Pittsboro, NC – North Carolina and Virginia split 10 wrestling matches but the visiting Cavaliers got seven bonus points in the span of three bouts to surge to a 22-15 win Saturday night at Northwood High School. Carolina won four of the first five matches to build a 12-3 lead but saw it evaporate suddenly at the lightweight end of the lineup.
photos by Gene Galin
Freshman Devin Kane gave the Tar Heels (6-6, 1-3 ACC) an early 3-0 advantage with a dominant 11-4 win over Ray Bethea at 165 pounds. No. 6 Ethan Ramos doubled the lead with an 8-4 decision over Garrett Peppelman at 174, but both Kane and Ramos missed opportunities in the late moments to push for majors.
Daniel Chaid and Cory Daniel were winners at 197 and 285 as the Tar Heels extended their overall lead to 12-3 before the Cavaliers (9-5, 1-2 ACC) started their comeback.
No. 7 Jack Mueller got the rally started at 125 with a 14-3 major over James Syzmanski. UVA took an unexpected lead when Nicholas Lirette had an injury default at 133 that handed the visitors a 13-12 lead. No. 7 George DiCamillo then added another stunner when he pinned No. 5 Joey Ward in the second period at 141.
The back-to-back six-pointers put Virginia in control, but Troy Heilmann got Carolina back in the win column with a 2-0 decision over Sam Krivus at 149.
With one match to go, senior Joey Moon needed a bonus-point win to force a tie in the overall score. Moon and No. 17 Andrew Atkinson were back and forth throughout a high-energy bout, but a late escape by Atkinson gave him the win and UVA the dual.
photo by Gene Galin
Carolina returns to the mat on Wednesday, Feb. 8, when the Tar Heels visit Duke at 7 p.m.
Virginia 22, North Carolina 15
165: Devin Kane (UNC) dec. Ray Bethea (UVA), 11-4 – UNC leads 3-0
174: #6 Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. Garrett Peppelman (UVA), 8-4 – UNC leads 6-0
184: Tyler Askey (UVA) dec. Anderson Pope (UNC), 6-2 – UNC leads 6-3
197: Daniel Chaid (UNC) dec. Chance McClure (UVA), 4-0 – UNC leads 9-3
285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Tyler Love (UVA), 7-2 – UNC leads 12-3
125: #7 Jack Mueller maj. dec. James Szymanski (UNC), 14-3 – UNC leads 12-7
133: Will Mason (UVA) injury def. Nicholas Lirette (UNC) – UVA leads 13-12
141: #7 George DiCamillo (UVA) pinned #5 Joey Ward (UNC), 4:15 – UVA leads 19-12
149: Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Sam Krivus (UVA), 2-0 – UVA leads 19-15
157: #17 Andrew Atkinson (UNC) dec. Joey Moon (UNC), 8-7 – UVA wins 22-15