NC State's Gwiazdowski Earns Second Straight ACC Wrestler of The
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Release #17, March 31 2015--Season Summary 2014-15 Atlantic Coast Conference Final Wrestling Standings Conference Overall W L T Pct. For Opp Hm Rd Neu W L T Pct For Opp Hm Rd Neu Streak Virginia Tech 5 0 0 1.000 116 62 4-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 14 2 0 .875 378 216 8-0-0 2-2-0 4-0-0 Won 5 NC State 3 2 0 .600 98 97 1-1-0 2-1-0 0-0-0 16 6 0 .727 524 289 7-3-0 5-2-0 4-1-0 Lost 1 North Carolina 2 3 0 .400 78 95 1-2-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 11 6 0 .647 290 224 3-3-0 4-2-0 4-1-0 Won 1 *Virginia 2 3 0 .400 99 82 2-1-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 10 7 0 .588 392 249 7-2-0 0-3-0 3-2-0 Lost 4 Pitt 2 3 0 .400 79 100 2-0-0 0-3-0 0-0-0 8 8 0 .500 325 267 6-3-0 2-5-0 0-0-0 Lost 3 Duke 1 4 0 .200 72 105 0-1-0 1-3-0 0-0-0 11 7 0 .611 336 336 5-2-0 3-4-0 3-1-0 Lost 1 * ACC Champion ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE Wrestling Contact: Mike Finn mfi [email protected] 4512 Weybridge Lane Greensboro, N.C. 27407 Phone: 336-369-1210 Fax: 336-369-1211 ACC COACHES DUKE ................................................Glen Lanham NORTH CAROLINA................................. C.D. Mock NC STATE .........................................Pat Popolizio PITT .................................................. Jason Peters VIRGINIA .........................................Steve Garland VIRGINIA TECH................................Kevin Dresser ACC WRESTLING CONTACTS DUKE .......................................Meredith Rieder Kevin Jack, NC State Nick Gwiazdowski, NC State Kevin Dresser, Virginia Tech [email protected] NORTH CAROLINA....................Bobby Hundley NC State’s Gwiazdowski Earns Second Straight [email protected] NC STATE ................................ Brian Reinhardt ACC Wrestler of the Year Honor 919-515-8953 .................. [email protected] PITT ............................................. Greg Szklany Wolfpack’s Kevin Jack, Virginia Tech’s Kevin Dresser 412-648-8240 [email protected] Named ACC Freshman, Coach of the Year VIRGINIA ...........................Andy Fledderjohann NC State junior Nick Gwiazdowski (Delanson, N.Y.), who this year became only the 434-982-5131...........................fl [email protected] third wrestler in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win back-to-back NCAA national VIRGINIA TECH ........................Bryan Johnston championships, was named the 2015 ACC Wrestler of the Year, the Conference has 540-231-3387...........................................blj@vt.edu announced. TABLE OF CONTENTS Contacts, ACC Standings ............................. 1 NC State true freshman Kevin Jack (Danbury, Conn.), who earned All-American ACC Wrestler, Freshman Coach of the Year .....1-3 honors by fi nishing fi fth nationally in the 141-pound weight class, was voted ACC NCAA Championship Wrap and Results ..........4-8 Wrestling Freshman of the Year and Virginia Tech head coach Kevin Dresser, who led ACC Tournament Story, Complete Results .......9-11 the Hokies to a 10th-place national fi nish, was named ACC Coach of the Year. National Rankings, Coaches Records .........12-13 All three awards were determined by a vote of the league’s six wrestling head coaches. Pronunciation Guide ..................................13 School Schedules, Results ..........................14 Gwiazdowski, who has won 55 consecutive matches in the 285-pound class, in- ACC Wrestlers of the Week ........................15-17 cluding a 35-0 mark this past year, captured his second straight ACC and NCAA titles ACC Wrestling By the Numbers .......................17 this year. The redshirt junior joins Clemson’s Sammie Henson (1993-94) and North ACC Match Individual Records ........................18 Carolina’s T.J. Jaworsky (1993-94-95), as the only wrestlers in ACC history to win ACC Dual Match Results ...........................19-20 back-to-back national championships. NCAA RPI Rankings.....................................21 continued page 2 ACC Wrestlers recorded 20 upsets of opponents that were higher seeds in the 2015 NCAA Championship....Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta (5) and NC State’s Kevin Jack (4), both unseeded, combined to produce nine upsets between them...Brascetta fi nished fourth at 157 pounds and Jack fi nished fi fth at 141... The ACC’s six programs had 10 wrestlers earn All-American honors, the most for the league in a single year, breaking the mark of nine set last year when the conference was a seven-team wrestling league...Of the 10, seven return in 2015-16. 