Three-Peat: NC State claims ACC gold for third straight year

Feature photo courtesy of NC State Wrestling's Twitter account.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Powered behind five individual ACC Champions, the NC State wrestling team claimed its third straight ACC Championship Sunday night in Reynolds Coliseum.
NC State claimed top team honors with 89.5 team points. Virginia Tech was second with 65.5 and North Carolina third with 63. Virginia (55), Pitt (45) and Duke (7) rounded out the team scoring.
In the process, the Pack qualified eight of its 10 starters for the NCAA Championships, and the remaining two will wait to earn if they earned an at-large selection.
ACC Championship Finals
141 ACC Finals | #8 Tariq Wilson vs. #9 Zach Sherman, UNC
Wilson reached the ACC Finals for the third straight year, and became an ACC champion for the first time in his career. After a scoreless first, Wilson exploded for seven points in the second period – a takedown and a pair of two-point near falls. Wilson capped the 10-1 major decision over #9 Sherman of UNC with a takedown in the third period and the RT point.
157 ACC Finals | #2 Hayden Hidlay vs. #16 Justin McCoy, VT
For the fourth straight year, Hidlay left the ACC with gold at 157 pounds, becoming the 10th wrestler in ACC history to win four and fifth to do so at NC State. Hidlay scored all five takedowns in his bout, the last with 10 seconds left, and added in 2:20 of RT for a 12-3 major decision over #16 McCoy of UVA.
The Wolfpack claimed its third straight ACC Championship after Hidlay’s win, with six bouts left.
The final four NC State championship bouts all went to OT, and three ended with a Wolfpack wrestler’s hand raised.
174 ACC Finals | #8 Daniel Bullard vs. #14 Clay Lautt
In a rematch of last year’s final won by Lautt, Bullard earned his first ACC Championship with a takedown in OT. Their bout went into extra time 2-2, as Bullard scored a pair of escapes during regulation. In the extra time, Bullard stuck his winning takedown 34 seconds into extra time.
184 ACC Finals | #3 Trent Hidlay vs. #1 Hunter Bolen
In a top-3 battle, Hidlay took down the nation’s #1 wrestler in Bolen to claim his ACC title. Both wrestlers notched an escape in regulation, pushing the contest in OT at 1-1. Hidlay secured the winning takedown with just eight seconds left in the first extra period for the 3-1 win.
285 ACC Finals | #15 Deonte Wilson vs. Hunter Catka, VT
Wilson was the fourth Wolfpack wrestler to claim his first ACC title. After his bout went to overtime as each wrestler registered in an escape in the first seven minutes, Wilson used a 30-second ride out and took down Catka for the 2-1 win at heavyweight.
125 ACC Finals | #5 Jakob Camacho vs. #3 Sam Latona, VT
The final bout of the night was a top-5 battle that also went into OT tied 1-1. Neither wrestler scored in the first 60 seconds, and Latona used a ride out during his 30 seconds to claim a 2-1 win.
Consolation Finals
For the second time on the day, #11 Jarrett Trombley faced off with #10 Hayes of UVA, this time it was for third place at 133 pounds. Hayes scored the lone takedown of the match for the 3-2 win.
Fr. Ed Scott also placed fourth, at his first ACC Championship. After getting the first takedown, Scott got caught in a six-point move in the first, and fell to #24 Finesilver of Duke 10-5 at 149 pounds. Scott will have to await the at-large selections for the NCAAs.
In one of the most exciting bouts of the day, another rematch from the quarterfinals, #17 Thomas Bullard got revenge on #10 Monday from UNC and in the process earned an automatic NCAA bid at 165 pounds. Tied going into OT, Bullard countered a shot and got the winning takedown 36 seconds in to win 6-4.
#25 Nick Reenan returned to the Pack’s lineup and claimed a fourth place finish at 197 pounds, as he fell in his third place bout, 5-3 to #19 Shaw of UNC.
Consolation Semifinals
Trombley punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships with an automatic bid, as he got a first period takedown and then a third period ride out to down #28 Heilmann of UNC, 3-1.
Scott also advanced to the third place bout, netting a six-point move in the first period of his 10-4 win.
Thomas Bullard received a medical forfeit to advance to this third place bout.
Reenan went big in the first round, 11 points total. First he got six off a takedown five seconds in, then followed up for a headlock and four more points. He went on to win 13-8.
2021 ACC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

Sunday, February 28

NC State's Reynolds Coliseum

Final Team Standings
1. NC State 89.5
2. Virginia Tech 65.5
3. North Carolina 63
4. Virginia 55
5. Pittsburgh 45
6. Duke 7.5
125 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) over Jakob Camacho (NC State)(TB-1 2-1)
3rd - Patrick McCormick (Virginia) Wil Guida (North Carolina) (Dec 6-1)
133 (4 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) over Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) (Dec 3-1)
3rd - Louie Hayes (Virginia) over Jarrett Trombley (NC State) (Dec 3-2)
141 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st -Tariq Wilson (NC State) over Zachary Sherman (North Carolina) (MD 10-1)
3rd - Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) Brian Courtney (Virginia) (MD 14-5)


149 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) over Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) (Dec 10-8)
3rd - Josh Finesilver (Duke) over Ed Scott (NC State) (Dec 10-5)
157 (4 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Hayden Hidlay (NC State) over Justin McCoy (Virginia)(MD 12-3)
3rd -Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) over Joshua McClure (North Carolina) (Dec 4-3)
165 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh) over Jake Keating (Virginia) (Dec 4-0)
3rd - Thomas Bullard (NC State) over Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) (SV-1 6-4)
174 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Daniel Bullard (NC State) over Clay Lautt (North Carolina) (SV-1 4-2)
3rd - Cody Howard (Virginia Tech) over Victor Marcelli (Virginia) (SV-1 11-9)


184 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Trent Hidlay (NC State) over Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) (SV-1 3-1)
3rd -Devin Kane (North Carolina) over Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) (MD 11-3)
197 (3 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) over Jay Aiello (Virginia) (Dec 10-4)
3rd - Max Shaw (North Carolina) over Nick Reenan (NC State) (Dec 5-3)
285 (4 NCAA qualifiers)
1st - Deonte Wilson (NC State) over Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) (TB-1 2-1)
3rd - Quinn Miller (Virginia) over Andrew Gunning (North Carolina)(Dec 4-2)
NCAA qualifiers

North Carolina State (8)
Jakob Camacho (2nd at 125)
Jarrett Trombley (4th at 133)
Tariq Wilson (1st at 141)
Hayden Hidlay (1st at 157)
Thomas Bullard (3rd at 165)
Daniel Bullard (1st at 174)
Trent Hidlay (1st at 184)
Deonte Wilson (1st at 285)


Virginia Tech (7)
Sam Latona (1st at 125)
Korbin Myers (1st at 133)
Bryce Andonian (2nd at 149)
Connor Brady (3rd at 157)
Cody Howard (3rd at 174)
Hunter Bolen (2nd at 184)
Hunter Catka (2nd at 285)
North Carolina (7)
Zachary Sherman (2nd at 141)
Austin O`Connor (1st at 149)
Joshua McClure (4th at 157)
Clay Lautt (2nd at 174)
Devin Kane (3rd at 184)
Max Shaw (3rd at 197)
Andrew Gunning (4th at 285)
Virginia (6)
Patrick McCormick (3rd at 125)
Louie Hayes (3rd at 133)
Justin McCoy (2nd at 157)
Jake Keating (2nd at 165)
Jay Aiello (2nd at 197)
Quinn Miller (3rd at 285)


Pittsburgh (4)
Micky Phillippi (2nd at 133)
Cole Matthews (3rd at 141)
Jake Wentzel (1st at 165)
Nino Bonaccorsi (1st at 197)
Duke (1)
Josh Finesilver (3rd at 149)


Most Outstanding Wrestler - Korbin Myers (133) Virginia Tech