@PackWrestle Goes for ACC Championship Saturday

2018 ACC Brackets | 2018 NCAA Allocations
NC State Notes | Rankings Roundup | ACC Breakdown
LISTEN: #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast: Ep. 15 – ACC Championship Preview

RALEIGH, N.C. - After claiming the ACC regular season title with a perfect 5-0 dual record, the NC State Wrestling team heads to Chapel Hill for Saturday's 2018 ACC Championship. The Wolfpack has an ACC-best seven of its 10 participants seeded No. 1 or No. 2 at their weights, which will result in a bye into the semifinals.

	2018 ACC Championship
Date	Saturday, March 3
Time	Starts 11 AM - Finals 7 PM
Location	Chapel Hill, N.C.
Venue	Carmichael Arena
Tickets	$10 adults, college students & 18 & under Free
Streaming	ACC Network Extra: Mat 1 & Finals Mat 2
Live Scoring	TrackWrestling
Social Media	@PackWrestle

About the ACC Championship
The ACC will hold the 64th annual ACC Championship March 4 in Chapel Hill at Carmichael Arena. Wrestling begins at 11 a.m. and all of the action will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra. Here is a tentative schedule:
• First Round - 11 a.m.
• Semifinals - 1 p.m.
• Consolation Semifinals - 3:30 p.m.
• Consolation Finals - 5 p.m.
• Finals - 7 p.m.

@PackWrestle Heads to Chapel Hill for 2018 ACC Championships
After going 5-0 in ACC duals and winning the ACC Dual title, NC State is going for its second ACC Championship in the last three seasons. Other accomplishments:

• NC State finished No. 6 in the final NWCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll.
• NC State won the ACC Dual title for the first time since 2004, and finished undefeated in ACC duals (5-0) for the first time since 2000.
• NC State had all 10 starters ranked in all three NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings.

Jack Looking for Three Straight ACC Titles at 141 Pounds
Senior Kevin Jack is attempting to become only the 11th wrestler in NC State history to win three ACC titles during his career. He will also attempt to become only the fifth non-heavyweight in school history to win three ACC titles at the same weight.

Jack finished his ACC dual career a perfect 16-0, outscoring his ACC foes 156-33 and recording two pins. He did not allow a single takedown the last two years.

2017 ACC Championship Recap
Five members of the NC State wrestling team advanced to the finals and earned All-ACC honors, as the Wolfpack placed second at the 2017 ACC Championship hosted inside Reynolds Coliseum.

Kevin Jack repeated as ACC Champion at 141 pounds with a dominating performance, while Sean Fausz (125), Jamal Morris (133), Brian Hamann (165), and Michael Macchiavello (184) all reached the finals in their weight classes.

Jack was named the 2017 ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler. He outscored his two opponents 27-8 on the day, not giving up a single takedown, including a 10-4 win over No. 6 George DiCamillo of Virginia in the finals.

In the Individual Rankings
Eight of the Pack's 10 starters are ranked in every major poll this week, the third straight week. Of those, five Wolfpack wrestlers are listed among the top-eight at their weights.

Wt.	Wrestler	InterMat	Flo	OpenMat	TrackWrestle
125	R-Jr. Sean Fausz	5	5	5	5
133	R-Fr. Tariq Wilson	18	16	16	20
141	Sr. Kevin Jack	5	5	6	6
149	R-Sr. Beau Donahue	13	13	14	13
157	R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay	3	3	3	3
184	R-Sr. Pete Renda	6	6	6	6
197	R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello	3	5	6	6
285	Sr. Michael Boykin	18	10	11	15

@PackWrestle Ranked No. 6 in Final Coaches' Poll
For the third straight season, the NC State Wolfpack wrestling team has finished in the top-10 in the final NWCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll. After a 15-2 campaign that saw the Wolfpack go 5-0 in ACC action and capture the ACC Dual Championship, the Wolfpack finished the regular season ranked No. 6 nationally. The Pack started No. 8 in the preseason and climbed as high as No. 5 in December.

Over the last three seasons, the Wolfpack has been ranked in the top-10 in 40 straight polls, after having not been ranked in the top-10 at all since 1993. Also over the last three seasons, NC State ranks second nationally in dual winning percentage (.911), having won 51 of its last 56 duals.

@PackWrestle Leads ACC with Four Undefeated
NC State is tied for the ACC lead with four wrestlers sporting a perfect ACC record during the dual season. Hayden Hidlay (157) was one of seven ACC wrestlers to go a perfect 5-0, Kevin Jack (141) was 4-0, Michael Boykin (285) 3-0, and Sean Fausz (125) 2-0.

This season stopped a NC State streak of four straight seasons of having the highest scorer in ACC duals: Kevin Jack last year and Nick Gwiazdowski the previous three.

