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No. 13 Virginia Falls to No. 20 NC State, 22-20
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Feb. 19, 2015
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 13 Virginia wrestling team dropped a 22-20 dual to No. 20 North Carolina State Thursday evening in the Cavaliers’ regular-season finale at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers finish their dual schedule with a 10-7 record, including a 2-3 mark in ACC competition.
NC State (16-5, 3-2) spoiled the Cavaliers’ Senior Night as Virginia had its Memorial Gymnasium win streak snapped at 32 duals. The Cavaliers had not lost a home dual at Mem Gym since Jan. 16, 2011, against Penn. The Wolfpack also broke a seven-match losing streak to UVa.
Of Virginia’s final eight duals – six against ranked foes – six were determined by three points or fewer.
George DiCamillo (R-So., Highland Heights, Ohio) recorded a fall at 133 pounds, while Nick Sulzer (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) and Blaise Butler (R-Jr., Belvidere, Ill.) each picked up major decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Zach Nye (R-Jr., Enola, Pa.) won a thrilling match at 197 in the second tiebreaker, while Andrew Atkinson (R-Fr., Lynchburg, Va.) won by decision at 157.
Bonus points were huge as the Wolfpack rallied for the win. Virginia had a 17-7 lead after six weight classes, but NC State won three of the final four bouts, including bonus points from pins at 184 and 285, to come back for the win. The dual came down to the final weight class, 125 pounds, where Joe DeAngelo claimed a 7-6 win over Nick Herrmann (Jr., Amarillo, Texas).
DeAngelo scored three first-period takedowns to take a 6-3 advantage after one period. Herrmann took DeAngelo down just before the second-period buzzer to tie the bout, 6-6, but DeAngelo quickly escaped in the third period. Both wrestlers were in on good shots in the final two minutes but neither could finish. After a stalemate was called with 12 seconds left, DeAngelo held off Herrmann to clinch the dual win.
Virginia started the dual fast at 133 as DiCamillo (23-7) finished off his fourth pin of the year in just 2:55. Ranked No. 14 nationally and a winner of nine of his last 10 matches, DiCamillo concluded the ACC schedule with a 5-0 record and is in line to be the top seed at the upcoming ACC Championships.
The Wolfpack took the lead in the dual with wins at 141 and 149, including a surprising major decision by Kevin Jack, 19-6, over 13th-ranked Joe Spisak (R-Sr., Boiling Springs, Pa.) at 141. Beau Donahue followed with a 4-3 decision over TJ Miller (R-Fr., Medford, N.J.) at 149.
Virginia captured the next three weight classes to move ahead, 17-7. Atkinson rolled to a 7-3 decision over Chad Pyke at 157 before the Cavaliers posted back-to-back major decisions. Ranked No. 4 nationally, Sulzer (24-2) had a big third period with four takedowns as he defeated Max Rohskopf, 12-4, at 165. Butler (17-3), No. 6 nationally at 174, then dominated from start to finish in a 17-6 major decision against Pete Renda.
The match swung at 184 pounds, where Nicky Hall pinned James Suvak (R-Fr., Parma Heights, Ohio). Hall had a 5-0 third-period lead and was in control when he used an armbar and put Suvak on his back, finishing off the pin with just 43 seconds remaining.
The Cavaliers’ final win came at 197, where Nye outlasted reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week Mike Boykin, 4-3, in the second tiebreaker period. Ranked No. 19 nationally, Nye was able to escape in the first 30 seconds of the final tiebreaker and then flattened Boykin and was able to ride him out for the final 30 seconds to secure the victory.
NC State won the last two duals to eke out the win. At heavyweight, reigning national champion Nick Gwiazdowski, unbeaten and ranked No. 1 nationally this year, needed just 1:41 to pin Patrick Gillen (R-Jr., Shelton, Conn.). Down a point in the dual, the Wolfpack secured the team win with DeAngelo’s decision at 125.
Prior to the match, Virginia honored seven fourth- and fifth-year student-athletes: Nick Kidd, Mason Popham, Billy Coggins, Derek Papagianopoulos, Gus Sako, Spisak and Sulzer.
Virginia begins postseason competition on Sunday, March 8, at the ACC Championships. Pitt will play host to the event at the Petersen Events Center.
No. 20 North Carolina State 22, No. 13 Virginia 20
133: No. 14 George DiCamillo (UVa) fall Bryce Meredith (NCSU), 2:56; UVa 6-0
141: Kevin Jack (NCSU) major dec. No. 13 Joe Spisak (UVa), 19-6; UVa 6-4
149: Beau Donahue (NCSU) dec. TJ Miller (UVa), 4-3; NCST 7-6
157: Andrew Atkinson (UVa) dec. Chad Pyke (NCSU), 7-3; UVa 9-7
165: No. 4 Nick Sulzer (UVa) major dec. Max Rohskopf (NCSU), 12-4; UVa 13-7
174: No. 6 Blaise Butler (UVa) major dec. Pete Renda (NCSU), 17-6; UVa 17-7
184: Nicky Hall (NCSU) fall James Suvak (UVa), 6:17; UVa 17-13
197: No. 19 Zach Nye (UVa) dec. Mike Boykin (NCSU), 4-3 (TB-2): 20-13
285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) fall Patrick Gillen (UVa), 1:41; UVa 20-19
125: Joe DeAngelo (NCSU) dec. Nick Herrmann (UVa), 7-6; NCSU 22-20