North Carolina wrestling coach Bill Lam had plenty of reasons to be pleased with his team after it thrashed Anderson College 42-0 and UNC-Greensboro 36-9 in dual matches in Carmichael Auditorium on Saturday.
After the Tar Heels jumped out to a 36-0 lead in the first dual match against UNC-G, it was clear that there were no signs of letdown from an emotional victory against N.C. State earlier this week.
The most encouraging part of the afternoon, however, was the stellar performance of the North Carolina bench. Lam used the lopsided contests as an opportunity to let some of his reserves gain valuable game experience.
Junior John Paul Igoe (7-5 overall, 2-1 in dual meets) and sophomore Venroy July (7-8, 1-1) seized the chance to show their best stuff on the mat. Igoe won two bouts at 141 pounds while subbing for starter Brian Baglio. July wrestled as a heavyweight in the second dual match, and scored a gritty 7-3 decision against Anderson's Terrel Scott.
"That's really why we do it," Lam said. "Those guys are in there every day wrestling our varsity guys and it's too long of a season not to get a chance to wrestle. I was proud of them. Some people can see that there are some second-teamers that really aren't too bad."
In the first match,
"It was pretty satisfying," Igoe said of his performance on Saturday. "You've got to take the chances you get to wrestle. It felt pretty nice to win and it's also good experience."
Reserve wrestlers Aaron Holt (149 pounds), Josh Lee (174), and Matt Atkinson (184) posted impressive victories in the Anderson match as well. Atkinson dominated freshman Brian Kaufman and won the bout 17-1 by technical fall.
With ACC dual meets against Virginia, Maryland and Duke looming in the next two weeks, it might be a while before some of Lam's substitutes see more action. But after Saturday's impressive display, it is clear that the longtime coach has an ample supply of wrestlers on his bench that are more than capable of getting the job done if needed.