Wt.	Wrestle	School	ACC Rec.	Pts.
125	Louie Hayes	UVA	5-0	22
125	Sean Fausz	NCSU	2-0	9
133	Dom Forys	Pitt	5-0	19
141	Kevin Jack	NCSU	4-0	19
157	Hayden Hidlay	NCSU	5-0	17
165	David McFadden	VT	5-0	15
174	Hunter Bolen	VT	4-0	15
184	Zack Zavatsky	VT	5-0	20
197	Jared Haught	VT	5-0	19
197	Kellen Stout	Pitt	2-0	6
285	Jacob Kasper	Duke	5-0	20
285	Michael Boykin	NCSU	3-0	9
285	Cory Daniel	UNC	3-0	9

Among the Undefeated
Enter the postseason, there are 14 NCAA D1 wrestlers with a perfect record, including redshirt-freshman Hayden Hidlay at 20-0 at 157 pounds.

Hidlay is one of only two freshmen nationally (both redshirt and true) in all weight classes still without a loss (Alex Marinelli - Iowa - 165).

@PackWrestle Claims 2018 ACC Dual Title
After going 4-1 in ACC dual action each of the last two years, NC State swept the conference and finished 5-0 this season to claim its first ACC regular season title since 2004. The Pack also finished undefeated in ACC dual action for the first time since 2000.

Opp.	Site	Score	Matches Won	Bonus
Duke	A	W, 32-6	8	4
Virginia	H	W, 32-7	8	4
Pitt	A	W, 23-9	7	2
North Carolina	H	W, 26-7	8	2
Virginia Tech	H	W, 19-15	5	2

Over the last three seasons, NC State has outscored its ACC foes 384-155, winning 102 of the 150 matches and going 13-2.

Dominating Duals
Over the last three seasons, NC State boasts the second best dual winning percentage in the NCAA, having won 51 of the last 56 (.911). Only Penn State, at a perfect 44-0, ranks ahead of the Wolfpack.

Rk.	School	Record
1.	Penn State	44-0 (1.000)
2.	NC State	51-5 (.911)
3.	Virginia Tech	48-6 (.887)
4.	Oklahoma State	39-5 (.886)
5.	Missouri	44-6 (.880)

@PackWrestle Led by Senior Class
NC State has six seniors for the 2018 ACC Championships. Three of those seniors (Kevin Jack, Pete Renda, Michael Macchiavello) are ranked in the top-10 in their weight classes, while Beau Donahue is ranked 13th and Michael Boykin is 19th by InterMat this week. In addition, Brian Hamann (26th) was ranked in all three NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings.

Those six have combined for 467 career wins at NC State, all with at least 60 in their careers.

NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings
In all three NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings, NC State had all 10 of its wrestlers ranked, including five in the top-five of their weight classes in the final rankings. Dating back to last year, NC State has had all 10 ranked in the last five rankings.

Wt.	Wrestler	Jan. 28	Feb. 8	Feb. 22
125	R-Jr. Sean Fausz	#3	#4	#5
133	R-Fr. Tariq Wilson	#26	#19	#19
141	Sr. Kevin Jack	#2	#2	#4
149	R-Sr. Beau Donahue	#13	#13	#12
157	R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay	#3	#3	#3
165	R-Sr. Brian Hamann	#28	#27	#26
174	R-Fr. Daniel Bullard	#19	#19	#26
184	R-Sr. Pete Renda	#3	#3	#5
197	R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello	#3	#6	#4
285	Sr. Michael Boykin	#27	#22	#21

NCAA RPI Rankings
Nine NC State wrestlers appeared in the final RPI rankings, including R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello at #1 at 197 pounds.

Wt.	Wrestler	Feb. 22
133	Wilson	#16
141	Jack	#12
149	Donahue	#9
157	Hidlay	#4
165	Hamann	#6
174	Bullard	#27
184	Renda	#8
197	Macchiavello	#1
285	Boykin	#14

Note: Sean Fausz (125) didn't meet the minimum D1 matches (17).

@PackWrestle Finishes Season 15-2 in Duals, 5-0 in ACC
With a 15-2 final dual record in 2018, NC State finished with its third-best record in school history: 23-1 in 2016 and 15-1 in 1981.

The Pack outscored its 17 opponents 519-143 (30-5-8.4), including three shutouts, and one dual with a negative team score. NC State won 128 of the 170 (75.3%) matches in those duals, and racked up 69 bonus wins in the 128 duals victories. The Pack's 10 wrestlers competing at the ACC Championships went a combined 100-126 (79.4%) in duals this season.

Over the last three seasons, NC State has won 51 of its last 56 duals overall. In that span, the Pack is 22-3 in home duals and 29-2 in duals outside of Raleigh, 14-1 in true road duals.

