North Carolina
Pittsburgh
Tar Heels Split At Pitt Duals
January 11, 2015 | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH, Pa. --- North Carolina dropped a tight 21-15 dual to Pittsburgh before topping Lock Haven 24-9 to finish 1-1 at the 2015 Pitt Duals Sunday at Fitzgerald Field House. Troy Heilmann, Joey Ward, Ethan Ramos and Chip Ness were double winners for the Tar Heels, who are now 3-3 on the year and 0-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Carolina fell in a quick 6-0 hole to the host Panthers before Heilmann beat Nick Zanetta 3-2 in overtime at 133. After Ward picked up six points with a forfeit win at 141, Mikey Racciato got Pitt back even with a 10-3 victory over Christian Barber.
Ramos made it 12-12 with his 5-1 decision over Cody Wiercioch at 165 before John Michael Staudenmayer was edged by No. 8 Tyler Wilps 2-1 in overtime at 174.
Ness scored an 8-5 win over No. 14 Nick Bonaccorsi at 197 for UNC's final win of the dual, but Ryan Solomon's sudden victory over Frank Abbondanza at 285 clinched the overall win for Pitt.
The Tar Heels found themselves in another 6-0 hole thanks to a pin at 125 against Lock Haven, but Carolina ran off six consecutive victories to take control of the dual.
Barber gave UNC its first lead with a 3-1 decision over Dan Neff at 149 before Robert Henderson extended the advantage to 11-6 with a win at 157. Ramos scored a bonus point with a major decision at 165 before Staudenmayer made it 18-6 with his 8-1 win over Tyler Wood at 174.
Ness sealed Carolina's third dual win of the season with an 8-7 victory over Phil Sprenkle at 197, and Abbondanza ended the day with a 4-2 decision at heavyweight to make the final score 24-9.
The win over Lock Haven was also the 100th career dual victory for 12th-year head coach C.D. Mock. Mock, who was also a national champion as a Tar Heel in 1982, joins Bill Lam as the second UNC head coach to reach 100 career dual wins.
Carolina will continue its extended road trip Friday, Jan. 16, at Gardner-Webb.
No. 9 Pitt 21, UNC 15
125: Dom Forys (P) fall Cody Karns (N), 4:22; Pitt leads 6-0
133: Troy Heilmann (N) dec. Nick Zanetta (P), 3-2 (TB); Pitt leads 6-3
141: #15 Joey Ward (N) wins by forfeit; UNC leads 9-6
149: Mikey Racciato (P) dec. Christian Barber (N) 10-3; Tied 9-9
157: Ronnie Garbinsky (P) dec. Chris Mears (N), 4-3 ; Pitt leads 12-9
165: Ethan Ramos (N) dec. Cody Wiercioch (P), 5-1; Tied 12-12
174: #8 Tyler Wilps (P) dec. John Michael Staudenmayer (N), 2-1 (TB); Pitt leads 15-12
184: #2 Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Scott Marmoll (N), 7-3; Pitt leads 18-12
197: Chip Ness (N) dec. #14 Nick Bonaccorsi (N), 8-5; Pitt leads 18-15
285: Ryan Solomon (P) dec. Frank Abbondanza (N), 4-2 (SV); Pitt wins 21-15.
UNC 24, Lock Haven 9
125: Jake Field (Lock Haven) fall Alex Rinaldi (UNC); Lock Haven leads 6-0
133: Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven), 4-2; Lock Haven leads 6-3
141: #15 Joey Ward (UNC) dec. Bobby Rehm (Lock Haven), 10-4; Lock Haven leads 6-5*
149: Christian Barber (UNC) dec. Dan Neff (Lock Haven), 3-1; UNC leads 8-6
157: Robert Henderson (UNC) dec. Elias Biddle (Lock Haven), 7-5; UNC leads 11-6
165: Ethan Ramos (UNC) maj. dec. Aaron McKinney (Lock Haven), 17-4; UNC leads 15-6
174: John Mitchell Staudenmayer (UNC) dec. Tyler Wood (Lock Haven), 8-1; UNC leads 18-6
184: Fred Garcia (Lock Haven) dec. Scott Marmoll (UNC), 8-4; UNC leads 18-9
197: Chip Ness (UNC) dec. Phil Sprenkle (Lock Haven), 8-7; UNC leads 21-9
285: Frank Abbondanza (UNC) dec. Brad Emerick (Lock Haven), 4-2; UNC wins 24-9
*UNC deducted team point
Players Mentioned
