Lets keep track of the NC State wrestling progress and show support for a sport that largely gets overlooked by the media. The team is currently ranked #20 in the nation and has a returning national champion at heavyweight.

12/3/2014 12:49:51 PM

we got another Tab Thacker in the house ?

12/3/2014 12:51:55 PM

He's like come at me Thacker!

12/3/2014 12:59:57 PM

We won last 3 matches to beat UNC: http://www.gopack.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/020115aaa.html

2/2/2015 9:06:08 PM

Upset #17 Old Dominion on the road: http://www.gopack.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/020615aaa.html

2/7/2015 8:50:14 PM

Lost 29-9 at #9 Virginia Tech, but Nick Gwiazdowski extended his school record consecutive win streak to 45.

2/8/2015 11:18:13 PM

upset #14 Pitt 27-12 on the strength of pins by Gwiz and freshmen Meredith and Jack
http://www.gopack.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/021415aaa.html

2/15/2015 10:13:32 AM

just upset #13 Virginia 22-20 at their place. another pin for Gwiz and one for true freshman Nicky Hall, plus Jack got a major decision.

2/19/2015 8:39:33 PM

Woot. I was up in Charlottesville yesterday.

2/19/2015 8:40:43 PM

Final home match will be Sunday at 7:00 vs #6 Oklahoma State.

Quote :

"In addition to Senior Day, the last home dual will be the Pack's Military Appreciation Day as Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer will be honored. Two current MMA fighters will also be making appearances in Reynolds, current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and UFC middleweight fighter Luke Rockhold."

2/20/2015 12:56:27 PM

Could be a legit viable candidate to beat Brock whenever he turns pro

2/20/2015 1:03:43 PM

Competed well against #6 Oklahoma State but lost 20-12. Gwiz beat the #5 heavyweight, DeAngelo won at 125 over their #8, Jack won at 141 over their #16, and Donahue won at 149. Suffered narrow two-point defeats at 174, 184 & 197 that could have turned the match.

2/22/2015 9:51:36 PM

disappointing day at ACC Championships so far. only wrestlers that will be getting automatic NCAA bids are freshman Kevin Jack after finishing 4th at 141, sophomore Pete Renda after finishing 5th at 174, and Gwiz (who'll be wrestling for the championship on ESPN3 around 8:30 probably)

3/8/2015 8:06:11 PM

heavyweight championship should be up in about 5 minutes on ESPN3

Gwiazdowski with a dominant 14-3 win to get the second of his back-to-back ACC championships

[Edited on March 8, 2015 at 8:56 PM. Reason : ]

3/8/2015 8:38:21 PM

quadruple post:
DeAngelo and Rohskopf get at-large bids at 125 and 165, respectively, so we'll have 5 guys at nationals including the 3 (Gwiz @ 285, Jack @ 141, Renda @ 174) that got automatic bids last weekend

[Edited on March 11, 2015 at 10:10 PM. Reason : ]

3/11/2015 10:09:38 PM

not sure if anyone actually reads this thread besides me, but our guys managed two upsets (of the #5 seed @ 141 and #16 seed @ 165) during today's first round. second round starts at 7 on ESPN3, although I'd recommend checking https://twitter.com/packwrestle to figure out when we have a guy wrestling and which mat to watch.

Quote :

"First round results: 125: #4 seed Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) fall Joe DeAngelo (NCSU); 2:25 141: Kevin Jack (NCSU) dec. #5 seed Josh Dziewa (Iowa); 6-3 165: Max Rohskopf (NCSU) dec. #16 seed Harrison Hightower (Ohio); 3-0 174: #2 seed Matthew Brown (Penn State) major dec. Pete Renda (NCSU); 12-4 285: #1 seed Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) dec. William Smith (Rutgers), 8-2 Second Round: 141: Kevin Jack (28-8) vs. #12 seed Joseph Ward (28-6) of North Carolina - Match #199 165: Max Rohskopf vs. #1 seed Alex Dieringer (30-0) of Oklahoma State - Match #221 285: #1 seed Nick Gwiazdowski (31-0) vs. #16 seed Evan Knutson (23-8) of North Dakota State - Match #253 Wrestlebacks: 125: Joe DeAngelo (16-12) vs. Ethan Lizak (26-14) of Minnesota - Match #264 174: Pete Renda (18-15) vs. Raymond Waters (19-9) of Arizona State - Match #316"

