NC State
American
Wolfpack Upsets No. 9 American, 25-18
1/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 20, 2012
WASHINGTON. DC.-- Sophomore 149-pounder Matt Nereim pinned Kevin Tao in the final and decisive bout of the evening as NC State knocked off No. 9 American 25-18 in a dual wrestling match at American’s Bender Arena.
The Wolfpack won six out of 10 bouts to earn the victory. With the win NC State improves to 4-4 overall. American falls to 4-5 overall.
The match got underway with the 157-pound match, pairing NC State’s Colton Palmer vs. No. 4 Ganbayar Sanjaa of American. Palmer kept the bout close after the first and second periods before dropping an 8-3 decsion.
Nijel Jones got the Wolfpack on the board by pinning Tanner Shaffer at 4:49. Shaffer led after the first period, but the Wolfpack sophomore gained control of the match before winning by fall. Jones trailed 5-0 at the conclusion of the 1st stanza after avoiding a pin attempt from Shaffer.
Senior 174-pounder Quinton Godley dominated his bout against American’s Phillip Barreiro and went on to win by major decision 22-8. Godley jumped out to an early lead against his opponent and led at the end of the first period 12-5. Godley continued his dominance throughout the bout and never surrendered the lead. At 184 pounds, freshman Robert O’Neill defeated Thomas Barreiro by decision 13-9.
NC State won three of the first four bouts and was ahead by a score of 13-3, which was the largest lead on the night.
“Everybody wrestled really hard for us tonight, and that’s what you have to do whenever you’re on the road against a great team,” Wolfpack head coach Carter Jordan said.
The Wolfpack stumbled in the matches at 197 and heavyweight as KaRonne Jones and Josh Davis were both pinned by No. 19 Daniel Mitchell at 197 and No. 1 Ryan Flores at heavyweight, respectively.
NC State’s stellar freshman 125-pounder Coltin Fought got things back going back the Wolfpack’s way by knocking off Thomas Williams by decision, 7-0.
“That kid is the real deal,” Jordan said.
At 133 pounds, Wolfpack freshman Ben Elliott was decisioned 7-3 by Corey Borshoff of American.
For the second consecutive week, redshirt-senior Darrius Little was pitted against a ranked opponent. Little, ranked 13th nationally, faced No. 12-ranked Matt Mariacher in the lone bout of the night featuring two nationally ranked wrestlers. Little defeated Mariacher by decision 5-4.
“Darrius really controlled this match and the score is not necessarily an accurate representation of his performance,” coach Jordan said.
The victory was Little’s 90th career win. He is only the sixth wrestler in NC State history to win 90 or more matches in a career.
Little’s milestone gave the Wolfpack a 19-18 lead and set the stage for the deciding match of the night, pitting Nereim and Tao at 149 pounds. Nereim did not disappoint and pinned Kevin Tao at 6:23. The Wolfpack sophomore led by a score of 5-3 after the second period before going on to get the fall in the final period.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a win over a top 10 team,” Jordan said, “so I’m really proud of our guys. We still have more work to do.”
The Wolfpack will return to action on Sunday at 2 p.m., in an Atlantic Coast Conference match at Maryland.
NC State 25, American 18
157 – No. 4 Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. Colton Palmer, 8-3
165 –Nijel Jones (NCS) pinned Tanner Shaffer at 4:49
174 – Quinton Godley (NCS) maj. dec. Phillip Barreiro, 22-8
184 – Robert O’Neill (NCS) dec. Thomas Barreiro, 13-9
197 – No. 19 Daniel Mitchell (AU) pins KaRonne Jones at 5:53
285 – No. 1 Ryan Flores (AU) pinned Josh Davis at 0:24
125 – Coltin Fought (NCS) dec. Thomas Williams, 7-0
133 – Corey Borshoff (AU) dec. Ben Elliott, 7-3
141 – No. 13 Darrius Little (NCS) dec. No. 12 Matt Mariacher, 5-4
149 – Matt Nereim (NCS) pinned Kevin Tao at 6:23
Players Mentioned
