Jan. 17, 2008
Ramirez, Tar Heels Topple Duke, 32-6
Paced by a pin from Durham native Vincent Ramirez and five major decisions, North Carolina registered a 32-6 victory over rival Duke Thursday in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action at Fetzer Gymnasium. The Tar Heels (5-3, 1-1 ACC) have now won 32 of their last 33 meetings with the Blue Devils (6-6, 0-2 ACC). The victory also extended UNC's lead in the race for the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between Carolina and Duke, to 9-2.
Ramirez's pin at 149 pounds gave the Tar Heels a 10-point lead that they would only build on throughout the night. Following the first major decision for UNC, a 12-1 win by redshirt freshman Nick Stabile (15-3) at 141, Ramirez (11-7) needed just 57 seconds to pin Duke's Mike Bell to push the Tar Heel advantage to 13-3.
Twelfth-ranked Keegan Mueller followed two bouts later with his third straight dominating performance at 165, a 15-1 major decision over Aaron Glover at 165. The Dallas native improved his record to 18-3 and has outscored his last three opponents by a 43-1 margin.