3/19/2015 6:49:11 PM

I do

3/19/2015 6:58:10 PM

Jack just upset #12 Ward from UNC with a nice takedown and ride out at the end of the 3rd after being down 5-3 with ~30 seconds left. moves on to quarterfinals as a true freshman

[Edited on March 19, 2015 at 7:47 PM. Reason : ]

3/19/2015 7:46:58 PM

Quote :

" For the first time since 1993, the NC State wrestling team placed a pair of grapplers into the NCAA Championship quarterfinals. Defending national champion and No. 1 seed Nick Gwiazdowski (285) won his two matches easily, while freshman Kevin Jack (141) upset the No. 5 seed and then the No. 12 seed to advance. In addition, sophomores Max Rohskopf (165) and Pete Renda (174) will both be in action in tomorrow's wrestlebacks. In all, four of the Pack's five NCAA Qualifiers advanced to Day 2 action. Friday' action will start with the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. on ESPNU and ESPN3. Quarterfinals: 141: Kevin Jack (29-8) vs. #4 seed Devin Carter (31-3) of Virginia Tech - Match #350 285: #1 seed Nick Gwiazdowski (32-0) vs. #8 seed James Lawson (17-4) of Penn State - Match #377 Wrestlebacks: 165: Max Rohskopf (25-15) vs. #2 seed Michael Moreno (23-4) of Iowa State - Match #428 174: Pete Renda (19-15) vs. Chad Welch (21-17) of Purdue - Match #436"

3/19/2015 10:54:36 PM

[quote] Jack just upset #12 Ward from UNC with a nice takedown and ride out at the end of the 3rd after being down 5-3 with ~30 seconds left. moves on to quarterfinals as a true freshman [/quote[

Double sweet :-)

3/19/2015 11:24:23 PM

I read this too. GG to the State guys. Always great to see a State guy beat a Tar Hole.

3/20/2015 12:10:23 AM

Forgot all about the quarterfinals today while at work and have been geeking out about Kevin Jack ever since checking the results ~15 minutes ago. He got another upset win today to advance to the semis and will be an All-American. Dude had planned to redshirt the year behind junior Sam Speno (2x NCAA qualifier) and didn't even enter our lineup until February 14. Super pumped to see him advance this far as a true freshman as he's been a really fun guy to watch wrestle, even for someone like me who doesn't know much about the sport. Oh and Gwiz won, of course.

Quote :

"Freshman Kevin Jack upsetting three seeded foes and Nick Gwiazdowski dominating opponents with back-to-back major decision. Two different paths, but both ways proved to be effective as NC State has two wrestlers advance to the 2015 NCAA Championships semifinals for the first time since 1993. Jack (141) upset #3 seed Devon Carter of Virginia Tech 10-8, while Gwiazdowski (285) downed #8 James Lawson of Penn State with an 11-3 major decision, and both Pack wrestlers will return to action tonight looking to claim a spot in the champion bout in their respective weight classes. With both Jack and Gwiazdowski advancing to the semifinals, both are guaranteed All-America honors. This year marks the first time since 1993 that NC State has had two All-Americans, and it is the first time since 1980 - and only second time ever - that a pair of NC State wrestlers advanced to the NCAA semifinals. "I am very proud of our guys," said head coach Pat Popolizio ahead of tonight's semifinals. "It's pretty amazing what a two week turn around can do for a team and an individual. This tournament is all about the will to win, and both Kevin and Nick have shown that thus far. "There is still a lot of wrestling left, and we have to continue to take one match at a time." Session 4 will start tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3. Semifinals: 141: Kevin Jack (30-8) vs. #1 seed Logan Stieber (27-0) of Ohio State 285: #1 seed Nick Gwiazdowski (33-0) vs. #5 seed Connor Medbery (31-3) of Wisconsin"

this is also cool (and pretty unexpected going in):


[Edited on March 20, 2015 at 4:00 PM. Reason : ]

3/20/2015 3:56:27 PM

They had this on at Chili's during lunch today. Nick dominated that guy! Awesome that we have two in the semifinals. Go Pack!

3/20/2015 4:02:36 PM

Semifinals are on ESPN. Jack at 141 and Gwiz at Hwt. 133 will start after the commercial and then Jack will be on.

3/20/2015 8:23:48 PM

wrestling isn't on thefirstrow so i can't stream it :x

3/20/2015 8:28:59 PM

Jack lost 12-2 to the #1 seed, but will be back in action tomorrow to place 3-6th. This was the first match for the #1 seed in the tourney that didn't end in a pin.

3/20/2015 8:57:23 PM

Gwiz will be up after the commercial on ESPN

Won 6-3 and will face the 6th seed in the finals.

[Edited on March 20, 2015 at 11:18 PM. Reason : result]

3/20/2015 10:50:59 PM

way to go gwiz.

also the switching between coon and mcmullan was awesome

3/20/2015 11:19:17 PM

Yeah, that was crazy.

3/20/2015 11:22:57 PM

Jack lost 12-6 to #14 seed Dean Heil of Oklahoma State and beat #11 seed Chris Mecate of Old Dominion to finish 5th in the nation

from GoPack:

Quote :

"He started the 2015 NCAA Championships unseeded and a relative unknown in the wrestling community. But after four upsets over seeded wrestlers, NC State freshman Kevin Jack came away with a fifth place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships and All-American honors in his first year of collegiate wrestling. "Coming in as a true freshman, it was great knocking off three seeded opponents to get to the semifinals last night," said Jack. "Being able to get there relaxed me, and allowed me to compete without all the pressure of trying to become an All-American. "Honestly, there was nothing better than getting my hand raised in this arena and I got to experience that four times this weekend. Plus I ended my season with a win, it certainly has been a great experience." Originally going to redshirt this season until an illness opened up a spot in the starting lineup very late in the regular season, Jack made the most of his opportunities after earning an NCAA automatic bid at 141 pounds. In action on Saturday, Jack split his matches. He fell to #14 seed Dean Heil of Oklahoma State 12-6, but quickly recovered and won his fifth place bout over #11 seed Chris Mecate of Old Dominion 3-0. Against Mecate, the two wrestled to a scoreless first period. Jack started the second in the down position and his escape was the lone point of the period. Jack started the third on top, and after a second stall was called on Mecate to give Jack a 2-0 lead, Jack rode him out the entire period and with ride time won 3-0. Jack reached the semifinals with wins over #5 seed Dziewa of Iowa (6-3), #12 seed Joey Ward of North Carolina (6-5) and #4 seed and 2014 NCAA Finalist and four-time ACC champion Devin Carter of Virginia Tech (10-8). Jack's first loss of the 2015 NCAAs was to three-time defending national champion #1 seed Logan Stieber of Ohio State. • Defeated the #5, #12 and then #4 seeds to reach the NCAA semifinals. Upset the #11 seed in today's 5th/6th place bout. •31 wins this season most ever for a Pack freshman. 31 wins is also 14th all-time among all NC State wrestlers. • Along with Nick Gwiazdowski, gives NC State its first pair of All-Americans in the same year since 1993. • Topped former All-American Darrius Little's eighth place finish in 2012 as the Pack's top national result at 141 pounds. • Became the first Division 1 freshman to earn All-American honors from the state of Connecticut. • Originally scheduled to redshirt, he did not compete in first dual until Feb. 14, and in only three all year. • Went 3-0 in duals before placing fourth at the ACC Championship."

[Edited on March 21, 2015 at 2:25 PM. Reason : ]

3/21/2015 2:24:36 PM

I'm in St. Louis for a wedding, and there are at least 3 schools who have teams staying my hotel for the national championship. Iowa State has been the most noticeable.

3/21/2015 5:05:54 PM

BACK 2 BACK

3/21/2015 10:18:18 PM

the last minute made me nervous

3/21/2015 10:23:10 PM

Congrats Nick, longest win streak in the nation, undefeated season, undersized for weight class but still outmaneuvers his opponents. Good day for Wolf Pack nation.

