Whether they are winning or losing, streaks can shape the identity of a team. They can tell you how long a team has been able to dominate or consistently fall short.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina wrestling team was able to successfully continue a 10-match winning streak against a rival Duke squad and nip a recent six-match losing streak in the bud with a 24-12 trouncing of the Blue Devils.
Redshirt sophomore John Michael Staudenmayer set the tone for the Tar Heels (6-10, 1-4 ACC) in his dominant 14-3 win against Marcus Cain in the 165-pound bout. Staudenmayer was able to accumulate six points in the second period behind an escape, takedown and three-point near fall.
Staudenmayer said he and the rest of the team were starving for a win, especially in one that would sustain the winning streak against their crosstown rival.
“You have to keep the streak going,” Staudenmayer said. “Wins are what we want. We want to win, and we definitely don’t want to lose to a crosstown rival. But the streak is always in the back of your mind.”
Redshirt freshman Scott Marmoll looked to shadow his teammate’s strong effort in the 174-pound match against Duke’s Trey Adamson. The match would go down as the most exhilarating contest of the night.
Marmoll and Adamson were tied at the end of regulation. And after a scoreless sudden victory period, the match proceeded to two 30-second tiebreaker periods.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match, and we train to be prepared for overtime,” Marmoll said. “So I just tried to stay calm, be ready and wait for my opportunity.”
That opportunity presented itself in the second overtime period when Marmoll, down 1-0, was able to perform an escape and enact a one-leg takedown to seal the 4-2 victory, inciting an erruption from the bench and crowd.
