Virginia Drops ACC Opener At No. 5 NC State
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Virginia wrestling team (7-3, 0-1 ACC) dropped its ACC opener on Friday night (Jan. 24), falling by a score of 28-9 at No. 5 NC State (11-0, 1-0 ACC) at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Cavaliers got wins from senior Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) and junior Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) for the nine points in the dual.
“Tonight was a rough night,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “We got out-wrestled. Credit to the coaching staff and athletes on that NC State team, they did a great job. Our guys need to make a decision now and decide how they want to respond because tonight was unacceptable. I believe our team will make the right decision heading to the next dual with Virginia Tech.”
Mueller, the No. 2 wrestler at 125 pounds, got the night started for the Cavaliers with a 5-2 decision over NC State’s Jakob Camacho. It is the ninth consecutive win to start this season for Mueller who is now 9-0 on the year and is 30-1 combined over the last two seasons.
NC State then won seven consecutive weight classes with four decisions, two major decisions and a pin to lock up the match. The Wolfpack had a team point deducted for penalty following the 149-pound bout due to a lack of mat control.
Aiello, the ninth-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds, added six points for the Cavaliers in the overall dual score to cap the scoring for Virginia. Aiello took his shot on No. 16 Nick Reenan and the Wolfpack wrestler was injured on the move and could not continue. The injury default gave Aiello the victory – his 21st victory of the season and 10th victory in his last 11 matches.
Virginia will return to action on Friday, Jan. 31, against No. 3 Virginia Tech at John Paul Jones Arena. Tickets are on sale now for the 7 p.m. dual and can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com or by calling the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Mat-side tickets are on sale for $50, while general admission tickets are available for $10 when purchased in advance and will be $12 if purchased at JPJ on the day of the event.
No. 5 NC State 28, Virginia 9
125: No. 2 Jack Mueller dec. Jakob Camacho (NCSU), 5-2 – UVA 3, NCSU 0
133: Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) dec. No. 19 Louie Hayes, 4-2 – UVA 3, NCSU 3
141: No. 13 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) dec. Brian Courtney, 8-5 – NCSU 6, UVA 3
149: A.J. Leitten (NCSU) dec. Denton Spencer, 3-2 – NCSU 8, UVA 3
157: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) major dec. Justin McCoy, 14-1 – NCSU 12, UVA 3
165: No. 12 Thomas Bullard (NCSU) major dec. Krystian Kinsey, 11-2 – NCSU 16, UVA 3
174: No. 16 Daniel Bullard (NCSU) pinned Victor Marcelli, 4:47 – NCSU 22, UVA 3
184: No. 3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) dec. Michael Battista, 4-2 – NCSU 25, UVA 3
197: No. 9 Jay Aiello def. No. 16 Nick Reenan (NCSU) by injury default – NCSU 25, UVA 9
HWT: Deonte Wilson (NCSU) dec. Quinn Miller, 5-1 – NCSU 28, UVA 9