3/21/2015 10:31:59 PM

Jesus christ that's a large man

3/21/2015 10:36:06 PM

Quote :

" longest win streak in the nation"

Not sure if that means just in his weight class, but I thought Logan Stieber had him beat.

3/22/2015 3:51:28 AM

Going pro to dat NXT

3/22/2015 5:10:10 AM

^^ 55 > 50

3/22/2015 6:32:15 AM

Sweet. So that's two national championships this year (swimming&diving)?

3/22/2015 4:03:07 PM

men's swimming & diving won the ACC championship... NCAAs happen next weekend
women's swimming & diving finished top 20 in the NCAAs this weekend. not sure if we had any individual/relay champs but I don't think so

3/22/2015 4:10:40 PM

^oh yeah. sorry to jump the gun.

3/22/2015 4:24:59 PM

That dude looks like wreck it ralph

3/22/2015 11:44:39 PM

I would lose my shit if Gwiz went to NXT.

3/23/2015 6:02:10 AM

He should play football in the wrestling offseason

3/24/2015 1:24:05 AM

https://mobile.twitter.com/thrillis4/status/692131533893812226/video/1

[Edited on January 26, 2016 at 9:48 PM. Reason : .]

1/26/2016 9:48:04 PM

got road wins over #16 Pitt (28-6) last night and WVU (24-9) this afternoon to run our record to 20-0, which is a school record for most victories in a season.#4 Gantt & #1 Gwiz won both their matches to remain undefeated for the season as well.

travel to #11 Nebraska next Saturday, then have home duals against #10 Virginia Tech on 2/12 and #5 Missouri on 2/14 (at the Holshouser Building at the fairgrounds for now, although I would be really surprised if they don't get moved after how packed the Dorton matches have been)

1/31/2016 3:39:13 PM

Obviously, Coach Pop is an amazing coach as the program ascension is reminiscent of a Hollywood sports drama. NC State has never ever had a consistent solid wrestling program. Yes, we had national champions but we historically blew at this sport. I still can't wrap my head around the drastic improvement in the short timeframe, 20-0, pillaging through the ACC, and taking down historically strong wrestling programs in fashion. He's my pick for NC State coach of the year.

1/31/2016 9:10:03 PM

totally agree that Coach Pop is awesome. we're lucky to have him and I hope he sticks around for a long time. that said, Guzzo was pretty dominant in his time. granted, the ACC was much different wrestling-wise then, but still...

Quote :

"Guzzo steps down as head coach following a distinguished 30-year career filled with honors, awards and outstanding accomplishments. With a dual-match record of 356-183-7, Guzzo retires as the second-winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He went 115-50 against ACC competition, and once had a 19-match unbeaten streak against conference foes. Guzzo won 13 ACC Tournament championships and finished first in the conference's regular-season standings 12 times. He finished first in the regular season and/or won the conference tournament 16 times in 30 years. He was named ACC Coach of the Year six times since the award was established in 1986. He had just two losing seasons, and 12 times in the last 25 years, his teams finished in the national top 25. Unlike many coaches, Guzzo will go out on top. His teams won three ACC championships in the last four years, and finished first in the ACC's regular-season race four times in the last five seasons. The Wolfpack won 22 of its last 28 ACC dual matches under Guzzo, and produced 16 indivudual ACC champions in the last five years. Since an All-ACC team was established in 1986, 98 NC State wrestlers have been named All-ACC, including seven this past season, and 29 over the last five seasons. In his 30 years in Raleigh, Guzzo coached 86 individual ACC champions, 24 All-Americans, and four national champions."

1/31/2016 9:21:43 PM

Go Pack!

I'm not familiar with their scheduling. Why have we had so many more matches than all the other schools in the top 25. Seems like we have 4 more than the next closest.

1/31/2016 10:15:16 PM

I'm not sure about philosophy or limitations on scheduling, but we've participated in two events this season where we had duals against 4 other schools in a single day and another where we faced 3 other schools in a single day. It seems like other programs don't do that as much. Some of the teams we faced in those meets weren't so great, others (#16 Minnesota) were, but we've beat some pretty tough competition in our duals so it's not like we are just racking up cupcake wins.

1/31/2016 11:24:06 PM