The North Carolina wrestling team knew that beating No. 14 Nebraska would be a tall task.
Immediately following Saturday’s duel with the Cornhuskers, the Tar Heels (8-9-1) realized just how tough it was. On senior day for the Tar Heels, UNC lost 31-6.
Eight UNC wrestlers dropped their bouts against Nebraska on Saturday. No Tar Heel registered a takedown until the sixth match nor led his opponent until the seventh match.
“We just got beat by a better team today,” coach C.D. Mock said.
Mock attributed the large score gap to the Cornhuskers’ experience. Nebraska, of the historically strong Big 12 Conference, only wrestled one freshman. The Tar Heels threw six rookies onto the mat.
“It was just confidence and experience,” Mock said. “Wrestling in the Midwest … these guys are banging heads with very, very tough teams every single week all year long, and they gain valuable experience pretty quick.”
Thomas Ferguson was one of two UNC wrestlers to win his bout, picking up the decision in the final match of the afternoon.
Each of the Cornhuskers first three wrestlers was nationally ranked in the top 15, which helped Nebraska take the 184-pound, 197-pound and heavyweight bouts over Tar Heel freshmen.
Jake Corrill, Pat Owens and Mike Rappo also couldn’t provide any answers for UNC, falling 6-0, 7-1 and 10-3, respectively.