The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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60 ■ THE WOLFPACKER freshman-record 31 wins, despite not being pulled out of redshirt until there were just three matches to go in the regular season because the starter got sick. He earned the spot by winning each of those bouts, but went 2-2 at the ACC Championships. Two weeks after finishing fourth in the conference, he finished fifth in the nation to become the school's first freshman to earn All-America accolades since 1991. The squad's performance at the NCAA Championships proved to Popolizio that he and his staff were doing things right. He started to question himself after what he called a letdown at the ACC Champion- ships, where the Pack came in last place and had a single finalist in Gwiazdowski. "It's a stressful thing when you have such a good body of work through the year, then you have such a letdown with the most important tournament coming up," he said. The coaches loosened the atmosphere and were sure not to dwell on the confer- ence tournament. Popolizio knew things were different as soon as Jack upset the fifth-ranked wrestler from powerhouse Iowa in the first round; he could feel a new energy throughout his grapplers. The end result was two All-Americans on the podium and an even brighter future for a squad that loses just one starter. The ACC disappointment made the end-of-the- year result even sweeter for the Pack. "The NCAA Tournament is the most important thing and that's what you get judged on, so I'll take that any day," Popo- lizio said. "I think we were the youngest team in the ACC and one of the youngest teams in the country. We had six freshmen and two sophomores starting the majority of the year. We needed some experience and we've got it now. "Kevin Jack has elevated that. I know there are guys in this room that are ex- tremely motivated because Kevin did what he did, and guys know they can do it as well." Bright Future The Pack will also welcome back fifth- year senior Tommy Gantt from a redshirt campaign next season. The 157-pounder has excelled under the new staff and was one round away from placing among the nation's top eight during the 2013-14 campaign. He won four of the five tournaments he competed in this season, and went 23-1 at both 157 and 165 pounds. He beat a pair of top-10 foes en route to third place at the prestigious Southern Scuffle and makes a top-10 finish for the Pack a real possibility in 2015-16. In addition to Gwiazdowski, Jack and Gantt, 141-pound rising senior Sam Speno, 165-pound rising junior Max Rohskopf and 174-pound rising junior Pete Renda have all been to nationals and won at least one match at the sport's toughest tournament. "There's a ton of leadership that we've been missing for a long time," Popolizio said. "As much success as we've had, we've never had leadership within the pro- gram. We have it now. I feel it, I see it, I know it. "There are no guarantees about what you get next year, but I will take our chances and I like the direction we're going. Indi- vidual success is going to be there, and I think that will help with the team success. It's a building process — and we're still in it — but each year that we're able to have these little strides is going to be huge for us down the road as a program. We want to become one of the elite programs in the country." That is exactly what can happen when you have teammates who aren't even in the same weight class pushing someone like the two-time NCAA champion to be his best. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is famous for a different kind of wrestling — the fake version — but his saying, "To be the man, you've got to beat the man," can apply in both sports. The Pack has the man in college wrestling with Gwiazdowski. His teammates are trying to top him, and he's working to stay undefeated. ■ Kevin Jack was named the ACC Freshman of the Year after advancing to the national semifinals and becoming the school's first rookie to garner All-America honors in 24 years. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP