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NC State Wrestling

State Dominates in ACC Wrestling Championships

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When we previewed the ACC Wresting Championships, we thought State could grab three or four titles and pull off their third straight ACC crown.

We were wrong…in a good way.

Wolfpack wrestling could not have had much better of a Sunday. FIVE Pack members had their arms raised, the worst individual finisher was fourth and the team won their third straight ACC Championship, walking away by 24 points. Some early upsets got 8 of 10 wrestlers into the semis, with six making it to finals. The one finals loss by Camacho? A 2-1 OT thriller against top ranked Sam Latona of VT. That’s how close they were to an even better outing.

State had an absolutely amazing Sunday.

In a time when State fans question if the person at the coaching helm is “the one”, Pat Popolizio, might be the best we have right now. Since taking over the helm nine seasons ago, Popolozio has won National Coach of the Year, ACC Coach of the Year twice, 3 National Champions, 20 ACC Champions and 5 ACC Wrestlers of the Year. NC State has become a legitimate name in the sport and recruiting continues to bring in talent.

When talking about said talent, look no further than standout Redshirt Senior Hayden Hidlay. Sunday saw the 157-pounder win his fourth ACC title, having only been done ten previous times in ACC history. He has NEVER lost a matchup against an ACC opponent in any competitions for his career. This tournament was a further stamp of excellence, winning his semis matchup 22-6 and the finals 12-3. It wasn’t even close.

All remaining champions for the day got their revenge after falling short last year. A perfect ending to an imperfect season. Now, onto Nationals.

Final Placements for State by Weight

125 Pounds – Camacho Comes in Second After 2-1 OT Loss

133 Pounds – Trombley comes in 4th

141 Pounds – T. Wilson Wins Title with 10-1 Win

149 Pounds – Scott comes in 4th

157 Pounds – H. Hidlay Wins Title with 12-3 Win

165 Pounds – T. Bullard comes in 3rd

174 Pounds – D. Bullard Wins Title with 4-2 Win

184 Pounds – T. Hidlay Wins Title with 3-1 Win

197 Pounds – Reenan takes 4th

285 Pounds – D. Wilson Wins Title with 2-1 Win

Passionate State fan that just wants to win...something...like anything...

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NC State Wrestling

All 10 NC State Wrestlers Qualified for the NCAA Championships: Check Out Their Seeds

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For only the third time in program history, the NC State Wrestling team has qualified all 10 of their wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.

125 – Jakob Camacho (13-4) is a #7 seed, and he will wrestle #26 Blake West (27-6) of Northern Iowa in the 1st round.
133- Kai Orine (15-2) is a #3 seed, and he will wrestle #30 Hunter Leake (18-9) of CBU in the 1st round.
141 – Ryan Jack (18-3) is a #4 seed, and he will wrestle #29 Greyson Clark (16-8) of Purdue in the 1st round.
149 – Jackson Arrington (18-3) is a #3 seed, and he will wrestle #30 Jude Swisher (23-7) of Penn in the 1st round.
157 – Ed Scott (21-5) is a #4 seed, and he will wrestle #29 Legend Lamer of POLY (14-10) in the 1st round.
165 – Derek Fields (15-4) is a #23 seed, and he will wrestle #10 Cameron Amine (14-7) of Michigan in the 1st round.
174 – Alex Faison (13-12) is a #29 seed, and he will wrestle #4 Shane Griffith (14-3) of Michigan in the 1st round.
184 – Dylan Fishback (17-7) is a #10 seed, and he will wrestle Layne Malczewski (14-8) of Michigan St. in the 1st round.
197 – Trent Hidlay (24-0) is a #2 seed, and he will wrestle #31 Krystian Kinsey (10-8) of Virginia in the 1st round.
HWT – Owen Trephan (17-5) is a #10 seed, and he will wrestle #25 Bradley Hill (20-7) of Iowa in the 1st round.

(NCAA)

Breakdown

  • 8 of the 10 NC State Wrestlers are seeded in the Top-10
  • 6 of the 10 NC State Wrestlers are seeded in the Top-8
    • Wrestlers that finish 8th or better earn All-American status.
  • 5 of the 10 NC State Wrestlers are seeded in the Top-5.

The wrestling will begin on the morning of March 21st.

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NC State Wrestling

#7 NC State Wrestling Wins Their 6th Straight ACC Championship

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Dynasty. There’s no other word more deserving for what Wrestling Head Coach Pat Popolizio has built at NC State.

