ACC Dual Championship on the Line as #6 @PackWrestle Hosts #8 Virginia Tech

NC State Match Notes | Probable Starters | Match Program
LISTEN: #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast: Ep. 13 – Previewing Two Top-10 Duals

RALEIGH, N.C. - For the third straight season, the ACC Dual Championship will be decided between NC State and Virginia Tech on the final weekend of the regular season. The #6 Wolfpack (14-1) and the #8 Hokies (14-2) both sport identical 4-0 marks in ACC dual action heading into a 7:30 p.m. dual Friday night in Reynolds Coliseum. The dual will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

The two teams have a combined 15 of the 20 probable starters ranked in the top-20 this week by InterMat, and five of the 10 matchups will feature ranked vs. ranked, including a pair of top-10 battles at 184 and 197 pounds.

The Wolfpack will then have a quick turnaround and host #2 Ohio State this Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

	#6 NC State (14-1, 4-0) vs. #8 Virginia Tech (14-2, 4-0)
Date	Friday, Feb. 16
Time	7:30 p.m.
Location	Raleigh, N.C.
Venue	Reynolds Coliseum
Tickets	$7 adults, $5 youth
Streaming	ACC Network Extra
Live Scoring	TrackWrestling
Social Media	@PackWrestle

Promotions
• Senior Night - Honoring: Michael Boykin, Jake DeAngelo, Beau Donahue, Nicky Hall, Brian Hamann, Kevin Jack, Michael Macchiavello, Robbie Rizzolino, and Pete Renda
• Military Appreciation Day
• Post-Match Autograph Session

Quick Takedowns
• NC State is looking for its first ACC Dual Championships since 2004, and to go undefeated in ACC dual action for the first time since 2000.
• NC State ranks second nationally in dual winning percentage over the last three seasons (50-4, .926) while Virginia Tech ranks third nationally (48-5, .906). Only Penn State (43-0) ranks above the two ACC schools.
• Over the last three season, NC State has won 50 of its last 54 duals, but is 0-2 against the Hokies. In that span, the Pack is 21-2 in home duals and 29-2 in duals outside of Raleigh, including 14-1 in true road duals.
• For the fifth 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 39 polls, after having not appeared in the top-10 at all since 1993.
• Eight of the 10 NC State starters 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.
• For the second straight NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings of the season, NC State has all 10 starters ranked. Five are ranked among the top-8 (All-American level), and three are in the top-3.
• NC State's 14-1 dual start is the second-best in school history (21-0 in 2016).
• NC State is 4-0 in ACC action, outscoring its foes 113-29 – winning 31 of the 40 matches. Over the last three seasons, NC State has outscored ACC foes 365-140 in going 12-2.
• On the season, the Pack has outscored its first 15 opponents 494-99 (32.9-6.6) and has won 121 of the 150 (80.7%) individual matches in those duals. 67 of the 121 wins have been for bonus points.
• The Pack's 10 ranked in the NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings are a combined 93-13 (87.7%) in duals this year.
• NC State had six senior starters, all ranked in each of the first two NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings. During their career, those six have combined for 463 career wins, all with at least 60.
• Sr. Kevin Jack (141) is a perfect 15-0 all-time in ACC duals. The two-time defensing ACC champion has outscored his opponents 95-19 (with a pin in which he was leading 16-0) and has not allowed a single takedown over the last two seasons.
• Jack became the fifth NC State wrestler to record 100 career wins, he is now 14 shy of the school record. Redshirt-senior Pete Renda (184) also has a chance at 100, as he currently has 92. 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). He is 18-0 on the season, with 13 bonus point wins.
• Hidlay and Renda (18-0) are two of the 15 undefeated NCAA D1 wrestlers heading into this weekend. NC State is one of just three schools with at least two in that group.
• NC State has had four wrestlers combine for six ACC Wrestler of the Week honors. Jack was named after the first week, Hidlay has won the award a league-best three times R-Fr. Tariq Wilson (133) won after his top-5 win vs. Virginia, and Renda was the most recent with his major against North Carolina.

Probable Starters
#6 NC State Wolfpack (14-1, 4-0 ACC)
125: #5 R-Jr. Sean Fausz (11-1)
133: #13 R-Fr. Tariq Wilson (20-5)
141: #2 Sr. Kevin Jack (16-1)
149: #13 R-Sr. Beau Donahue (17-3)
157: #3 R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay (18-0)
165: R-Sr. Brian Hamann (15-5)
174: R-Fr. Daniel Bullard (13-6)
184: #3 R-Sr. Pete Renda (19-0)
197: #7 R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello (15-1)
285: #19 Sr. Michael Boykin (17-4) -OR- R-Jr. Malik McDonald (15-4)

#8 Virginia Tech Hokies (14-2, 4-0 ACC)
125: Kyle Norstrem (11-11)
133: #18 Dennis Gustafson (20-7)
141: Brent Moore (17-9)
149: #16 Ryan Blees (20-5)
157: B.C. LaPrade (12-10) or Solomon Chishko (8-6)
165: #4 David McFadden (28-0)
174: #15 Hunter Bolen (19-9) or Cody Hughes (14-12)
184: #8 Zack Zavatsky (26-4)
197: #2 Jared Haught (23-2)
285: #18 Andrew Dunn (20-10)

