The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Macchiavello also vowed to never take a wrestling outcome for granted after that. His mental evolution continued and gave him the final piece needed to become an All-American. "I think a lot of it just boils down to belief and betting on yourself," he said. "I think confidence is a big thing that plays a huge part in competition. Once you get to college sports, a lot more of it is mental, and I was able to figure that out. That's what the difference was this year. "I definitely think last year was a big reason I had the success I had this year." Third Time's A Charm Despite moving up to 197 pounds for his final campaign, the fifth-year senior went 22-3. His three losses showed Macchiavello how close he was to the summit. He lost 4-3 to then-No. 4 Preston Weigel of power- house Oklahoma State Jan. 5. A little more than a month later, he fell to Virginia Tech's Jared Haught, ranked No. 2 nationally, due to picking up two stalling calls — the first of which he did not even realize he was hit for — resulting in a penalty point that was the difference in a one-point loss. He upset No. 1 Kollin Moore of Ohio State two days later, allowing Haught to ascend from second in the land to the top spot right before the postseason began. Macchiavello met Haught in the ACC Championships March 3. The match went to a fourth overtime period, but the Virginia Tech grappler secured a 6-4 victory with a late reversal. Despite the outcomes, Macchiavello was confident and welcomed facing Haught again in the first ever All-ACC NCAA championship wrestling match. He knew the third time could be the charm, which would make winning the title he long fo- cused on "even sweeter." Entering the national finals, whatever happened before was irrelevant, and Mac- chiavello's chance to reach his goal was finally within grasp. A takedown with 14 seconds left made the impossible a reality. "I don't have any words," he said right after winning the crown with a 3-1 victory. "It's a great feeling. I was thinking about if Haught wouldn't have made the finals, you could have potentially made the argu- ment … 'Oh, he won because the way the bracket played out.' "For me, it was a great challenge because if I won the NCAA title beating him, it meant I was the best 197-pounder in the country. It excited me, and I was happy to take it head on." There was no doubt Macchiavello was the best 197-pounder in college wrestling, despite never winning an ACC title or even being an All-Ameri- can before. Since 1960, only 55 wres- tlers won a national title for their only All-America honor — it has been hap- pened just 10 times since 1990, last oc- curring before Macchiavello in 2007. Macchiavello is also believed to have been the first wrestler in the modern era to win a national title after going through a full season previously with a sub-.500 record, and it led the way for the Wolfpack to tie the ACC record with a fourth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. It was a long way to the top, but Macchiavello enjoyed every arduous step, capped by the storybook ending of coming out triumphant in his third try against Haught. "It was really special," he said. "I think it just sets the bar for the next guys. Starting from where I started just shows if you buy into the process, work hard and believe, you can do it at NC State. "Now I get to help and give back, and help more individuals win NCAA titles. I'm excited to see our program take the next step to winning the team title." Generations of North Carolina kids have grown up shooting a basketball and want- ing to 'Be Like Mike,' trying to take after Michael Jordan, the Hall of Famer who was once in a similar position to so many of them. There's about to be a new generation with the same mantra, although they'll be imitating a different Michael — and won't be dribbling basketballs. "He proves that if you do things right and you have a work ethic and a mentality, if you live the right lifestyle that you can win a national title," head coach Pat Popo- lizio said. "It means we can do this with North Carolina kids. "We've got to continue to find the right ones that fit our philosophy, but Macch has set the tone for kids from the state of North Carolina." ■ Macchiavello finished 22-3 on the year, with all three losses coming in overtime or by one point in regulation, but when it mattered the most at the NCAA Championships he went 5-0 and outscored his foes 37-14 in four matches plus a second-period pin in a fifth match that he was leading 6-2 when he secured the fall. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS "If you would've asked me my freshman year what my goals were, it was to win an NCAA title. My record definitely didn't say that, but I thought it was possible." ■ Macchiavello