#6 @PackWrestle Heads to Pitt Friday Night

NC State Notes | Wilson Named Co-ACC Wrestler of the Week
LISTEN: #PackMentality Pop-Ins – Ep. 11: Previewing Pitt and alum Ryan Tice

RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State wrestling team will be in road action for the final time this season, as the Wolfpack travels to Pittsburgh for an ACC dual Friday night at 7 p.m. The dual will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

	#6 NC State (12-1, 2-0) at Pittsburgh (2-8, 0-2)
Date	Friday, Feb. 2
Time	7 p.m.
Location	Pittsburgh, Pa.
Venue	Fitzgerald Field House
Streaming	ACC Network Extra
Live Scoring	TrackWrestling
Social Media	@PackWrestle

Quick Takedowns
• NC State has won three straight against Pitt, including 23-15 last year in Raleigh.
• Over the last three season, NC State has won 48 of its last 52 duals. In that span, the Pack is 28-2 in duals outside of Raleigh and 13-1 in true road duals.
• For the third straight week, NC State is ranked #6 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll. Dating back to the 2015-16 season, NC State has been ranked in the top-10 in each of the last 37 polls, after having not appeared in the top-10 at all since 1993.
• Seven NC State wrestlers are ranked in the top-20 in their weight class by InterMat this week, including five in the top-8 (All-American placement) and three in the top-3.
• NC State had 10 wrestlers ranked in the first NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings (1/18), the only school to have a wrestler ranked in the top-30 every weight class. Five of the 10 ranked were ranked in the top-three in their weight class.
• NC State's 12-1 dual start is the second-best in school history (21-0 in 2016).
• NC State is 2-0 in ACC action, outscoring its foes 64-13 – winning 16 of the 20 matches.
• On the season, the Pack has outscored its first 13 opponents 445-83 (34.2-6.4) and has won 106 of the 130 (81.5%) individual matches in those duals. 63 of the 106 wins have been for bonus points.
• The Pack's 10 ranked in the NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings are a combined 80-10 in duals this year.
• NC State had six seniors ranked in the first NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings. During their career, those six have combined for 455 career wins, all with at least 60.
• Sr. Kevin Jack (141) is a perfect 14-0 all-time in ACC duals. Over the last two seasons, he has outscored his opponents 91-17 (with a pin in which he was leading 16-0) and has not allowed a single takedown.
• Jack became the fifth NC State wrestler to record 100 career wins, he is now 15 shy of the school record. Redshirt-senior Pete Renda (184) also has a chance at 100, as he currently has 90. If Renda accomplishes the feat, they will be the first pair of teammates to notch their 100^th career wins in the same season.
• R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay (157) is one of only two freshmen (both redshirts and true) nationally in all weight classes still undefeated (Alex Marinello, Iowa – 165), with at least 10 matches. He is 16-0 on the season, with 12 bonus point wins.
• R-Fr. Tariq Wilson is the reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week. Three different NC State wrestlers have won the award, Jack after the first week and Hidlay a league-best three times.

Probable Lineups
#6 NC State Wolfpack (12-1, 2-0 ACC)
125: #5 R-Jr. Sean Fausz (10-0) -OR- So. Tommy Cox (13-5)
133: #13 R-Fr. Tariq Wilson (19-4)
141: #2 Sr. Kevin Jack (15-1)
149: #13 R-Sr. Beau Donahue (16-2)
157: #3 R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay (16-0)
165: R-Sr. Brian Hamann (14-5)
174: R-Fr. Daniel Bullard (12-5)
184: #3 R-Sr. Pete Renda (17-0)
197: #6 R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello (14-1)
285: Sr. Michael Boykin (15-4) -OR- R-Jr. Malik McDonald (15-4)

Pittsburgh Panthers (2-8, 0-2 ACC)
125: Jr. L.J. Bentley (2-3)
133: #11 Sr. Dom Forys (11-2)
141: #19 R-Sr. Nick Zanetta (13-7)
149: Jr. Robert Lee (5-7)
157: R-So. Taleb Rahmani (13-7)
165: R-Fr. Jake Wentzel (10-8)
174: R-Fr. Austin Bell (2-11) -OR- Fr. Tommy O'Brien (1-5)
184: R-Fr. Gregg Harvey (10-9)
197: R-Jr. Zach Bruce (0-5) -OR- R-So. Kellan Stout (2-10)
285: #19 R-Sr. Ryan Solomon (15-5)

* - Team Ranking according to USA Today/NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll
* - Individual Rankings according to InterMat (1/30)

Key Matchups
133: #13 R-Fr. Tariq Wilson (19-4) vs. #11 Sr. Dom Forys (11-2)
Wilson is the reigning ACC Wrestler of the week after knocking off returning All-American #5 Jack Mueller of UVA, 9-4. Wilson has started 2-0 against ACC competition. Forys is the reigning ACC champion at 133 and a three-time NCAA Qualifier, and has won his last seven matches this season.

157: #3 R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay (16-0) vs. R-So. Taleb Rahmani (13-7)
Hidlay is off to a 2-0 start in ACC action, a 10-5 win over #11 Finesilver of Duke then a 26-12 major decision over Green of Virginia. Rahmani is the reigning ACC champion at 157 pounds, and went on to win a pair of matches at the 2017 NCAA Championships. They faced each other in multiple freestyle matches this past summer.

Series Against Pittsburgh
Friday's dual marks just the fifth meeting between NC State and Pittsburgh. After the Panthers won the first matchup at home in 2014, 27-7, the Pack has won the past three ACC battles. NC State won at home in 2015, 27-12, then at Pitt in 2016, 28-6. NC State won the third straight in the series last year in Reynolds Coliseum, 23-15.

Last Year vs. Pittsburgh
Facing a 13-7 deficit halfway through the ACC dual, No. 8 NC State won four of the five matches after the intermission and defeated No. 25 Pitt in Reynolds Coliseum, 23-15. The Wolfpack got an overtime win at 157 pounds, followed by a DQ victory at 174, a decision at 184 and a major decision to close the win at 197 pounds over the Panthers.

How this year's probables fared last season:
125: Sean Fausz (NCSU) dec. #29 L.J. Bentley; 10-5
141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) major dec. #31 Nick Zanetti; 19-6
149: #31 Mikey Racciato (Pitt) fall Beau Donahue; 6:38
165: #11 TeShan Campbell (Pitt) dec. #24 Brian Hamann; 5-1
184: #10 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. Zach Bruce; 9-4
197: #24 Malik McDonald (NCSU) major dec. John Rizzo; 10-2

Players Mentioned

Michael Boykin

Daniel Bullard

Tommy Cox

Beau Donahue

Sean Fausz

Brian Hamann

Hayden Hidlay

Kevin Jack

Michael Macchiavello

Malik McDonald

Pete Renda

Tariq Wilson

Related Videos