March 16, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Coming off its sixth Atlantic Coast Conference title in the last 10 seasons, North Carolina and its four individual conference champions open the 2005 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Thursday at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Slated to compete for the Tar Heels are 11th-seeded All-America Evan Sola at 133 pounds, junior Garrett Atkinson at 165, redshirt sophomore David Dashiell at 197 and sophomore Drew Forshey at 125.

Sola, who earned All-America honors in 2003 is making his third NCAA appearance, and Dashiell is making his second trip to nationals. Atkinson and Forshey are both making their NCAA Championships debut. The Tar Heels did not score at nationals last season and last placed in 2003, finishing 34th. Carolina's best NCAA finish was fifth in 1982 when current head coach C.D. Mock captured the school's first individual national title.

Last time out the Tar Heels, who went 6-9 overall and 4-2 in ACC duals, won the 2005 ACC title in Greensboro, N.C., on March 5. Carolina scored 76 points to top Virginia Tech, which scored 66.5 points.

The 2005 NCAA Championships open Thursday at 11 a.m. and conlcude Saturday.

NORTH CAROLINA'S 2005 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS:
Garrett Atkinson • JUNIOR • 165 • BOONE, N.C.
Opens the NCAA Championships versus Matt Ellis of Oregon State • Owns a 17-20 overall record, including one pin and two major decision victories • Advanced to his first NCAA appearance and earned all-conference honors with his first Atlantic Coast Conference title at 165 pounds • Posted a 5-4 win over Virginia's Will Durkee in the conference final • Also defeated NC State's Ryan Nowicki in the ACC semifinal • Has a 5-5 record over his last 10 bouts • Placed third at the Irwin-Carolina Open and sixth at the Beast of the East College Invitational.

David Dashiell • SOPHOMORE-RS • 197• CHESAPEAKE, VA.
Opens the NCAA Championships versus Jared Ricotta of Duquesne • Brings a 23-14 record into his second NCAA Championship appearance • Owns two pins, two technical falls and two major decisions on the season • Captured his second ACC title at 197 with a 3-2 overtime win over Duke's Mark Thompson • Has won his last four bouts and five of his last six entering the NCAA Championships • Placed third at the Irwin-Carolina Open, fourth at the Mat Town USA Invitational and fifth at the Southern Scuffle • Went 0-2 at the 2003 NCAA Championships after winning his first conference title as a freshman • Redshirted during the 2004 season.

Drew Forshey • SOPHOMORE • 125 • HICKORY, N.C.
Opens the NCAA Championships versus Collin Cudd of Wisconsin • Sports an 18-7 record this season and has four major decisions and one pin • Captured his first ACC crown at 125 with a 9-2 win over Justin Staylor of Virginia Tech • Also defeated Garrett Cummings of NC State and Kevin Vinh of Maryland at the conference championships • Has won his last six bouts and is 6-2 since returning to the starting lineup following an injury to Bobby Shaw • Placed first in the freshman-sophomore division at the Missouri Open • Also placed third at the Beast of the East College Invitational and fourth at the Irwin-Carolina open.

Evan Sola • JUNIOR-RS • 133 • WERNERSVILLE, PA.
Seeded 11th at 133 pounds and will open the NCAA Championships against Chad Mendes of Cal Poly • Ranked No. 12 nationally by InterMat • Brings a 31-3 overall record and a 19-match winning streak to his third nationals appearance • Went 15-0 in dual action and posted a team-high 10 pins • Had three major decisions and one technical fall • Claimed his second ACC title with a 6-4 win over Virginia Tech's David Hoffman in the conference final • Also recorded major decisions over Duke's Bryan Gibson and NC State's Jeremy Hartrum at the ACC Championships • Was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the ACC meet • Also placed first at the Beast of the East College Invitational and second at the Missouri Open and Mat Town USA Invitational • Was fifth at the Southern Scuffle • Placed seventh at the 2003 NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors • Also won his first conference title as a sophomore in 2003 and qualified for NCAAs as a freshman in 2002 • Redshirted last season.