Jan. 25, 2009

Tech upsets No. 6 Central Michigan, falls to Nebraska

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – It was billed as the toughest weekend in Virginia Tech wrestling history and it will go down as probably one of the most successful weekends in Hokie wrestling history. One day after beating a ranked opponent for the first time in the program’s history, the Hokies beat sixth-ranked Central Michigan Sunday at Rose Arena, 19-12. Earlier in the day, the Hokies dropped their first match of the season, falling 26-11 to No. 4 Nebraska. With the split, the Hokies now stand at 15-1 on the year.

In the opener, Tech took an early lead against the Cornhuskers, but then had to run through Nebraska’s maelstrom of wrestlers over the last six matches which was the difference.

Jan. 24, 2009 

Maryland Wins ACC Dual at NC State
Heavyweight Patrick Gilmore broke an 18-18 tie with a 3-2 decision in the final match and the University of Maryland wrestling team earned its first Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the season, 21-18, Saturday afternoon at NC State.

Maryland (5-7-1, 1-1 ACC) won three consecutive decision in the lower weights to grab a 9-0 lead on the Wolfpack (3-8-1, 0-2 ACC). Brendan Byrne defeated Mike Moreno, 8-1. No. 8 Steven Bell battled through injury to edge Darrius Little, 3-2, and No. 13 Alex Krom bested No. 15 Joe Caramanica, 9-3.

However, NC State quickly erased the nine-point deficit.

• More From Maryland
• More From NC State

Maryland Defeats Duke to Cap Perfect Saturday of ACC Action
The University of Maryland wrestling team handled the Duke Blue Devils, 28-15, at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday evening, giving the Terrapins their second win on Tobacco Road on the day to improve to 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Maryland defeated NC State in Raleigh earlier in the day, 21-18. The Terps improved to 6-7-1 and 2-1 in the ACC with the pair of victories.

Brendan Byrne set the tone early for the Terps at 125 pounds, pinning Peter Tezzerra 40 seconds into the second period to put Maryland up 6-0 on Duke (5-3, 1-2 ACC).

• More From Maryland
• More From Duke

Hokies Upset No. 17 Michigan On the Road, Easily Defeat Binghamton
The Virginia Tech wrestling team moved to 14-0 on the season Saturday as swept a pair of matches at Cliff Keen Arena. The Hokies opened up the day with an easy 37-3 win over Binghamton before upsetting No. 17 Michigan, 22-15, on the Wolverines' home mat.

In the opener, Chris Diaz and Matt Epperly both rebounded from losses in their last match in a strong way, picking up first-period pins. Diaz pinned Anwar Goeres at the 1:45 mark while Epperly stuck Ryan McGarity in just 1:32. Will Livingston and David Marone each picked up technical falls while Jarrodd Garnett, Pete Yates, Jesse Dong, Anthony Trongone and D.J. Bruce each won at their respective weight classes. The only bout Tech dropped was at 184 pounds, where Tommy Spellman fell to ninth-ranked Josh Patterson, 6-2.

Not resting on 13-0, the Hokies continued their unbelievable season with an upset win over the Wolverines. 

Tar Heels Sink Navy For Sixth Straight, 25-9
The University of North Carolina wrestling squad wrapped up an unbeaten week and extended its current dual match win streak to six with a 25-9 victory over Navy Saturday at East Wake High School. With the score knotted at six, sophomore 133-pounder Mike Rappo opened a five-match win streak for the Tar Heels (10-6) with a technical fall to propel UNC to victory.

The teams split the first four bouts before Rappo staked the Tar Heels to an 11-6 lead with a technical fall of Austin Close. Rappo, a Holland, Pa., native, racked up six takedowns and a pair of three-point near falls to close the match with a 21-6 lead at the 6:11 mark.

Rappo's tech fall gave Carolina a lead it would not relinquish. With the Tar Heels holding the 11-6 lead, No. 18 Vincent Ramirez used three takedowns to claim a 9-3 decision over Austin Clouse at 141, and No. 15 Nick Stabile followed with a 10-0 major over Kyle O'Neill at 149. Stabile, who moved to 21-8 with the win, secured the major with a reversal and a three-point near fall in the third. Ramirez improved his record to 25-6 with his victory.

NC State Comes Back To Sink Navy, 20-18
Trailing 18-6 with three matches remaining, NC State's Darrius Little and Joe Caramanica scored major decisions, and Darrion Caldwell applied the knockout punch with a pin to lift the Wolfpack past Navy 20-18 Saturday in college wrestling at Reynolds Coliseum.

The win snapped a five-match winless streak for the Pack, which improved to 4-8-1 with the victory. Navy, which lost to North Carolina earlier in the day, dropped to 5-7. The victory over the Midshipmen was NC State's first since the 1997-98 season.

The match began at 157 pounds, and after a scoreless first period, Kody Hamrah of NC State and Joel Ahern of Navy combined to score 13 points in the second period on three takedowns, two reversals and three escapes. Hamrah took a 7-6 lead into the third and came away with an 8-6 decision and a 3-0 team lead for the Wolfpack. Hamrah improved to 24-6 while Ahern fell to 24-11.

Jan. 23, 2009 

Carolina Downs Virginia, Remains Unbeaten In ACC Action
North Carolina came out of the gate with four consecutive victories and never looked back to claim a 23-9 victory over Virginia Friday at Fetzer Gymnasium. The Tar Heels (9-6, 3-0 ACC) captured their fifth straight dual and improved to 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time since the 2001-02 season with the win over the Cavaliers (7-8, 0-1 ACC).

Senior Vincent Ramirez and junior Dennis Drury keyed UNC's effort with wins over nationally-ranked opponents. The 18th-ranked Ramirez scored a 9-3 win over No. 19 Nick Nelson at 141 pounds, while Drury, ranked 17th, secured the team victory with a 10-1 major decision over No. 20 Brent Jones at 197.

The Tar Heels have won seven of their last eight duals since falling to No. 11 Oklahoma at the Lone Star Duals earlier this month.

• More From North Carolina
• More From Virginia