Story Links
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia wrestling team opens its 2009 ACC schedule at 7 p.m. Friday on the road against North Carolina at Fetzer Gym. Saturday, the Cavaliers make their first-ever visit to Campbell for a 1 p.m. bout with the Fighting Camels.
The Cavaliers (7-7) are coming off a 35-9 domination of Appalachian State Sunday. Virginia won the final eight matches to coast to the win.
Chris Henrich (So., Lansdale, Pa.) leads the Cavaliers with a 26-1 record at 174 pounds. He currently is tied for the eighth-most wins among all wrestlers in Division I this season and has the second-most wins among 174-pound wrestlers in Division I. He already has matched his win total from all of the 2007-08 season.
With one win this weekend, Rocco Caponi (Sr., Uniontown, Ohio) would move into third place on the all-time wins ledger at Virginia. He currently is tied with Jim Harshaw (1996-99) and Matt Roth (1995-99) with 102 and needs 10 wins to reach second place.
Virginia has five wrestlers ranked in the latest InterMat individual rankings Henrich (10th at 174), Caponi (17th at 184), Nick Nelson (So., Pittsburgh, Pa. 19th at 141), Brent Jones (Jr., Burke, Va. 20th at 197) and Jedd Moore (Fr., Mount Vernon, Ohio 20th at 157).
The Tar Heels (8-6, 2-0 ACC) boast four wrestlers in InterMat’s individual rankings with No. 18 Vincent Ramirez at 141, No. 15 Nick Stabile at 149, No. 16 Keegan Mueller at 165 and No. 17 Dennis Drury at 197. There will be head-to-head matches of ranked wrestlers at 141 pounds with Nelson against Ramirez and 197 with Jones and Drury.
UNC won a 25-10 decision at Duke Wednesday to stay perfect in league play. The Tar Heels own a 41-26 edge in the all-time series with Virginia.
Virginia won a hard-fought 18-13 bout with the Tar Heels last year at Memorial Gymnasium and swept all 10 matches against Campbell in a 48-0 victory last season at Mem Gym in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Campbell is 2-7 in duals this season after splitting a pair of home matches Wednesday. The Camels lost the opener, 36-6, to The Citadel before downing UNC Pembroke, 25-15, in the nightcap.