The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1343401
MARCH/APRIL 2021 ■ 43 thing, Camacho not only turned the tables but dominated in an 11-4 victory. It was one of the upsets of the college wrestling season, and earned him the event's Most Outstanding Wrestler honor. "I was just so excited and eager to com- pete, prove to myself that I'm back in it and I can do what I set out to do," he said. "I was just very proud of my effort, proud of being able to turn my season around completely. "I knew what I was doing was working, and I didn't have to change anything." Camacho felt confi- dent he was ready "to do some damage" at the NCAA Champion- ships, but the season came to an abrupt end due to the coronavi- rus pandemic. There was nothing Camacho could do to change that disappointment, so he just continued to work on himself — doing as much as he could physically and mentally to prepare for whenever the next competi- tion came. When Camacho returned to the mat this winter, he picked up right where he left off last year. He was ranked among the top five nationally at his weight and wrestled like it. In his first six outings, he outscored his op- ponents 87-29, an average margin of victory of 9.7 points per match. Then came another loss. He fell in the closing seconds against Virginia Tech, in the final bout of the dual. Camacho's defeat tied the team score and NC State lost the meet on tie-breaking criteria. Unsurprisingly, just two weeks later, Camacho called it a "good loss" — another "learning experience" that he "grew from." This COVID-impacted season has taught him and his teammates not to take any oppor- tunity to wrestle for granted, and Camacho is intent on showing his growth every time out. "If I can look at the man in the mirror and say I did everything I could and I gave it 100 percent, I'll be happy with the end result," he said. "That's my mentality — I trust that I do the work. My confidence is rooted in my work ethic, working hard and doing the right things." ■ " If my goal at the end of the day is becoming a national champ then I need to live the lifestyle of a national champ. That's how I'm going about my life now — I live the life of someone trying to evolve as a person and wrestler every day. " Camacho Camacho enters the 2021 postseason with a 7-1 record and ranked as high as No. 3 nationally. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS