University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Lehigh
No. 25 Carolina Wrestlers Upset No. 7 Lehigh
January 7, 2001 | Wrestling
Jan. 7, 2001
Sophomore Nick Richmond upset fifth-ranked Rob Rohn of Lehigh, while senior Chuckie Connor won the decisive match as the No. 25 North Carolina wrestling team upset 7th ranked Lehigh 17-16 Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Auditorium.
The win came in Carolina's first dual meet of the season and occurred with several Tar Heel starters out with injuries.
Richmond, a sophomore from Claysville, Pa., defeated Rohn 6-3 after falling behind 2-1 heading into the third period of his 184 lbs. match. But an escape early in the period tied the match, before a takedown with 0:57 left gave Richmond a 4-2 lead. An escape by Rohn cut the lead to one, but a reversal by Richmond in the last 30 seconds gave him a 6-3 lead and sealed the victory.
Connor's decisive 4-1 win over Terrance Clendenin at 125 lbs. came with the Tar Heels behind 14-16 heading into the meet's final match. A takedown by the Levittown, Pa. senior at 1:20 in the first period and a reversal with 0:50 left in the second period gave Connor four points and was good enough to take the match. Connor's pressure-packed victory came after being unsure whether he would be competing or not.
"Chuckie was up all night trying to make weight," said head coach Bill Lam. "He was dead at the start of the match. We knew it, and Lehigh knew it. I'm really proud of him."
8th ranked JohnMark Bentley (149 lbs.) and John Paul Igoe (133 lbs.) each scored major decisions for the Tar Heels. Bentley, a junior from Newland, N.C., defeated Troy Minarovic 11-3 after a late takedown gave him the eight-point margin needed for a major decision. Bentley took a 5-1 lead into the third period and three takedowns in the final stage were enough to give him the deciding margin.
Igoe, a freshman from Long Island, N.Y., led Anthony Shaver from the start, scoring a takedown only seven seconds into the match. A near fall with 0:48 left gave Igoe a four-point lead after one period. A takedown at 0:18 in the second period, a takedown at 1:20 in the third period and riding time gave Igoe the 9-0 victory.
7th ranked Corey Bell , a senior from Durham, N.C., was also victorious for the Tar Heels, defeating Brad Dillon 9-4 in the 174 lbs. match. Bell led 5-0 heading into the third period and scored a takedown and two escapes in the period to gain the 9-4 victory.
Freshman Ryan Adams, wrestling in the heavyweight division, also had a strong showing for Carolina. Adams fell to Shawn Laughlin 3-2, but was impressive in his match against the No. 14 heavyweight in the country.
Also falling to nationally ranked Lehigh wrestlers were Clint Osborn at 197 lbs., Jake Reynolds at 165 lbs., Chris DiGuiseppe at 157 lbs. and Mike Booth at 141 lbs.
Osborn lost 10-4 to No. 6 Jon Trenge, while Reynolds fell to No. 11 Chris Vitale 10-5. DiGuiseppe suffered a 7-3 defeat to 10th ranked Ryan Bernholz, and Booth fell to 10th ranked Matt Goldstein 14-5.
The Tar Heels are now 1-0 for the season, while Lehigh falls to 6-2.
Carolina is back in action Jan. 12-13 at the Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va.
North Carolina 17, Lehigh 16
125 -- #6 Chuckie Connor (UNC) dec. Terrance Clendenin (Lehigh), 4-1
133 -- John Paul Igoe (UNC) maj. dec. Anthony Shave (Lehigh), 9-0
141 -- #10 Matt Goldstein (Lehigh) maj. dec. Mike Booth (UNC), 14-5
149 -- #8 JohnMark Bentley (UNC) maj. dec. Troy Minarovic (Lehigh), 11-3
157 -- #10 Ryan Bernholz (Lehigh) dec. Chris DiGuiseppe (UNC), 7-3
165 -- #11 Chris Vitale (Lehigh) dec. Jake Reynolds (UNC), 10-5
174 -- #17 Corey Bell (UNC) dec. Brad Dillon (Lehigh), 9-4
184 -- Nick Richmond (UNC) dec. #5 Rob Rohn (Lehigh), 6-3
197 -- #6 Jon Trenge (Lehigh) dec. Clint Osborn (UNC), 10-4
Hwt. -- #14 Shawn Laughlin (Lehigh) dec. Ryan Adams (UNC), 3-2