The Wolfpack won their 6th straight ACC Championship this evening.

7 NC State Champions

157 – Junior Ed Scott – 2nd ACC Championship (2022 & 2024)

149 – Sophomore Jackson Arrington – 1st ACC Championship

141 – Junior Ryan Jack – 1st ACC Championship

133 – Redshirt Junior Kai Orine – 2nd ACC Championship (2023 & 2024)

125 – Redshirt Junior Jakob Camacho – 3rd ACC Championship (2020, 2022 & 2024)

197 – Redshirt Senior Trent Hidlay – 4th ACC Championship (2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024)

HWT – Redshirt Junior Owen Trephan – 2nd ACC Championship (2023 & 2024).

9 of NC State’s 10 wrestlers automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament (all but Redshirt Sophomore Derek Fields at 165).

The NCAA Championships are on March 21-23 in Kansas City.

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NC State Wrestling

NC State Wrestling Finishes the Regular Season Ranked 7th

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The NC State Wrestling team has finished the regular season ranked 7th in the nation.

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This marks the 9th consecutive season that the Wolfpack has finished the regular season ranked in the Top-10. Going all the way back to the 2015-16 season, NC State has been ranked in the Top-10 in 130 straight polls.

For context, Head Coach Pat Popolizio was hired in 2013. Pop is simply one of the best hires in the history of the Wolfpack Athletic Department.

The 7th ranked Wolfpack will look to win their 6th consecutive ACC Championship next weekend in Chapel Hill.

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NC State Wrestling

#8 NC State Wins Their 6th ACC Regular Season Dual Meet Championship in 7 Years

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The 8th ranked NC State Wrestling team defeated #13 Virginia Tech 20-12 this evening, winning their 6th ACC Regular Season Dual Meet Championship in the last 7 years.

After trailing 12-3 after the first 5 matches, NC State would go on to win the final 5 matches to secure the victory.

Things got started with the 149 pound weight class.

#3 Jackson Arrington lost 1-4 to #2 Caleb Henson.

At 157 pounds, #12 Ed Scott defeated Rafael Hipolito Jr. 12-7. I definitely think that Scott could have picked up bonus points in this match, and at it’s conclusion, I was wondering if that would cost the Pack when it was all said and done.

At 165 pounds, #12 Derek Fields was upset by #22 Connor Brady, who picked up a takedown with 20 seconds remaining. I was beginning to sweat at this point.

At 174 pounds, #30 Alex Faison picked up a moral victory against #2 Mekhi Lewis. Yes, Faison did lose, but it was only a decision, losing 2-9. Lewis was desperately trying to pick up a takedown in the final seconds to pick up a major decision, but Faison held on, managing to not allow Lewis to pick up bonus points.

At 184 pounds, #7 Dylan Fishback was upset by #24 TJ Stewart 2-7. If I’m honest, at this point, I started doing math, and didn’t know if I saw a path forward for a Wolfpack victory.

Obviously, I’m bad at math, because I wasn’t projecting 5 points via a Tech Fall from Trent Hidlay…and why would I have expected anything less from the #2 wrestler at 197 pounds.

Hidlay crushed #26 Andy Smith 18-3, picking up 5 team points for the Tech Fall. Prior to Hidlay’s win, the Pack trailed 12-3. After his Tech Fall, the Pack found themselves within 4 points with 4 matches left.

The victory for Hidlay happened to be his 100th victory of his collegiate career.

At Heavyweight, #15 Owen Trephan defeated Jimmy Mullen in dramatic fashion, with a takedown in the final seconds of the 3rd period.

With 3 matches to go, the Hokies led by one point, 12-11.

At 125, #14 Jakob Camacho upset #3 Cooper Flynn 4-1. A takedown by Camacho in the first period proved to be enough.

The Wolfpack led 14-12 with 2 matches to go.

At 133, #4 Kai Orine defeated #13 Sam Latona 2-1 in dramatic fashion, holding off Latona in the final seconds.

With the Pack winning 17-12 with one match remaining, at 141 pounds, #4 Ryan Jack simply couldn’t allow himself to be pinned by #15 Tom Crook. If he were to be pinned, the Hokies would pick up six points and win the dual by 1 point. But, Jack didn’t get pinned. Rather, he defeated Crook 7-3, securing a 20-12 Wolfpack victory over the Hokies.

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