In what's been the most talented and competitive weight class in the ACC the past two seasons, this year's 125-pound class is even deeper and tighter.
With three returning NCAA qualifiers from last season, the weight class looked tough on paper, but when Virginia true freshman Brian Sticca used a four-point move at the end of the second period en route to a 9-4 upset over North Carolina All-American Chris Rodrigues two weeks ago, the quest to become ACC Champion quickly became a four-man race.
Rodrigues, last year's conference champion and currently ranked 11th in the country, subsequently lost to NC State's George Cintron before picking up his first conference dual meet win of the season last week against Maryland.
When the Tar Heels (6-3, 2-1 in the ACC) enter Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight against Duke (6-6, 0-0), Rodrigues' job does not get any easier. The Blue Devils' 125-pounder Tommy Hoang, while not completely conditioned due to injuries earlier this season, is wrestling better than he has all year. The two-time NCAA qualifier is coming off of a huge 8-1 victory this past weekend against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga's Mark Pitts, ranked 12th in the nation.
The 125-pound bout is one of several key matches for the Blue Devils tonight as they attempt to win their first conference dual meet in recent years. UNC, although dropping a close 20-17 match to Virginia earlier this year, is extremely solid throughout the entire lineup and is the favorite for the conference title.
"They've been doing very well and they match up against our stronger guys," Duke coach Clar Anderson said of North Carolina. "There should be some good matches."
The Tar Heels will send a nationally ranked wrestler to the mat at 133-pounds when sophomore Evan Sola goes up against Duke senior Andy Soliman.
"Sola is very good, but Soliman's doing well," Anderson continued. "If we can keep [Sola] on his feet, we can neutralize his strengths."
The Tar Heels counter Duke's strongest upperweights with solid wrestlers of their own. At 165-pounds, Michael Mitchell looks to rebound from a loss this past weekend at Davidson, against UNC's Jimmy O'Connor, who is currently 16-8. At 184-pounds the Tar Heels' Dusty Heist, ranked 19th in one poll, faces off against Duke's Tom Cass, who was an NCAA qualifier in 2001 before redshirting last season.
The Blue Devils (6-6) tuned up for conference action over the weekend in Davidson and picked up two, albeit very different, wins in the process. \
Duke had to resort to the sixth tie-breaking criteria to beat the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, with the score tied at 25. In the second meet, the Blue Devils walked over host Davidson, 38-9.
If a meet ends with the team-score knotted up, the result comes down to a set list of criteria to determine a winner. With both teams tying in five categories, the match came down to the Blue Devils having fewer forfeits, a new criteria instated for this season.
"That was the first time I've been in a tie-breaker that's gone that deep," Anderson said.
After losing the first match, the Blue Devils looked to Michael Mitchell for points at 165-pounds, but instead saw Mitchell's 10-match winning streak snapped against UTC's Craig Johnson, 8-5.
"Michael did not look himself," Anderson said. "He's one of the best conditioned athletes on the team, and in the third period - when he should have been dominating- he couldn't finish his takedowns. Any other day Michael would have beaten him."
Duke was down 13-0 early, but after a major decision by Tom Cass at 184-pounds, junior Andrew Herbert's 58 second pin at 197 and a forfeit at heavyweight, the Blue Devils had their first lead of the night, 16-13.
"We weren't expecting that from Herbert, but we were definitely hoping for it," Anderson said. "He's been improving every week and really gives his best."
But the Moccasins looked to change momentum quickly when they sent their best wrestler, Pitts, to face Hoang. Unfortunately for UTC, Hoang dominated from the start and cruised to a seven-point win.
Andy Soliman's first period pin gave the Blue Devils a 25-13 lead that clinched at least a tie for the Blue Devils, who wound up exhausting nearly all of the NCAA's criteria for the win.
"Andy wrestled really well" Anderson said. "He gave our team a big boost. We were right back in it."
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