The No. 24 North Carolina wrestling team was defeated by No. 11 Cornell Big Red, 32-6, on the road on Friday night.
The Big Red (13-2, 5-0 Ivy) won the first three bouts over the Tar Heels (9-11, 3-2 ACC) and jumped out to a 12-0 lead. Redshirt senior Troy Heilmann, ranked No. 8 in the country, got UNC on the board first with a 10-7 victory in the 149-pound bout.
The only other winner for North Carolina on the night was redshirt senior Ethan Ramos, who won 6-3 in the 174-pound bout.
Notably, No. 15 Danny Chaid lost to No. 3 Ben Darmstadt by a first-period pin. UNC’s No. 17 Chip Ness lost to No. 11 Max Dean in an 8-2 decision and No. 15 Kennedy Monday was upset by Cornell’s Fredy Stroker, who was unranked heading into the bout.
The most competitive fight of the night featured, in the 141-pound weight class, No. 19 A.C. Headlee (UNC) against No. 4 Yianni Diakomihalis (CU). Headlee was able to take down Diakomihalis late in the first to tie the score 4-4, but Diakomihalis pulled away late to take the victory 7-6.
North Carolina, which finished two matches under .500, will next compete in the ACC Wrestling Championships. They will be held on Saturday, March 3, all day in Chapel Hill.
