The No. 25 North Carolina wrestling team entered Friday’s meeting expecting a tough match against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Tar Heels, however, dominated Pitt en route to a 26-10 victory.
The Tar Heels (8-8, 2-0 ACC) fell behind early, 7-0, as Pitt’s (2-8, 0-2 ACC) L.J. Bentley defeated North Carolina junior James Syzmanski in the 125-pound class, and No. 11 Dom Forys beat UNC first-year Zach Sherman, 9-1, in the 133-pound class.
Despite this early deficit, the Tar Heels won seven of the next eight matches in order to capture a dominating win in Carmichael Arena.
“It was supposed to be closer than that,” head coach Coleman Scott said. “I saw a lot of tough stuff. You know, some tough moments in matches.”
North Carolina’s ability to win the close matches proved to be the difference on Friday. Multiple contests were decided in either overtime or the closing minutes.
“Three overtime matches, we won all three of them," Scott said. "Usually, it’s not 3-0. We got tough, and it’s not just the takedown. It’s everything we did before that.”
One of the most significant matches of the night came in the 184-pound bout. UNC redshirt junior Chip Ness squared off against Pitt’s Gregg Harvey. Ness, who is ranked No. 17 in the country for his weight class, entered the night with an eight-match win streak and was looking to help secure another victory for the Tar Heels.
The match was close through the first two periods, but Ness was able to pull away in the third period for an 8-5 victory. The victory extended his win streak to nine matches, and it furthered North Carolina’s edge to 19-10.
“It really feels like I’m starting to get everything clean with my technique, and I’m not making any little mistakes," Ness said. "I’m really just starting to pick up things.”
