Takedown Report

O’CONNOR, NESS LEAD CAROLINA TO STRONG FINISH AT NCAAS

PITTSBURGH — Austin O’Connorled the way for North Carolina on the final day of the 2019 Division I Wrestling National Championships, finishing in third place at 149 pounds. Chip Ness, the other Tar Heel All-American, finished sixth at 184 pounds. Overall, North Carolina secured a 19th-place finish, the team’s highest since 1995.
O’Connor knocked off No. 4 Brock Mauller of Missouri to advance to the third-place match, where he met Duke’s No. 3 Mitch Finesilver for the second time in the tournament and the sixth time on the season. The Tar Heel redshirt freshman stormed out of the gate, gathered the match’s first takedown and never looked back. He had a 6-2 lead after two periods, and despite almost getting taken down at the buzzer, O’Connor held on for a 7-5 win to secure the third spot on the podium. Ness dropped both of his matches in the medal round on Saturday – to Lehigh’s Ryan Preisch and Illinois’ Emory Parker – but finished sixth for his second All-American honor to wrap up his career at North Carolina. Rest of the story at
https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/23/wrestling-o-connor-ness-lead-carolina-to-strong-finish-at-ncaas.aspx?path=wrestling
and also a story from Ness’ hometown in Georgia
North Carolina senior Chip Ness becomes Gwinnett’s first two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American
Two thrilling victories in Pittsburgh put University of North Carolina senior Chip Ness in rare company. The Buford graduate became Gwinnett County’s first two-time All-American at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, in addition to becoming just the fourth Georgia native to accomplish the feat. Though he fell short of a national title — he ended up sixth — he made his mark with All-American honors for the second straight season at college wrestling’s marquee event, which concluded Saturday. “I was really looking forward to making finals and I definitely had a huge goal of winning and becoming a national champ and making a legacy for myself,” Ness said Sunday after he arrived back in Chapel Hill, N.C. “The goal was to try to be the best Georgia wrestler ever. Rest of the story from Georgia at https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/north-carolina-senior-chip-ness-becomes-gwinnett-s-first-two/article_7b20457c-4c58-5cb3-8da7-695de9f2cde5.html?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized