Toughness.
That was what the No. 14 North Carolina wrestling team lacked in its season kickoff at the eighth annual Hokie Duals wrestling tournament on Sunday.
“You know, we just need to get a little more grit in us and really figure out who we are going to be,” Coach Coleman Scott said.
UNC was one of 20 teams to participate in the tournament, including No. 6 Virginia Tech and No. 12 N.C. State. The Tar Heels finished eighth with 54 points in Scott’s head-coaching debut.
“We still have some weights undecided, and somebody’s got to take ownership of them,” Scott said. "We struggled a little bit today, but we’ve got to have guys step up, and I know we’ll have that.”
The most anticipation surrounded Tar Heel redshirt senior Evan Henderson, who is ranked No. 1 in the country in the 141-pound weight class. Henderson advanced to the finals but fell in a 4-3 decision to No. 12 sophomore Joey McKenna from Stanford.
“He lost to a Stanford kid that I thought, come the end of the season, we might have to beat to win a national title," Scott said. "I know Evan can beat him. Evan’s just got to pick the pace up a little bit and go earn that win."
Though the Tar Heels put on a disappointing performance Sunday, the team still has high hopes for the season and a new energy under Scott’s leadership. Scott was promoted to head coach in July after the firing of C.D. Mock in June.
“I think we are very positive, and we want to compete. We’re excited, so I think if anything (Scott’s hiring) really lifted the mood of the team,” said redshirt senior Alex Utley.