1 Gwiazdowski, Jack, Dresser Win 2015 ACC Wrestling Awards In the NCAA Championship, Gwiazdowski won fi ve ship. straight matches on the way to the title, outscoring his op- ponents by an impressive, 45-14. Among those fi ve wins, Additionally, four of his wrestlers—Carter (Christians- he defeated the 16th seed, the eighth seed, the fi fth seed burg, Va.), who fi nished third at 141 pounds; redshirt junior and fi nally the sixth seed in the championship bout. His 55 Nick Brascetta (St. Paris, Ohio), who fi nished fourth at 157 consecutive wins are an NC State and ACC record and will pounds; sophomore Zach Epperly (Christiansburg, Va.), who begin the 2015-16 season as the nation’s longest, current placed seventh at 174 pounds; and redshirt sophomore Ty win streak. During the regular season, all fi ve of Gwiaz- Walz (Cleveland, Ohio), who fi nished seventh at 285—earned dowski’s ACC wins were by fall. All-American honors. Gwiazdowski becomes the fi rst repeat ACC Wrestler Dresser also guided Tech to a dual-match win over even- of the Year recipient since former Wolfpack heavyweight tual national champion Ohio State, as the Hokies downed the Sylvester Terkay captured the honor for the three straight then fourth-ranked Buckeyes, 19-18, in Blacksburg last Nov. years (1991-92-93). Three NC State wrestlers have been 23. named ACC Wrestler of the Year a total of seven times. (Darrion Caldwell, 2007 and 2009). Dresser becomes the fi rst coach to win three straight ACC Wrestling Coach of the Year honors since North Carolina’s “This caps off an outstanding season for Nick,” said NC Bill Lam won four straight from 1997 through 2000. He is State head coach Pat Popolizio. “Winning back-to-back also only the second coach in league history to win the honor NCAA titles, and now a second straight ACC Wrestler of the three consecutive times. Year award, is truly an honor." “I am honored to be recognized by my peers to receive NC State’s Jack posted a 31-9 individual record on the this award again especially in a year when the ACC made big season. Originally slated to redshirt this year, he entered strides as a conference,” said Dresser. the Wolfpack lineup due to an illness to a starter and was 3-0 in dual matches. He fi nished fourth in the ACC Tourna- “I was very impressed by the entire conference. It takes ment at 141 pounds and entered the NCAA Tournament a lot of great people to make a great program and that is our unseeded. But once in the fi eld in St. Louis, he made a goal each year. I feel it is only fi tting to share this award name for himself nationally, defeating the fi fth, 12th and throughout the department and especially with my immedi- fourth-seeded wrestlers to reach the semifi nals, including ate staff. Coaches (Tony) Robie, (David) Hoffman, (Jeremy) claiming a win over Virginia Tech All-American and 2014 Johnson, and our trainer, Sean Collins, deserve to share this national runner-up Devin Carter of Virginia Tech. Jack then award most! I appreciate them so much. Lastly, I want to scored his fourth upset of the Championship, downing the thank the athletes on this team, they are overachievers. The 11th-seed in the consolations to gain fi fth place. future is very bright at Virginia Tech.” The 31 wins are a record for an NC State freshman. Jack becomes the third Wolfpack wrestler to win ACC Wrestling Freshman of the Year honors in the award’s 12- year history. “There were a lot of great freshmen in our conference, and for Kevin to receive this honor is very rewarding,” said Popolizio, whose NC State team fi nished 16th nationally. “We are excited about the growth and development we will see out of him over the next three years. “This is the refl ection of a lot of hard work and dedi- cation from both Nick and Kevin. We are very grateful to receive both of these awards, as this is one of the premier conferences in the country.” Dresser was named the ACC’s Wrestling Coach of the Year for the third straight time after guiding the Hokies to an ACC-best 10th-place national fi nish, their third straight Top 10 fi nish at the NCAA Championships. Tech also won the regular season ACC title with a perfect 5-0 dual match record in the ACC, but fi nished third in the ACC Champion- 2 ACC Wrestler, Freshmen and Coaches of the Year Year ACC Wrestler of the Year ACC Freshman of the Year ACC Coach of the Year 1986 Bill Lam, North Carolina 1987 Bill Lam, North Carolina 1988 Bob Guzzo, NC State 1989 Bob Guzzo, NC State 1990 John McHugh, Maryland 1991 Sylvester Terkay, NC State Bob Guzzo, NC State 1992 Sylvester Terkay, NC State Bill Lam, North Carolina 1993 Sylvester Terkay, NC State John McHugh, Maryland 1994 Sam Henson, Clemson Bill Lam, North Carolina 1995 T.J. Jaworsky, North Carolina Bill Lam, North Carolina 1996 Justin Harty, North Carolina Bob Guzzo, NC State 1997 Jim Guzzio, Maryland Bill Lam, North Carolina 1998 Chuckie Connor, North Carolina Bill Lam, North Carolina 1999 Matt Roth, Virginia Bill Lam, North Carolina 2000 Steve Garland, Virginia Bill Lam, North Carolina 2001 John Mark Bentley, North Carolina Bob Guzzo, NC State 2002 Chris Rodrigues, North Carolina Bob Guzzo, NC State 2003 Evan Sola, North Carolina Bill Lam, North Carolina 2004 Scoot Moore, Virginia Clar Anderson, Duke 2005 Evan Sola, North Carolina Kody Hamrah, NC State C.D.