Amidst some individual disappointments, the wrestling team wrapped up its season with a fifth place finish at this weekend's ACC tournament in College Park, Md.
The Blue Devils' 34 points kept last-place Clemson at bay. The Tigers finished 16 points behind Duke, which had mixed feelings about its results. "We were hoping to do better than we did," head coach Bill Harvey said. "We had two guys get beat in the finals to come in second, three thirds and a fourth. That is more than we've had in many years."
Leading the way for the Blue Devils were sophomores Chris Heckel and Matt Eckerman. Eckerman lost 8-3 in the finals of the heavyweight division to Justin Harty of North Carolina. Harty helped lead the Tar Heels to the tournament championship with his win.
Heckel, who was seeded first in the 126-pound class, lost 19-6 in the finals to Jason Mutarelli of Virginia. In his match, Heckel got behind early, and was unable to come back.
"Heckel got caught on his back early and gave up seven points," Harvey said. "It is hard to come back from that far down. We thought he could be the ACC champ."
Despite losing in the finals, Heckel and Eckerman both qualified for the NCAA Championships, Mar. 16-18 at Iowa. The top two finishers from each weight class qualify for nationals, as do five wildcard third- and fourth-place wrestlers, who are voted in by the coaches. Duke was unable to garner any of these wildcard positions, although junior Scott Frinzi was voted an alternate in the 150-pound class after his fourth place finish.
The Blue Devils also received strong performances from some of the other wrestlers who didn't qualify for nationals. Senior John Kays at 177 pounds, senior Keith Pavlick at 158 pounds, and sophomore Indra Sulijoadikusumo all finished in third place.
"Pavlick finished third at 158," Harvey said. "He's a senior and that's the best he's ever done. Indra wasn't seeded and came back through to beat two seeded guys to get third. Unfortunately, he didn't get one of the five wildcard votes."
Sophomore Dan Covatta had a somewhat disappointing tournament at 142 pounds. Last year, Covatta was able to qualify for the NCAA tournament. He was unable to repeat that performance this year, losing 12-5 in the first round of the main draw to eventual champ Mike Krafchick of Virginia, then losing 3-2 in the consolation semifinals to Jeff Whalen of Maryland.
The ACCs marked the end of the season for the Blue Devils. The team was quite enthusiastic about its performance at the tournament and its 8-8 team record on the season. The Blue Devils are already looking to improve on those results next year.
"Overall, we're real happy with the season," Harvey said. "Finishing with five guys in the top three in the ACC is great. Next year, we're getting so many guys back. Our two finalists are coming back. If we fill in the spots at the top where guys are graduating, we should do very well."
Harvey also said he has high hopes for the nationals and his two wrestlers whose seasons are not yet over.
"Heckel and Eckerman are both young," Harvey said. "It will be a good experience for them. Both of these guys could potentially be All-Americans if things go right for them."
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