Pack Preview: UNC Dual

We wrestle at UNC tonight at 7PM.  We take on the Tar Heels in Carmichael Arena and the match will be on ESNP3 as well.  The Tar Heels have won four duals meets and have five nationally ranked individuals.  UNC has won the last six dual meets over NCSU.  CD Mock is entering his tenth year as the head coach at Carolina.  Cary Kolat is the associate head coach and is in his third year with the program.  Dennis Papadatos and Trevor Chinn are the other assistants at UNC.  He is a look at the Tar Heel line-up…

125 Pounds – Nathan Kraisser has burst onto the scene as one of the best freshmen in the country.  He is currently ranked eighth in country.  He has a 26-4 record with a sparkling 10-0 dual meet record.  He is tied for second on the team in both pins (four) and major decisions (five).  He won the Wolfpack Open, took third at the Penn State Open, and fifth at the Hokie Open this season.  He has won his last seven matches.

133 Pounds – Joey Ward is ranked eighteenth in the country as a freshman.  He is currently 16-7 with a 5-2 dual meet record.  So far this season, he placed second at the Hokie Open, fourth at the Wolfpack Open, and seventh at the Penn State Open.

141 Pounds – Evan Henderson is a sophomore and returning national qualifier.  He won twenty-seven matches last season and is currently 27-6 on the season.  He is second on the team in dual meet wins with a 9-1 record.  He won the Wolfpack Open, took second at the Penn State Open, and third at the Hokie Open this season.  He is on a four match win streak and is ranked ninth in the country.

149 Pounds – UNC has two good options here as Nick Heilmann and Christian Barber have been splitting time.  Heilmann is a redshirt sophomore.  He has fifteen wins on the season and is tied for second on the team for the most major decisions with five.  He took fifth at the Wolfpack Open and forth at the Penn State Open this season.  Barber is a redshirt freshman that won twenty-one matches last season.  He is 18-11 on the season.  He has placed second at the Wolfpack open and sixth at the Penn State Open this season.

157 Pounds – This is another weight that has seen two wrestlers split time in dual meets.  Jacob Crawford or Chris Mears could take the mat tonight.  Crawford, a freshman, is 10-6 on the season after missing November and most of December with an injury.  He took third at the Franklin and Marshall Open this year and has competed in four dual meets.  Mears is a sophomore and has competed in half of the Tar Heel dual meets at 157 pounds.  He posted four wins at the Hokie Open earlier this season.

165 Pounds – John Staudenmayer is a redshirt freshman that won twenty-eight matches last season.  He is nationally ranked thirtieth with a 17-10 record.  He leads the team in major decisions with six and is tied for the most technical falls on the team.  He took fourth at the Penn State Open and fifth at both the Wolfpack and Hokie Opens.

174 pounds – Tanner Eitel is a redshirt sophomore that transferred into UNC.  He has only wrestled in seven matches this season (all dual meets this semester).  He has a deceptive 4-3 record as all three of his losses are to nationally ranked wrestlers and he has a top twenty win.  He will most likely be in the next set of rankings.

184 Pounds – Alex Utley is a sophomore and is ranked twenty-fourth in the country.  He has an 18-12 record on the season.  He has wrestled in every dual meet this season for the Tarheels.  He won the Wolfpack Open and took sixth at the Penn State Open this season.

197 Pounds – Antonio Giorgio is a redshirt sophomore that redshirted last season.  As a freshman, he won nineteen matches and was ranked in the top twenty in the country for a good portion of the season.  This season, he has posted eight wins taking second at the Hokie Open and fifth at the Wolfpack Open.  Giorgio has not wrestled since early December but could be back for the match.  If he is not wrestling tonight, watch for Frank Abbondanza, a sophomore to start.  Abbondanza is a returning starter that has seven wins on the season.  He has wrestled in all ten dual meets for UNC this season wrestling anywhere from 174 to heavyweight.

285 Pounds – Cody Klempay is a freshman that was one of the top recruits in the country this past season.  He has seen limited action this year but has posted two wins.