The wrestling team wrapped up its regular season Wednesday in unusual fashion. After having its match against N.C. State postponed last week because of the weather, the Blue Devils faced both the Wolfpack and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro simultaneously Wednesday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, while each of the other teams only wrestled once. With two matches being run at the same time, and wrestling the UNCG match out of order, the event seemed like a two-ring circus at times, as the Blue Devils (10-10, 1-3) split the two dual meets, beating UNCG 23-19 and losing to the Wolfpack 29-15.
"I was real pleased with my guys. Wrestling two matches in the time of one is asking for a lot," head coach Clar Anderson said. "I was trying to replicate the demands of the ACC tournament. We're going to be wrestling two and three matches in a row, and they have to be ready to go."
But for seniors Ben Balmages, Tom Cass, Tommy Hoang, Stuart Holzer and Matt Southard, it was their last chance to improve on what has already been one of the winningest four year stretches in Duke's history. Even the mascot was there to support the Blue Devils, wearing the team's only XXL singlet. Duke entered its match with N.C. State (8-10, 2-3) with a slim half-game lead over the Wolfpack for third place in the conference standings, but dropped to fourth after the loss. The Blue Devils started strong as Hoang pinned Brian Conyer with an elbow-deep half-nelson just 53 seconds into the match. The pin was Hoang's team-leading fifth for the season. Conyer was filling in temporarily for two-time ACC champion George Cintron, who was resting his injured knee for the ACC and NCAA Championships in March.
After junior 133-pounder Andy Soliman dropped a 15-5 major decision to Daniel Pacitti, the Wolfpack pulled within two. N.C. State took its first lead of the evening after junior Ryan McCallum narrowly defeated Duke's Adam Benitez 3-2. McCallum had a 1-0 lead beginning the third period, but Benitez, starting from the defensive position, quickly stood up and escaped to tie the score. McCallum then hit a deep double leg against Benitez at the edge of the mat and held on for the win.
The match then bumped up to 165 pounds and the night's marquee matchup. The bout featured Duke's Michael Mitchell and the Wolfpack's Dustin Kawa. The match determined who would be seeded No. 1 for the ACC Championships in a weight class with three legitimate contenders. Kawa is a defending ACC champion at 174 pounds and recently beat No. 8 Nick Passolano of Iowa State, 13-5.
The match started with an intense pace that suited Mitchell's seemingly endless reserve of energy. But Kawa drew first blood with a quick single-leg takedown and a 2-0 advantage. Beginning the second period in the defensive position, Mitchell escaped and immediately took Kawa back down for a 3-2 lead. Kawa reversed, and then after Mitchell escaped, scored a takedown on a rushed shot by the Blue Devil. Kawa added another takedown in the third frame for a 10-7 win.
The loss, however, might prove to be a positive in the long run for Mitchell, who wrestled on little sleep and suffered a calf cramp early on in the match.
"I believe that Michael will gain confidence from that match because he scored on him twice and knows that those scores work." Anderson added. "For the ACC he should have plenty of rest and I am excited for him there."
Tom Cass followed the bout at 165 pounds with a 12-5 victory over Jon Godwin. Junior 174-pounder Tim Marcantonio scored the only other points for the Blue Devils with a third period pin over Daniel Humphries. Cass, Marcantonio and Hoang were the only wrestlers to win twice.
Perhaps because everyone was watching the N.C. State match intensely, Duke only narrowly defeated UNCG (1-15) on the other mat. The Blue Devils were down 19-15 with two matches left when Mitchell and Cass closed out with major decisions for a 23-19 Duke victory.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.