North Carolina
ACC Championships
Tar Heels Capture Fourth Straight ACC Wrestling Championship
March 4, 2000 | Wrestling
March 4, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Four Tar Heel wrestlers captured their individual weight-class titles, helping the University of North Carolina wrestling team win its fourth straight Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Saturday at Cole Field House. The Tar Heels had 91 total points, 12 more than regular-season champion North Carolina State. The Tar Heels have now won eight of the last nine ACC Tournaments.
Freshman Skyler Holman was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament after pinning Virginia senior Steve Garland at 2:16 in the 125-pound title match. The match was a showdown between two nationally ranked wrestlers, Holman at No. 7 and Garland at No. 5. Holman defeated Duke's Tommy Hoang 8-6 in the semifinals to reach the championship match.
Corey Bell won the individual title at 174 pounds by taking a 12-2 major decision over defending champion Kevin Boross of N. C. State. Bell pinned Duke's Matt Hoover at 1:19 in the semifinals to reach the title match. This is Bell's third ACC title and his first in this weight class.
Sophomore Clint Osborn expressed his improvements over the past year by winning the 197-pound title match. Osborn took a 12-6 decision over N. C. State's Jason Gore to take his first ACC title. He defeated Jimi Massey of Virginia 6-5 to reach the title match.
In the Heavyweight match, Sophomore Matt Kenny took a 17-7 major decision over Virginia's Ryan Painter to win his second-straight ACC title. Kenny took an 8-0 major decision over N.C. State's Ngori Collins in the first round and pinned Duke's Alex Hunt in 4:29 in the semifinals.
Sophomore Brad Byers fell 6-1 to defending-champion Brandon York of Maryland in the 133-pound title match. This is the second year the two have battled for this weight-class title. Byers took a 16-3 major decision over Duke's Sean Meakim in the semifinals to reach the championship match.
At 141 pounds, Jason LaMotta returned to the lineup for the Tar Heels after sitting out much of the regular season from an injury. After a bye in the first round, he lost a narrow 4-3 decision to eventual-champion P.J. Bory of Virginia. At 149 pounds, Josh Cowley lost a 3-1 decision to eventual-champion Tommy Davis of N. C. State. Freshman Dennis Landin was pinned by eventual-champion Scott Garren of N. C. State in 1:02 in the 157-pound semifinals.
Senior Jamie Groudle finished third at 165 pounds. Groudle lost a 3-2 decision in his opening match to Maryland's Josh Weidman. In the consolation bracket, Groudle won by medical forfeit to take third place. Freshman Nick Richmond also placed third in his weight class. Richmond lost a 9-4 decision to N. C. State's Josh Breitenbach in his opening match at 184 pounds. He then won by technical fall over Maryland's Mark Reid, 17-1, and over Duke's Tom Cass, 19-3, in the consolation bracket.
Five Tar Heels will look to continue their winning ways March 16-18 at the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, Mo. Skyler Holman, Brad Byers, Corey Bell, Clint Osborn and Matt Kenny qualified for this year's tournament at the Kiel Center. Senior Jamie Groudle was selected as the second alternate qualifier.
Team Score:
1. N. Carolina 91
2. NC State 79
3. Virginia 59.5
4. Maryland 59
5. Duke 21.5
ACC Finals:
125 Skyler Holman (NC) pinned Steve Garland (VA), F 2:16
133 Brandon York (MD) dec. Brad Byers (UNC), 6-1
141 P.J. Bory (VA) dec. Mark Mansueto (MD), 6-4
149 Tommy Davis (NCS) dec. John Pozniak (VA), 5-4, tb
157 Scott Garren (NCS) dec. Rob Booth (MD), 10-2
165 Joel Dramis (NCS) vs. Josh Weidman (MD), 5-2
174 Corey Bell (NC) major dec. Kevin Boross (NCS), 12-2
184 Ryan McGrath (VA) dec. Zach Breitenbach (NCS), 7-5
197 Clint Osborn (NC) dec. Jason Gore (NCS), 12-6
Hwt Matt Kenny (NC) dec. Ryan Painter (VA), 17-7
