University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
The Citadel
No. 14 Tar Heels Top The Citadel In Regular Season Finale
February 21, 2016 | Wrestling
CHARLESTON, S.C. --- No. 14 North Carolina closed out its regular season schedule in emphatic fashion Sunday, winning eight of 10 bouts in a 33-12 victory over The Citadel at McAlister Field House. John Michael Staudenmayer and Ethan Ramos both won with second-period pins to lead the Tar Heels, who will next be in action at the 2016 ACC Championships on March 6.
Carolina (13-5) rebounded from Friday night's loss at No. 3 Oklahoma State impressively. Five of the eight Tar Heel wins came with bonus points, with major decisions from James Szymanski, Alex Utley and Chip Ness joining the pins by Staudenmayer and Ramos.
Both wins by The Citadel were by fall, including Patrick Kearney's second-period pin at 125 pounds. That put the Tar Heels in a 6-0 hole, but Szymanski's major at 133 helped turn the momentum toward the visitors.
No. 9 Joey Ward won a war of attrition at 141, outlasting Ty Buckiso 2-1 to give Carolina its first lead of the dual. No. 5 Evan Henderson then made it 10-6 with a 7-3 decision over Bulldog senior Matt Frisch.
Aaron Walker briefly restored The Citadel's lead with his pin at 157, but the Tar Heels overwhelmed the host Bulldogs in the final five bouts.
Staudenmayer stuck Daniel Smith 58 seconds into the second period at 165 to give Carolina a 16-12 lead and Ramos bested that by pinning Timothy Knipl in 3:26. Staudenmayer improved to 19-8 on the year with his second pin of the season, both of which have come against Smith. Ramos picked up his 20th win of the year, bouncing back from an upset loss on Friday.
Utley and Ness added majors at 184 and 197, respectively, to put the dual well out of reach before Cory Daniel beat Joe Bexley in the first sudden victory period to end the day on a high note.
Carolina will return to Chapel Hill and begin preparations for the 2016 ACC Championships. The one-day event is set for March 6 and will be hosted by Virginia.
No. 14 North Carolina 33, The Citadel 12
125: Patrick Kearney (Citadel) pinned Anthony Bosco (UNC), 3:37 - The Citadel leads 6-0
133: James Szymanski (UNC) maj. dec. Caleb Smith (Citadel), 15-4 - The Citadel leads 6-4
141: #9 Joey Ward (UNC) dec. Ty Buckiso (Citadel), 2-1 - UNC leads 7-6
149: #5 Evan Henderson (UNC) dec. Matt Frisch (Citadel), 7-3 - UNC leads 10-6
157: Aaron Walker (Citadel) pinned Robert Henderson (UNC), 4:32 - The Citadel leads 12-10
165: #11 John Michael Staudenmayer (UNC) pinned Daniel Smith (Citadel), 3:58 - UNC leads 16-12
174: #2 Ethan Ramos (UNC) pinned Timothy Knipl (Citadel), 3:26 - UNC leads 22-12
184: #19 Alex Utley (UNC) maj. dec. Sawyer Root (Citadel), 15-7 - UNC leads 26-12
197: Chip Ness (UNC) maj. dec. Marshall Haas (Citadel), 10-2 - UNC leads 30-12
285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Joe Bexley (Citadel), 3-1 (SV-1) - UNC wins 33-12
Players Mentioned
