The Midshipmen clipped the Tar Heels 18-16 at Carmichael Auditorium for UNC's first home loss this year. Any of three matches could have been the difference in the defeat.
With UNC heavyweight Ryan Adams and Navy's Steve Kovach tied at one at the end of the first overtime, Adams won the toss and chose bottom. If he escaped in 30 seconds, he would've won. But he didn't, and Kovach won.
Next up came UNC 125-pounder Chris Rodrigues (24-8 overall), heavily favored over Sam Gray (17-16).
"If you don't beat him by eight he's happy," UNC coach Bill Lam yelled at Rodrigues after a scoreless first period.
In the second, Rodrigues let Gray escape, then tried his fail-safe move, the "ventriloquist." But Rodrigues couldn't roll Gray all the way through, giving Gray a defensive takedown. Eventually, Gray would take a 3-2 decision.
"(Gray) was holding on to his wrists, and I don't think he gave a very good effort," Lam said of Rodrigues. "I was frustrated with him."
At 157 pounds, Navy's Adam Bones pinned James O'Connor in 1:41, giving the Midshipmen six team points.
Despite missing their easier opportunities, the Tar Heels had a final long shot when Nick Richmond beat Navy's Travis Manion in overtime. Richmond cradled Manion up and was going for a pin that would have won the meet for UNC
(11-3), but Manion squirmed out of bounds, and Navy (9-6) escaped.
