The No. 10 wrestling team's last dual of the calendar year is tonight at Old Dominion. The teams have met the past two years, with NC State winning both, but they've actually each won 10 of the possible 20 matches during that time — NC State just recorded more bonus-point wins. I will say ODU, which has been a top-25 program the last three years, is probably a little down compared to years past ... but they still shouldn't be taken lightly despite a 1-3 record. They get solid kids, thanks to their location, and are very well-coached.
ODU does have three wrestlers ranked in the nation's top 20 according to FloWrestling. However, I think all three are winnable matches for NCSU and could give statement wins to two guys that could propel them into the rankings. There are a few other notable matches, a quick rundown of my thoughts:
125 — ODU senior Brandon Jeske is a 3-time NCAA qualifier, although he has not wrestled yet this year. He is ranked 20th by one poll. The thing to watch here will be which freshman NC State puts out there. If it's Wade Cummings, I think he's got a chance to pick up his first significant win. We'll see what happens.
133 — NCSU redshirt sophomore Sean Fausz is a big favorite here, although redshirt freshman Alex Madrigal has a 7-3 record and did well in tournaments last year, posting a winning record at Midlands and a few other opens.
141 — Pack junior Kevin Jack has won his last 12, including his last two over top-10 foes, and that winning streak should continue.
149 — I'm guessing redshirt senior Sam Speno has locked down the starting spot for NC State with some of his recent performances, but redshirt junior Beau Donahue is quite capable as well, evidenced by his 10-3 mark. The ODU guy brings in a record of 1-6, so I expect a win either way.
157 — Rookie Thomas Bullard is officially 7-3 after making his dual debut in the last match against Nebraska, when he lost 6-5 to the nation's No. 6 wrestler. Senior Max Rohskopf is out for the year due to injury, but coaches are really excited about Bullard. ODU redshirt junior Austin Eads is 6-3 this season.
165 — Here's the first chance for a statement win. Redshirt junior Brian Hamann (9-3) squares off with No. 17 Sheldon Wright (6-3). Hamann got a win over #19 vs. App State, and a win here would likely be enough to get him into the top 20. Wright is a sophomore who did not qualify for NCAAs last year, but he did beat a trio of NCAA qualifiers and had a winning record at Midlands (quite an accomplishment for a true frosh). This year, he has a pair of ranked wins.
174 — I think top recruit Nick Reenan (12-3) is starting to hit his stride for the Pack. ODU freshman Antonio Agee is 3-6, but was ranked No. 19 nationally as a senior by Flo (I'm guessing that was at his weight class, but their bio doesn't specify).
184 — Great matchup here. Redshirt senior Jack Dechow is ODU's best wrestler and has been for a few years. He placed fourth at NCAAs as a redshirt frosh. He has won a ton of NCAA matches and tournaments like Midlands, although he has not earned a second AA honor yet. I think he's probably ranked a little low at 12th right now, but he is 8-2. He did beat #7 Willie Miklus of Missouri this year. Pack redshirt junior Michael Macchivello is 10-1 with the lone loss coming in the Nebraska match to NCAA finalist TJ Dudley of Nebraska, who is undefeated and ranked third nationally. Macchiavello has two ranked wins this year, but this would be his biggest yet and definitely bump him up from 15th.
197 — Big opportunity for redshirt sophomore Malik McDonald of NC State, who is 9-4 this year and has a pair of ranked wins, plus an 8-3 loss to #9 Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska. Redshirt junior Kevin Beazley of ODU is 8-1 this year, has previous wins over All-Americans, qualified for NCAAs two years ago and then took an Olympic redshirt last year. He's also coming off a win over a top-10 foe from NIU and has three ranked wins this year. Again, a McDonald win is not out of the question and I think it would be plenty to break him into the top 20.
HWT — Again, it will be interesting to see who the Pack puts out here. Junior Michael Boykin (11-4) or redshirt senior Mike Kosoy (6-4). Freshman Will Hilliard (5-3) will represent ODU, and I'm sure NCSU coaches are familiar with him because he's from New York and went to Wyoming Seminary last year, a powerhouse program in PA that NCSU has a nice relationship with and developing pipeline (four current wrestlers went there, including Reenan).
