No. 18 Virginia Falls to No. 14 North Carolina, 27-20
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Feb. 6, 2016
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The No. 18 Virginia wrestling team dropped a 27-20 dual to No. 14 North Carolina Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium. Virginia (6-5, 1-3 ACC) got bonus-point wins from Nick Herrmann (125), George DiCamillo (133), Andrew Atkinson (157) and Patrick Gillen (285) in the defeat to UNC (10-3, 1-2).
The dual featured bonus points in nine of the 10 bouts.
“We had some guys do some great things, and we couldn’t have gotten off to a better start with two pins from Nick Herrmann and George DiCamillo,” Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. “That was exactly what we needed to do in order to beat a team like North Carolina. Andrew Atkinson looked as good as he has all year. But they have some hammers in their lineup, and we couldn’t afford to give up bonus points. We learned some tough lessons, but now it’s time learn from that and move forward.”
Virginia stormed out to a 12-0 lead after just two matches as Herrmann and DiCamillo recorded back-to-back pins. Herrmann finished Anthony Bosco in 3:58 at 125 pounds, while DiCamillo, ranked sixth nationally at 133, followed with a first-period pin of James Szymanski as he improved to 24-3 on the season.
UNC bounced back and won six of the next seven weight classes. No. 11 Joey Ward needed less than a full period to finish off a technical fall against Zach Watson, winning 16-0 at 141. No. 6 Evan Henderson then recorded a first-period fall against Chris Yankowich at 149, pulling the Tar Heels to within 12-11.
The Cavaliers briefly stemmed the tide as Atkinson picked up a 12-2 major decision against Robert Henderson for his second win of the weekend as he upped his record to 21-7 this season. The win gave UVA a 16-11 edge.
Behind three ranked wrestlers, UNC forged ahead over the next three weight classes. At 165, No. 10 John Michael Staudenmayer rolled to a 16-0 tech fall against UVA’s Garrett Peppelman to tie the dual, and second-ranked Ethan Ramos followed with a 12-0 major decision over Tyler Askey at 174 to give UNC its first lead, 20-16. No. 19 Alex Utley’s 11-2 major decision over Will Schany at 184 gave UNC a 24-16 advantage.
UVA had a chance to cut into the lead at 197, but Chip Ness scored a takedown with 15 seconds left against No. 10 Zach Nye and maintained the advantage the rest of the way as he picked up a 6-5 upset win to clinch the dual.
The Cavaliers finished the dual strong as Patrick Gillen scored a late takedown to secure a major decision as he won 11-2 against Cory Daniel for his second ACC win in as many days.
Virginia returns to Mem Gym on Sunday, Feb. 14, when it takes on No. 25 Chattanooga in a 1 p.m. dual. Prior to the match, Virginia will hold Senior Day ceremonies. Admission is free.
No. 14 North Carolina 27, No. 18 Virginia 20
125: Nick Herrmann (Virginia) pinned Anthony Bosco (North Carolina), 3:58; UVA 6-0
133: No. 6 George DiCamillo (Virginia) pinned James Szymanski (North Carolina), 2:13; UVA 12-0
141: No. 11 Joey Ward (North Carolina) tech fall Zach Watson (Virginia), 16-0, 2:56; UVA 12-5
149: No. 6 Evan Henderson (North Carolina) pinned Chris Yankowich (Virginia), 2:25; UVA 12-11
157: Andrew Atkinson (Virginia) major dec. Robert Henderson (North Carolina), 12-2; UVA 16-11
165: No. 10 John Staudenmayer (North Carolina) tech fall Garrett Peppelman (Virginia), 16-0, 4:21; tied 16-16
174: No. 2 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) major dec. Tyler Askey (Virginia), 12-0; UNC 20-16
184: No. 19 Alex Utley (North Carolina) major dec. Will Schany (Virginia), 11-2; UNC 24-16
197: Chip Ness (North Carolina) dec. No. 10 Zach Nye (Virginia), 6-5; UNC 27-16
285: Patrick Gillen (Virginia) major dec. Cory Gilliland-Daniel (North Carolina), 11-2; UNC 27-20