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Carolina Slams NC State In Bill Lam's Final ACC Match
February 11, 2003 | Wrestling
Feb. 11, 2003
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina wrestling team jumped out to a quick 22-0 lead and held off the Wolfpack 22-12 in Carmichael tonight. Bill Lam was sent out with a bang as 3,050 Tar Heel fans stood and cheered as he accepted the "Backyard Brawl" trophy. North Carolina improves to 8-4, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, while NC State falls to 5-8, 1-2 ACC.
"It was really special to have Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge and rest of the Carolina family in the stands," said head coach Bill Lam. "My emotions were running high because of all the people that came out and showed their support for me.
"I was proud of the way our team came out and fought and really pleased with the result."
In the opening match of the night at 174 pounds, sophomore Mark Canty (Gahanna, Ohio) pinned NC State's Courtney Bird to extend his winning streak to 10 as the Tar Heels led 6-0. Sophomore Dustin Heist (Meadville, Pa.) snapped a four match losing streak to win the second straight match for Carolina at 184 pounds as UNC led 9-0.
Freshman David Dashiell (Chesapeake, Va.) continued UNC's early dominance as he defeated Matt Gulliver 8-4 at 197 pounds to push the lead to 12-0. Junior Ryan Adams (Rock Hill, N.C.) made the score 16-0 as he scored a major decision over the Wolfpack's Leroy Harris scoring four points in the third frame.
In the on-going rivalry between 18th-ranked Chris Rodrigues (Marietta, Ga.) and NC State's George Cintron, the two wrestlers needed extra periods to decide the match for the third consecutive time. Both grapplers brought the crowd to its feet as neither managed a sudden victory. Cintron won the flip for the third straight time but Rodrigues was able to hold on for 30 seconds for three more points for the Tar Heels, 19-0.
At 133 pounds, 18th-ranked sophomore Evan Sola (Wernersville, Pa.) remained unbeaten in ACC competition for his career (10-0) as he dropped the Wolfpack's Daniel Pacitti 6-0 to push his win streak to nine, giving the Heels a 22-0 advantage. NC State stopped the streak at six as 141-pounder Ryan McCallum got revenge against UNC's freshman Brian Baglio (York Haven, Pa.) from an earlier defeat in Raleigh, 6-4, to cut the deficit to 19 points, 22-3.
Sparks flew at 149 pounds as senior Christopher DiGuiseppe (Holland, Pa.) battled 2002 ACC Champion Jake Giamoni. The two earned three points each as one another pushed back and forth as they headed into the final period tied. Giamoni escaped in 45 seconds to gain a 4-3 advantage in the final frame and added a take down with 29 seconds left for a 6-4 decision as the lead was cut to 16, 22-6.
No. 14 Scott Garren earned State's third consecutive decision of the night as he defeated the Tar Heels' freshman Garrett Atkinson (Boone, N.C.), 9-4. The final match of the evening needed overtime as No. 20 Dustin Kawa faced UNC's senior Jimmy O'Connor (Woodbine, Md.). After a scoreless first overtime, O'Connor won the coin flip in the tiebreaker. O'Connor could not escape as the Tar Heels defeated NC State, 22-12.
North Carolina will travel to No. 10 Michigan State Friday, Feb. 14, and Eastern Michigan Saturday, Feb. 15. The Tar Heels and Spartans will compete at 7 p.m. in East Lansing and UNC will battle the EMU Eagles at 11 a.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich.
North Carolina 22 vs. NC State 12
125 pounds - UNC Chris Rodrigues TB NCS George Cintron, 1-1
133 pounds - UNC Evan Sola DEC NCS Daniel Pacitti, 6-0
141 pounds - NCS Ryan McCallum DEC UNC Brian Baglio, 6-4
149 pounds - NCS Jake Giamoni DEC UNC Chris Rodrigues, 6-4
157 pounds - NCS Scott Garren DEC UNC Garrett Atkinson, 9-4
165 pounds - NCS Dustin Kawa TB UNC Jimmy O'Connor, 3-3
174 pounds - UNC Mark Canty FALL NCS Courtney Bird, 4:44
184 pounds - UNC Dusty Heist DEC NCS Jon Godwin, 12-8
197 pounds - UNC David Dashiell DEC NCS Matt Gulliver, 8-4
Hwt. - UNC Ryan Adams MJ DEC NCS Leroy Harris, 8-0
Match started at 174 pounds
Rankings by Intermat Wrestling
Players Mentioned
