Takedown Report

ACC Results & News – Jan. 27th

Two Panthers Earn Top-10 Wolfpack Wins
PITTSBURGH—Cole Matthews at 141 pounds and Reece Heller at 184 pounds both picked up top-10 individual wins for the No. 19 Pitt wrestling team on Friday night against No. 8 NC State in front of more than 2,000 fans in the ACC dual opener for both teams at the Fitzgerald Field House. 
Matthews beat his second top-five opponent of the season in No. 4 Ryan Jack, coming from behind to tally a 15-10 decision in a rematch of the last two 141-pound ACC title bouts. Pitt’s senior team captain and former NCAA All-American had previously beaten No. 3 Jesse Mendez from Ohio State and used a flurry of points in the third period to pull off another massive victory.
Heller also emerged with his second top-10 win of the season after a 4-3 decision over No. 7 Dylan Fishback, thanks to an early takedown and some great scrambling. Pitt’s 184-pounder had won 11 of his 12 victories by bonus-point decision, including a major over No. 5 Will Feldkamp from Iowa State, but he showed a gritty and disciplined side to his game in defeating the NC State freshman.
The Wolfpack (11-2, 1-0 ACC) won the other eight bouts in the dual to beat the Panthers (7-6, 0-1) by a 31-6 scoreline in a matchup of two teams who shared the ACC dual title last season. “We didn’t win the close bouts that we needed to tonight,” Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said. “NC State has a really good team, so you have to give them credit. But we’re disappointed with a few of the results from the closer matches that didn’t go our way tonight.” … story at … Pittsburghpanthers.com/Two-panthers-earn-top-10-wolfpack-wins

And …

UNC Wrestling Falls to No. 12 Virginia Tech In ACC Opener
BLACKSBURG, VA. – The North Carolina wrestling program dropped its ACC opener Friday night at Virginia Tech, 33-3 The matchup with the Hokies began at 184-pounds, as junior Gavin Kane secured an 11-8 sudden victory decision. Trailing entering the third period, Kane used two takedowns in the final period to tie the match at eight-all. In the sudden victory period, Kane scored in the opening seconds to claim the decision.
Up next, the Tar Heels travel to No. 8 NC State next Friday, meeting up with the Wolfpack at 8:30 PM. The matchup from Reynolds Coliseum can be watched live on ACC Network.
No. 12 Virginia Tech 33, North Carolina 3
January 26, 2024 | Cassell Coliseum | Blacksburg, Va.
125: No. 6 Cooper Flynn (VT) over No. 29 Spencer Moore (UNC): 4-2 Dec
133: No. 11 Sam Latona (VT) over Jace Palmer (UNC): 19-3 TF
141: No. 14 Tom Crook (VT) over No. 5 Lachlan McNeil (UNC): 5-4 Dec … story at … GOheels.com/Wrestling-falls-to-no-12-virginia-tech-in-acc-opener

And …

2023-24 ACC First Half Recap
This Friday marks the beginning of ACC conference duals with North Carolina facing Virginia Tech, Virginia traveling to Duke, and NC State heading north to Pittsburgh. Before we start ACC action let’s take a look back at the first half of the season and the highlights, and areas of focus, for each team moving forward.

Duke:
Dual Record: 4-8
The Blue Devils have had a very dual-heavy schedule and have traveled extensively already this season. They come into ACC competition at 4-8 and have faced five top-30 dual teams thus far. While their record isn’t stellar, they have performed well against similarly ranked teams with victories over Cleveland State, Kent State, and Davidson. 
They have shown improvement throughout the year after an 0-4 start. The Blue Devils have been led by Gaetano Console (165) and Connor Barket (285). Barket has stepped into 285 well and has looked better as the year has gone on. He placed eighth at the Southern Scuffle and has been consistent in duals for the Blue Devils. Duke has also had better results from Logan Agin at 125 and Logan Ferrero at 157 and both are off to stronger starts than last season and have both picked up big wins in duals. 
Duke isn’t in a position to be a threat for the ACC dual title, but I’m looking for them to continue to improve and have some guys positioned to make a push at the ACC Tournament. 

North Carolina:
Dual Record: 7-5
The Tar Heels are in a transition year with Coach Rob Koll taking the helm early this fall, he retained Associate Head Coach Tony Ramos and rounded out his staff with Enock Francois and Ben Darmstadt. While they transition to the new staff, they have rolled out a very young lineup, having graduated over half of their starters from last season. There have been some growing pains, but there have also been some outstanding team performances already this year. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/ACC/2023-24-acc-first-half-recap

And …

Duke Blue Devils Drop ACC Opener to Virginia
DURHAM –  The Duke wrestling team (4-9) fell to Virginia (6-2), 45-0, in its ACC opener on Friday in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Prior to the match, the Blue Devils honored their Team Impact teammate, James Walter. The match also marked Duke’s Centennial celebration.
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Senior Conor Becker opened the action at 184 pounds and battled Virginia’s Griffin Gammell, but fell in a tight 4-2 decision.
• In the heavyweight match, sophomore Connor Barket started strong with a quick takedown and continued to battle through the third period against No. 33 Ryan Catka.
• Barket scored five additional points on the defensive end, but came up just short, falling 12-8.
• Sophomore Nick Tattini and freshman David Hussey both competed against tough nationally ranked competition, wrestling No. 28 Dylan Cedeno and No. 14 Justin McCoy, respectively. … story at … GOduke.com/Blue-devils-drop-acc-opener-to-virginia

January 27, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized