The No. 22 North Carolina men’s wrestling team lost two dual matches on Saturday against the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys, 25-9, and the unranked Purdue Boilermakers, 31-6.
What happened?
North Carolina started off the day poorly when it had to forfeit the first match of the day to Purdue’s Luke Welch, and this result was only a sign of things to come. The Tar Heels would lose their next two matches, and Purdue jumped out to a 12-0 lead.
In the next match, North Carolina’s Troy Heilmann would pin Purdue’s Austin Nash in order to cut the deficit to 12-6. However, this match would be the Heel’s only win in the dual as Purdue would go on to win six straight matches for a 31-6 victory.
In the dual against No. 3 Oklahoma State, things would not get much better. Oklahoma State won the first three matches in order to jump out to a quick 12-0 lead over the Tar Heels. Troy Heilmann would win his second match on the day to stop Oklahoma State’s hot start, but the Cowboys would win the next two matches making the score 18-3 in favor of Oklahoma State.
Both sides would split the next four rounds, and Oklahoma State finished the dual with a 22-9 victory over the Tar Heels.
Who stood out?
Redshirt junior Troy Heilmann was one of the few bright spots on the day for the Tar Heels. He finished the day with a 2-0 record, including a pin against Purdue’s Austin Nash. Heilmann improved his overall record to 7-0 on the season after his two matches on Saturday.
