Takedown Report

Three UNC Wrestlers Victorious, Tar Heels Finish Runner-Up At Soldier Salute

CORALVILLE, Iowa – Three North Carolina wrestlers finished atop the podium on day two of Soldier Salute, helping the Tar Heels to a runner-up team finish.
Carolina finished the two-day tournament with 161.5 team points, trailing Missouri who capped off the event with 166.5 points.
Individually, Ethan Oakley (133), Luke Simcox (141) and Bryce Hepner (165) secured championships in their respective weight classes. The Tar Heel trio helped Carolina post 11 total placers in the tournament.
Kysen Terukina (125) and Jake Dailey (184) finished runner-up, meeting ranked wrestlers in their championship bouts.
Rounding out the individual efforts, Matthew Botello (Third – 133), Laird Root (Fourth – 157), Robert Platt (Fourth – 197), Nick O’Neill (Fifth – 141), Nicholas Fea (Fifth – 174) and Mikey Calcagno (Sixth – 197) placed for the Tar Heels.
Up next, Carolina shifts its focus to the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the schedule, traveling to Virginia on Jan. 16. Action between the Tar Heels and Cavaliers gets underway at 7 PM, with the dual streamed on ACCNX.
Soldier Salute Day Two Results
125: Cameron Stinson Jr.
Silver Bracket Semifinals: Carson Dupill (South Dakota State) over Cameron Stinson Jr. (UNC): 12-3 MD
Silver Bracket Third-Place Match: Cameron Stinson Jr. (UNC) over Anthony Alanis (Bellarmine): 11-0 MD
125: Kysen Terukina
Semifinals: No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC) over Daniel Guanajuato (South Dakota State): 6-5 Dec
Final: No. 28 Mack Mauger (Missouri) over No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC): 7-2 Dec
133: Matthew Botello
Semifinal: Gage Walker (Missouri) over Matthew Botello (UNC): 5-1 Dec
Consolation Semifinals: Matthew Botello (UNC) over Hayden Mills (Nebraska): Fall (3:19)
Third-Place Match: Matthew Botello (UNC) over No. 22 Luke Willochell (Wyoming): Fall (1:13)
133: Ethan Oakley
Semifinals: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Osmany Diversent (Iowa State): Fall (1:57)
Final: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Gage Walker (Missouri): 4-2 Dec
141: Nick O’Neill
Consolation Semifinals: No. 31 Caedyn Ricciardi (Navy) … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/1/4/wrestling-three-wrestlers-victorious-tar-heels-finish-runner-up-at-soldier-salute

January 8, 2026 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized