) tech fall Sheldon Wright; 21-6 - 5-0
174: Brooks Climmons (ODU) dec. Nicky Hall; 2-1 - 5-3
184: #2 Jack Dechow (ODU) dec. #15 Pete Renda; 11-9 (SV-1) - 5-6
197: #18 Michael Boykin (NCSU) dec. Austin Coburn; 9-4 - 8-6
285: #1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) fall Andrew Snyder; 0:50 - 14-6
125: Sean Fausz (NCSU) fall Brandon Jeske; 5:56 - 20-6
133: Emilio Saavedra (ODU) dec. Jamal Morris; 3-1 - 20-9
141: #3 Chris Mecate (ODU) dec. #2 Kevin Jack; 3-5 (SV-1) - 20-12
149: #5 Alexander Richardson (ODU) dec. Beau Donahue; 3-2 - 20-15
157: Chad Pyke (NCSU) DQ Austin Eades - 26-15

Up Next: The Pack will be back in action after a short holiday break. NC State returns to action December 29-30, traveling to the Midlands Championships.