The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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64 ■ THE WOLFPACKER poll, including four in the top six, and three more NCSU foes received votes. "No matter what happens moving for- ward with this program — whatever we accomplish — I think this is going to be the most historic and special season," Popo- lizio said. "It came really fast, and it was with a group of guys that weren't really well known. Nobody thought they could get it done, and they did it." There is more ammunition in the Pack's lineup than just the two consistent seniors. Sophomore 141-pounder Kevin Jack was ranked third nationally as of Feb. 22 after being pulled out of a redshirt late last year and surprising the wrestling world with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Champion- ships. In addition, 165-pound junior Max Rohskopf was ranked sixth, and four oth- ers — redshirt freshmen Sean Fausz (No. 20 at 125) and Jamal Morris (No. 30 at 133), junior 184-pounder Pete Renda (No. 17) and sophomore 197-pounder Michael Boykin (No. 16) — were listed among the top 30 in the land for their respective weight classes. Started From The Bottom When Gwiazdowski followed Popolizio to Raleigh, they were coming off a 14th- place national finish at Binghamton behind a pair of All-Americans (top-eight finishers at the NCAA Championships). The coach was in for a rude awaken- ing at his new home, though. Prior to his arrival, NCSU finished 44th at the 2012 NCAA Championships with one All-Amer- ican, who was a senior. Popolizio and his staff went to work overhauling the culture around the program and restocking the roster. While Gwiaz- dowski redshirted, the team went winless in ACC action and 5-6 overall, finishing in 63rd place at the NCAA Champion- ships. However, the foundation was laid for something special. A winning record in dual matches (14-7) and a top-20 finish on the strength of Gwi- azdowski's first national crown followed in 2014. Gantt, showing his promise, made a jump that mirrored the team's under the new coach — he went from less than a .500 record as a true freshman to 35-10 in his junior campaign, finishing just one win shy of All-America honors. The next year was even better — NCSU placed 16th at the 2015 NCAA Champion- ships with a pair of All-Americans (Gwiaz- dowski and Jack). Although Gantt sat out while redshirting, he continued to improve and has proved just as reliable as Gwiazdowski this season. Once there are two grapplers on that level, the possibilities are endless according to the reigning champion. "Now you've got a middleweight and a heavyweight," Gwiazdowski said. "He can sharpen the guys around him — the guys are going to push themselves to get better because they don't want to get beat up by Tommy every day — and the same thing with me at the upperweights. "Then, someone like Kevin shows up so now you've got guys that are scrapping hard at 133 and 149, and it just starts to build. I'm sure Max looks at Tommy and says, 'This dude does all the same stuff I do, why can't I win?' "Now you've got four really good guys, and then there are six other guys that are really tough and ranked in the top 20 or 30. That's what you need on your team." More History Ahead State has accomplished history already, but there are still plenty of preseason goals left to achieve this year. Gwiazdowski — who Popolizio likens to a two-time Heis- man Trophy winner due to his dominant title runs, which includes a perfect mark in dual matches at NCSU (55-0) — will look to become just the fourth three-time NCAA champion heavyweight ever and first since 1989. He is also vying to become only the second three-time national champ in ACC history, and he's not the only one with his eyes fixed on an NCAA title. The Pack's top four competitors have been ranked in All-America position for most of the year. If those rankings hold at the NCAA Championships (March 17-19 in New York City), it would break the school record of three All-Americans in one year and practically guarantee a top-10 finish. Every squad with four or more NCAA plac- ers in the last five years has finished among the country's top 10 except for one (Michi- gan placed 11th in 2015) while the majority claimed a spot in the top five. But the Pack's goals are higher than that. After such an outstanding regular season against the country's toughest schedule, NC State is focused on bringing a trophy home from both the ACC Champion- ships (it would be the first since 2007) in Charlottesville March 6 and the NCAA Championships, where the top four receive hardware. Again, it's more than just school history on the line — NCSU's all-time best NCAA finish is seventh in 1993 and the ACC's top placement ever was UNC taking fifth in 1982. "There's nothing that's veered us off course, even a loss doesn't change the outcome that we want," Popolizio said. "We've got eight guys that have lost and are still going to go out and compete for a national title [in addition to Gantt and Gwiazdowski]. "Any one of our guys, if they want to win a national title this year, they can; there's nobody stopping them but themselves." Popolizio has successfully rebuilt Wolf- pack wrestling, and now the only question is how high can the program finish? The stated goal is a national title, and the regu- lar season proves it is a real possibility. ■ Gantt posted a 12-13 record as a true freshman in 2012, but he was 22-0 and ranked fourth nationally during his final campaign through Feb. 22. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP