The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/644580
62 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY RYAN TICE O n Senior Day Feb. 14, what has happened all year for the Wolf- pack wrestling team occurred once again. Wherever the dual meet was held — most matches were contested at the state fairgrounds with historic Reyn- olds Coliseum undergoing a $35-million renovation — the venue was filled to capac- ity, and fifth-year seniors Tommy Gantt, a 157-pounder, and Nick Gwiazdowski, a heavyweight — the only two on the team in their final year of eligibility — led NC State to a victory with individual wins. It didn't matter that the Pack was hosting fellow top-five squad Missouri, the defend- ing National Dual champions that boasted the higher-ranked grappler in seven of the 10 weight classes. It was also irrelevant that State was coming off of its lone blemish, a 19-14 loss to Virginia Tech — which would go on to finish the season third nationally — two days earlier. Just like it had all year, NCSU entered the match expecting to win — and for the 22nd time, it did. Gantt, who was ranked fourth nationally at his weight class as of Feb. 22, turned the momentum of the bout, and then two-time NCAA champion Gwiazdowski stepped into the brightest spotlight — only a technical fall (beat his opponent by 15 points) or a pin would clinch the team vic- tory — and accomplished exactly what he needed to do. "I've been in wrestling now for a very long time, and I think that was the most exciting day of my life in the sport," fourth- year head coach Pat Popolizio said. "That says a lot because I've been on some great college teams, been with great individuals. It was just a thrill. To hear the crowd, they're doing chants, that's what you want, and that's never happened at NC State." Road Warriors It didn't take long for the Pack to top its impressive victory over Missouri and give Popolizio some competition for the most exciting moment of his wrestling career. NCSU was selected to wrestle at then- No. 2 Iowa Feb. 22 in the NWCA National Dual Championship Series since the Pack wrapped up the regular season as one of the best teams in the land. State had already done the improbable Dec. 6 when it went on the road to knock off preseason No. 1 Oklahoma State, Popolizio's alma mater. Including the defeat against NCSU, the 34-time national champs still boast a record of 475-39-6 (.914) at Gallagher-Iba Arena, their home since 1939. NCSU took great pride in becoming just the 24th program to beat the sport's most dominant school. Going to Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where the Hawkeyes have lost just four times since the start of the 2008 season, was just as daunting of a task. Once again, NC State triumphed, ruining UI's perfect season and dropping its all-time home re- cord inside the venue to 234-22 (.914). The landmark victories made NC State the first school to ever beat the two national powers, which have combined for 57 of the 86 NCAA titles in the sport, on the road in the same season. "These programs all have history," Popo- lizio said. "We're not there in that aspect, but people now understand we can com- pete." Like Missouri, the Iowa match came down to Gwiazdowski — whichever team won at heavyweight would win the bout. The outcome was inevitable as soon as the man with the nation's longest active- winning streak (now at 82 matches, dating back to January 2014) stepped on the mat. Gantt also provided bonus points in each victory, and the senior duo finished the regular season with a combined record of 49-0, while the team finished 23-1 for the highest win total and percentage in pro- gram history (.958) and the nation's most victories (the next-best count was 16). The NWCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll listed NCSU at No. 2 in its final national rankings, giving the Pack its highest mark ever. Different Paths To The Top The fifth-year seniors had much differ- ent climbs to their individual pinnacles — Gantt went 12-13 as a true freshman starter at 149 pounds in 2012, while Gwiazdowski was an All-American in his first year at Binghamton, placing eighth at nationals, before transferring to NC State. However, both provide NCSU with the same thing in 2016 — supreme confidence and elite grappling skill — and have led the way for not only the best season in school history, but one of the greatest per- formances in ACC annals. The Pack wrestled 10 ranked teams at the time of the match and went 9-1 in those bouts, outscoring their opponents by a combined tally of 239-122. Eight of those squads finished in the final coaches' New TerriTory Nick Gwiazdowski And Tommy Gantt Have Led The Wrestling Team To A Historic Campaign That's Not Over Yet Gwiazdowski, a two-time defending NCAA champion, boasted an official record of 104-2 during his three years of eligibility at NC State (not including his redshirt season in 2013) through Feb. 22. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP