Behind strong showings from Troy Heilmann and Zach Sherman, the North Carolina wrestling team finished 15th in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
What happened?
North Carolina (1-2) came out blazing in one of the top events in college wrestling. Two wrestlers in particular were very impressive: Troy Heilmann and Zach Sherman.
Heilmann was the star of the show, and it wasn’t really close. The redshirt senior, who finished second in the 149 class, went 4-0 on Friday.
His final match up was the highlight of the day for North Carolina. It was against Ke-Shawn Haynes of Ohio State. Towards the end of the second, Heilmann earned four points and had a certain pin, but Hayes was saved by the bell. Heilmann scored on a take down in the final round to make it 10-8, which was just enough to move on from this thriller of a quarterfinal.
Heilmann continued his run into Saturday. He knocked off Max Thomsen, 3-1, in the semifinal, but eventually fell in the final, 10-8.
This was the first major collegiate tournament for the first-year Sherman, and he didn’t disappoint. He won his first two matches in the 133 class, making it to the quarterfinals. There he faced No. 2 Stevan Micic, losing only 11-7. Sherman’s strong run left him with an eighth place finish, the only other Tar Heel to place.
Who stood out?
Troy Heilmann’s placing second was huge for him. He looked good the entire tournament, and he was able to grind out several close matches. Four of his six matches were decided by two points or fewer, including the very evenly matched final that he lost 9-7.
