The No. 15 North Carolina wrestling team benefited off three upset victories Friday to earn a 18-14 win over No. 11 Virginia Tech.
The Tar Heels have now won four-straight dual meets, two of which were over opponents ranked higher than them at the time.
What happened?
The Hokies started the dual with a quick victory in the 125-pound bout. First-year Joe Heilmann made the match close but failed to score a point, losing 2-0 off of an escape and a riding time point.
In the 133-pound bout, redshirt senior Gary Wayne Harding had his work cut out for him against No. 12 Korbin Myers. Harding was down, 7-3, in the third period, but tied the score at eight with about 12 seconds remaining the the bout. He upset Myers in the final seconds after getting a near fall, which gives a wrestler four points. That decision tied the team score at 3-3.
After an uneventful three periods, the 141-pound bout was sent to sudden death overtime. Redshirt junior A.C. Headlee got an important three points for the Tar Heels with a match-winning takedown to win by a 4-2 decision.
With all of the momentum going UNC’s way, its highest-ranked wrestler took the mat in the 149-pound bout. No. 4 Austin O’Connor may have been looking for extra points against an unranked Virginia Tech wrestler, but had to rely on a late unnecessary roughness call to win the match, 2-1, and make the team score 9-3 in favor of the Tar Heels.
In another close dual, redshirt sophomore Josh McClure defeated Virginia Tech’s B.C. Laprade with a takedown in overtime. McClure’s 3-1 victory gave the Tar Heels a 12-3 lead before facing five-straight ranked Hokies to end the meet.
Virginia Tech’s gauntlet started off with No. 8 Mekhi Lewis in the 165-pound bout. Lewis dominated throughout the match, winning, 14-4, and earning a major decision. This gave the Hokies four points which brought the team score to 12-7.
