Duke already knocked off the No. 25 team in the nation once this season when it upset N.C. State. The Blue Devils will try to accomplish the feat once again, only this time the stakes have been raised.
Duke will host North Carolina in its final home meet of the season Wednesday at Card Gymnasium at 7 p.m. The match will be senior night for the Blue Devils, as six wrestlers will suit up for the final time at home.
Duke (10-4, 1-2 in the ACC) enters the rivalry clash with a five match-win streak and has been solid at home for the majority of the season. The Blue Devils are 4-1 in Durham this year and will send out seniors Marcus Cain, Brendan Fowler, Brandon Gambucci, Tanner Hough, Immanuel Kerr-Brown and Dylan Ryan, as they will all wrestle in their final home meets Wednesday.
Duke will be led by No. 7 Conner Hartmann at 197 pounds, as the redshirt junior enters with a 14-2 overall record. Kerr-Brown is 18-7 and will look to leave his illustrious Blue Devil career with a win at home against the Tar Heels (9-4, 1-2). Along with the two standout upperclassmen, sophomore Jacob Kasper—wrestling at 184—will try to add to his team-high mark of 22 wins.
With a victory, the Blue Devils can move to .500 in ACC play and add their 11th victory to what has already been the best season in head coach Glen Lanham’s career in Durham.
The Tar Heels may match Duke’s momentum, as they enter the contest fresh off a 17-16 upset of No. 12 Virginia and will look to play spoiler once again on the Blue Devils’ senior night.
North Carolina will be led by No. 12 Ethan Ramos at 165, who is coming off an upset of No. 2 Nick Sulzer. Ramos leads the Tar Heels with a 24-6 overall record and owns a perfect 3-0 conference slate. Ramos is joined by No. 21 Joey Ward as the two ranked North Carolina wrestlers. The 141-pound Tar Heel is 22-4 overall, but is just 1-1 in the ACC.
Following Wednesday’s meet, Duke will be on the road for its remaining three matches. The Blue Devils will kick off their season-ending road trip when they travel to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies Feb. 14.
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