Takedown Report

NC State Wrestling Charged Up For ‘Toughest Tournament In The Country’

North Carolina State won’t have a full lineup, but the Wolfpack is ready to tangle with the loaded field at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
It’s hard to argue that the Cliff Keen Invitational is not college wrestling’s top in-season tournament each year. This year marks the third straight year NC State will be among the teams competing in Las Vegas. Last year, 37 out of the 80 2024 All-Americans competed at the Cliff Keen Invite. This year will feature eight of the top 12 teams ranked in this week’s Flowrestling rankings “Anytime you can get into an arena and have that many guys going on and placing at NCAAs, you know that is the toughest tournament in the country,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “There is not another tournament in the country (during the season) that mirrors what goes on in Las Vegas.
“We love going to it. We know with the amount of competition there every year, our guys need to zone in and focus. We gave ourselves a month of completion to be ready for this level of competition.” Not all 10 starters will be in action for NC State in Las Vegas this weekend.
Christian Knop is still out after having to injury default in the dual against Appalachian State on Nov. 15. Stepping into his spot at 197 pounds will be sophomore Andrew Macchiavello, the younger brother of 2018 national champion Michael Macchiavello. Kai Orine and Dylan Fishback will also not compete this weekend. Orine won the 133-pound weight class in Las Vegas last year, while Fishback also reached the podium with a seventh-place showing.

Early-Season Standouts

A pair of Wolfpack wrestlers have turned heads with their early season results, and both were not in the lineup last year as they redshirted. They will also compete in perhaps the top two weight classes at the Cliff Keen — 125 pounds and heavyweight. One was expected to make the jump into the top-10 this year, while the second started as a backup and has caught the attention of many after his great start to the season as an unknown.
Isaac Trumble redshirted last year after starting his first two seasons at 197 pounds. Now at heavyweight, Trumble is ranked fifth nationally. He is also a past Cliff Keen champion back in his 197-pound days. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13131773-nc-state-wrestling-charged-up-for-toughest-tournament-in-the-country

December 9, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | news, sports, wrestling