@PackWrestle Racks Up ACC Wrestler of Week Honors
For the fourth straight season, the Wolfpack led the ACC for the most ACC Wrestler of the Week selections during the season. A league-best five Wolfpack wrestlers won the award a combined seven times. R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay (157) was named a league-best three times.

Hidlay was named back-to-back times in December, and was also named the national wrestler of the Week by both FloWrestling and TheOpenMat after wins over #7 and #2 in a span of two days. He was also named after starting his ACC dual career with a 10-5 decision over #11 Mitch Finesilver of Duke.

NC State closed out the season with three straight awards. R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello won the final award, as he downed #1 Kollin Moore of Ohio State, 7-5, in his final home dual. The week before, R-Sr. Pete Renda was honored after he scored an 8-0 major decision over #18 Ness in the Pack's win over UNC.

Earlier in conference action, R-Fr. Tariq Wilson was named in late January in addition to being named the College Wrestler of the Week by TheOpenMat.com as well. Wilson came in unranked at 133 pounds and defeated returning All-American and #5 Jack Mueller of Virginia 9-4.

Kevin Jack won the honor after the first week of the season.

Jack Notches Win #100, Renda Approaches Mark
Last season Kevin Jack became only the ninth NC State wrestler to earn All-American honors twice in a career, and this year he continues to etch his name in the records book.

In the Wolfpack's 29-3 dual win at then-#12 Nebraska in December, Jack became only the fifth NC State wrestler in school history to record 100 career wins. He is now 13 shy of tying the all-time record of 122 set by Sylvester Terkay (1990-93). Also, his career record of 109-18 (.858) is the sixth-best career winning percentage in school history.

Fellow senior Pete Renda also has a chance for career win #100, as he currently stands at 92 and has moved into NCSU's top-10 all-time. If Renda reaches the century mark, he and Jack will be the first set of teammates to notch their 100th career wins in the same season.

New Faces
Although NC State returns 10 NCAA Qualifiers overall (8 from last year, 2 from 2016), the current lineup features seven changes from the group of 10 at last year's NCAAs.

R-Sr. Pete Renda returns to 184 after redshirting in 2017 after his third place finish in 2016. R-Sr. Beau Donahue was the back-up last year at 149 pounds, and Sr. Michael Boykin was the back-up at heavyweight last season.

2017 NCAA Qualifier, R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello has gone from 184 to 197.

A trio of redshirt-freshmen are current starters, Tariq Wilson (133), Hayden Hidlay (157) and Daniel Bullard (174) all took redshirts last season in their first season on campus.

The three at their same weight from last season are: R-Jr. Sean Fausz (125), Sr. Kevin Jack (141) & R-Sr. Brian Hamann (165).

#PackInItaly
The NC State Wrestling team recently made NCAA history, as the Wolfpack competed in the very first NCAA dual held outside of North America. The Pack took part in the Tussle for the Troops dual against #3 Oklahoma State on Jan. 5 at the Naples Naval Base in Naples, Italy. Aside from competition, the Wolfpack got to experience the sights in Naples, Rome and Mount Vesuvius before returning to Raleigh.

Both the Wolfpack and the Cowboys won five individual bouts, but Oklahoma State had three bonus point wins compared to one for NC State and came away with a 19-16 win.

The dual was tied 12-12 with three matches left, as the two teams traded major decisions to make it 16-16 going into the final bout – which turned out to be a Cowboys win at 174 pounds for the overall team win.

@PackWrestle Signs Star-Studded 11-Member Class
Head coach Pat Popolizio announced 11 student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent during the fall signing period. The class includes: 6 top-100 recruits, 5 ranked in top-10 in their weight class, 9 state champions, 3 FloNational All-Americans, 5 NHSCA National All-Americans, 6 Super-32 All-Americans

"This class fills every single one of our needs, and provides much needed depth," said Popolizio. "More importantly, each one of these young men know and respect our team culture and mentality. Our staff has done an outstanding job in finding athletes with great character and drive to succeed.

@PackWrestle Starts #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast
NC State Wrestling has started the first and only NC State Athletics podcast, the #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast. Hosted by Director of Athletics Digital Communications Brian Reinhardt, the podcast is the only NCAA D1 podcast that is both hosted and produced by a school, as head coach Pat Popolizio breaks down the Wolfpack program and different guests stop by to talk about NC State Wrestling.

You can subscribe to get the latest episodes wherever you find all your favorite podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Google Play Music, Android, and RSS, as new episodes will be released throughout the season.

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Players Mentioned

Michael Boykin

Daniel Bullard

Beau Donahue

Sean Fausz

Brian Hamann

Hayden Hidlay

Kevin Jack

Michael Macchiavello

Jamal Morris

Pete Renda

Tariq Wilson