Here's the GoPack preview: http://gopack.com/news/2016/12/14/wrestling-packwrestle-travels-to-odu-for-tuesday-night-dual.aspx
This link is supposed to take you to a live stream, but it does cost money (no idea how much): http://www.nmnathletics.com/mediaPo...&utm_medium=watch&utm_campaign=trafficpattern
ODU does have three wrestlers ranked in the nation's top 20 according to FloWrestling. However, I think all three are winnable matches for NCSU and could give statement wins to two guys that could propel them into the rankings. There are a few other notable matches, a quick rundown of my thoughts:
125 — ODU senior Brandon Jeske is a 3-time NCAA qualifier, although he has not wrestled yet this year. He is ranked 20th by one poll. The thing to watch here will be which freshman NC State puts out there. If it's Wade Cummings, I think he's got a chance to pick up his first significant win. We'll see what happens.
133 — NCSU redshirt sophomore Sean Fausz is a big favorite here, although redshirt freshman Alex Madrigal has a 7-3 record and did well in tournaments last year, posting a winning record at Midlands and a few other opens.
141 — Pack junior Kevin Jack has won his last 12, including his last two over top-10 foes, and that winning streak should continue.
149 — I'm guessing redshirt senior Sam Speno has locked down the starting spot for NC State with some of his recent performances, but redshirt junior Beau Donahue is quite capable as well, evidenced by his 10-3 mark. The ODU guy brings in a record of 1-6, so I expect a win either way.
157 — Rookie Thomas Bullard is officially 7-3 after making his dual debut in the last match against Nebraska, when he lost 6-5 to the nation's No. 6 wrestler. Senior Max Rohskopf is out for the year due to injury, but coaches are really excited about Bullard. ODU redshirt junior Austin Eads is 6-3 this season.
165 — Here's the first chance for a statement win. Redshirt junior Brian Hamann (9-3) squares off with No. 17 Sheldon Wright (6-3). Hamann got a win over #19 vs. App State, and a win here would likely be enough to get him into the top 20. Wright is a sophomore who did not qualify for NCAAs last year, but he did beat a trio of NCAA qualifiers and had a winning record at Midlands (quite an accomplishment for a true frosh). This year, he has a pair of ranked wins.
174 — I think top recruit Nick Reenan (12-3) is starting to hit his stride for the Pack. ODU freshman Antonio Agee is 3-6, but was ranked No. 19 nationally as a senior by Flo (I'm guessing that was at his weight class, but their bio doesn't specify).
184 — Great matchup here. Redshirt senior Jack Dechow is ODU's best wrestler and has been for a few years. He placed fourth at NCAAs as a redshirt frosh. He has won a ton of NCAA matches and tournaments like Midlands, although he has not earned a second AA honor yet. I think he's probably ranked a little low at 12th right now, but he is 8-2. He did beat #7 Willie Miklus of Missouri this year. Pack redshirt junior Michael Macchivello is 10-1 with the lone loss coming in the Nebraska match to NCAA finalist TJ Dudley of Nebraska, who is undefeated and ranked third nationally. Macchiavello has two ranked wins this year, but this would be his biggest yet and definitely bump him up from 15th.
197 — Big opportunity for redshirt sophomore Malik McDonald of NC State, who is 9-4 this year and has a pair of ranked wins, plus an 8-3 loss to #9 Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska. Redshirt junior Kevin Beazley of ODU is 8-1 this year, has previous wins over All-Americans, qualified for NCAAs two years ago and then took an Olympic redshirt last year. He's also coming off a win over a top-10 foe from NIU and has three ranked wins this year. Again, a McDonald win is not out of the question and I think it would be plenty to break him into the top 20.
HWT — Again, it will be interesting to see who the Pack puts out here. Junior Michael Boykin (11-4) or redshirt senior Mike Kosoy (6-4). Freshman Will Hilliard (5-3) will represent ODU, and I'm sure NCSU coaches are familiar with him because he's from New York and went to Wyoming Seminary last year, a powerhouse program in PA that NCSU has a nice relationship with and developing pipeline (four current wrestlers went there, including Reenan).
Here's the GoPack preview: http://gopack.com/news/2016/12/14/wrestling-packwrestle-travels-to-odu-for-tuesday-night-dual.aspx
This link is supposed to take you to a live stream, but it does cost money (no idea how much): http://www.nmnathletics.com/mediaPo...&utm_medium=watch&utm_campaign=trafficpattern