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

Key Matchups
184: #3 Pete Renda (19-0) vs. #8 Zack Zavatsky (26-4)
Renda is one of 15 D1 wrestlers still undefeated, and has outscored his first four ACC foes 49-6. Zavatsky is the two-time defending ACC Champion at 184 pounds, and enters with a career record of 34-1 in duals. Zavatsky, also 4-0 in ACC action, outscored his conference foes 42-19 and had a pin. Zavatsky holds a 2-1 lead in the all-time series, as the two faced off three times during the 2016 seaosn: Zavatsky won the dual (9-5) and at the ACC Championship (5-2) while Renda won at the NCAA Championships (4-3).

197: #7 Michael Macchiavello (15-1) vs. #2 Jared Haught (23-2)
Macchiavello enters with a 3-0 mark in ACC action, his last two wins were against ranked conference foes that we won a combined 25-9. After going 0-10 against ranked foes his first two seasons, Macchiavello is 9-7 in such matchups the last two, including 4-1 this season. Haught is a two-time All-American, placing fourth last season, and the defending ACC Champion at 197 pounds.

Going for History
One honor that has eluded the Wolfpack under head coach Pat Popolizio is a perfect record in ACC dual action. Each of the past two seasons, the Wolfpack has gone 4-1, with both losses to Virginia Tech in the final ACC dual of the year.

NC State is attempted to finish undefeated in ACC duals for the first time since the 2000 season, and win the ACC dual title for the first time since 2004 (4-1).

Strong Start to ACC Duals
NC State is off to a 4-0 start in ACC duals for the third straight season, after a 32-6 road win at Duke, a 32-7 home win against Virginia, 23-9 win at Pitt, and 26-7 at home over #24 North Carolina last weekend. In those duals, the Pack won 31 of the 40 individual bouts, and had 12 bonus point wins combined.

Over the last three seasons, NC State has outscored its ACC foes 365-140, winning 97 of the 140 matches and going 12-2.

Among the Undefeated
A pair of NC State wrestlers enter the final weekend of the regular season with perfect records, as R-Fr. Hayden Hidlay is 18-0 at 157 pounds and R-Sr. Pete Renda is 19-0 at 184.

In NCAA D1, there are 15 wrestlers still undefeated. NC State is one of three schools nationally with at least two in that group. Hidlay is one of only two freshmen nationally (both redshirt and true) in all weight classes still without a loss (Alex Marinelli - Iowa - 165).

Dominating Duals
Over the last three seasons, NC State boasts the second best dual winning percentage in the NCAA, having won 50 of the last 54 (.926). Fellow ACC member Virginia Tech is close behind with the third-best record nationally (48-5 - .906), and only Penn State, at a perfect 43-0, sits ahead of the two ACC rivals.

Rank	School	Record
1.	Penn State	43-0 (1.000)
2.	NC State	50-4 (.926)
3.	Virginia Tech	48-5 (.906)
4.	Oklahoma State	38-5 (.884)
5.	Missouri	43-6 (.878)

Series vs. Virginia Tech
Since Virginia Tech joined the ACC for wrestling for the 2004 season, the Pack has posted a 4-10 record against the Hokies. Virginia Tech has won nine straight in the series, with the Pack's last win coming in Reynolds in 2008 (21-19).

Last Year vs. Virginia Tech
The Wolfpack jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, but the Hokies responded with three straight wins to make it 11-3. The Pack answered with a decision at 133 pounds and a technical fall at 141 to even things up 11-11 with four bouts remaining.

The Hokies once again scored back-to-back wins and retook the lead at 17-11. The Pack got the decision at 165 pounds to pull within three team points, but VT held on to claim the final bout at 174 pounds and the out-right ACC dual championship with a 20-14 win in Blacksburg.

How this year's probable NC State starters fared:
125: #4 Joey Dance (VT) major dec. #23 Sean Fausz; 12-3
141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) tech fall Brendan Ryan; 21-6
184: #10 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. #5 Zack Zavatsky; 9-3
285: #5 Ty Walz (VT) major dec. Michael Boykin; 13-4

ACC Dual Championship on the Line as #6 @PackWrestle Hosts #8 Virginia Tech

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Michael Boykin

Daniel Bullard

Jake DeAngelo

Beau Donahue

Sean Fausz

Nicky Hall

Brian Hamann

Hayden Hidlay

Kevin Jack

Michael Macchiavello

Malik McDonald

Pete Renda

Robbie Rizzolino

Tariq Wilson

ACC Dual Championship on the Line as #6 @PackWrestle Hosts #8 Virginia Tech

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Michael Boykin

Daniel Bullard

Jake DeAngelo

Beau Donahue

Sean Fausz

Nicky Hall

Brian Hamann

Hayden Hidlay

Kevin Jack

Michael Macchiavello

Malik McDonald

Pete Renda

Robbie Rizzolino

Tariq Wilson

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