North Carolina
Duke
Tar Heels Take Down Blue Devils, 25-10
January 21, 2009 | Wrestling
Jan. 21, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. - Keegan Mueller, Mike Rappo, Vincent Ramirez and Thomas Scotton each recorded major decisions to lead North Carolina to a 25-10 victory over Duke Wednesday in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels (8-6, 2-0 ACC) recorded their fourth straight dual victory, while the Blue Devils (5-2, 1-1 ACC) dropped their second straight match.
The victory also boosted the Carolina's lead in the 2008-09 edition of the Carlyle Cup, the all-sports competition between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, to 6.5-2.5. UNC has won 34 of the last 35 meetings on the mat with Duke.
Ranked 16th nationally, Mueller got things started quickly for the Tar Heels with a 10-2 major decision over Addison Nuding at 165 pounds in the night's first match. Now 24-6, the Dallas product scored two first period takedowns and slowly pulled away for the major with a takedown in the third and a point for riding time.
At 174, Duke's Voris Tejada outlasted Ben Fiacco to claim a 4-3 win on riding time after the score was knotted at three through six overtime periods. The Blue Devils picked up a second straight win with a major from John Barone at 184 to grab a 7-4 lead through three matches. Barone scored four takedowns against Daniel Llamas to pick up the major.
From there, Carolina took over with five straight victories and six in the final seven bouts of the night.
No. 17 Dennis Drury got the Tar Heels back on track at 197 with a 2-0 victory over Dan Tulley. Drury broke a scoreless tie with a third-period escape and picked up the riding time point to move to 20-6 on the season. Paced by two early takedowns, heavyweight Justin Dobies followed Drury's lead and picked up his 20th win as well with an 8-3 decision over Robert Holbrook.
Freshman Nick Shields extended the Tar Heels' run to three straight bouts with a 6-3 decision over Peter Terrezza at 125. The Louisiana native scored a pair of takedowns en route to his fifth win of the season and his second straight dating to the last weekend's win over Davidson.
Rappo picked up Carolina's second major at 141 to extend the lead to 17-7. Rappo, who improved to 19-8 on the year, posted five takedowns, including one in the final seconds that enabled him to pick up the major with the riding time point.
The 18th-ranked Ramirez, who bumped his record to 23-6, added a second straight major for the Tar Heels with a 12-4 victory over Spencer Jasper. The Durham native also picked up five takedowns and closed with the riding time point for the eight-point margin needed for the major.
After Duke got back on the board with a 9-4 win at 149 by Dan Adamo over Jeremy Shaw, Scotton closed things for the Tar Heels with their fourth and final major of the night. He dropped Duke's Mike Bell for five takedowns and a 12-4 victory to improve to 16-8 on the season.
Carolina opens a six-match homestand this weekend against Virginia and Navy. The Tar Heels and Wahoos will square off at 7 p.m. Friday at Fetzer Gym, while UNC and Navy will meet at East Wake High School at 1 p.m. Saturday.
North Carolina 25, Duke 10
Weight - Result (Team Score)
165 - #16 Keegan Mueller (UNC) major dec. Addison Nuding (DU), 10-2 (UNC 4-0)
174 - Voris Tejada (DU) dec. Ben Fiacco (UNC), 4-3 OT (UNC 4-3)
184 - John Barone (DU) major dec. Daniel Llamas (UNC), 11-3 (DU 7-4)
197 - #17 Dennis Drury (UNC) dec. Dan Tulley (DU), 2-0 (TIED 7-7)
HWT - Justin Dobies (UNC) dec. Robert Holbrook (DU), 8-3 (UNC 10-7)
125 - Nick Shields (UNC) dec. Peter Terrezza (DU), 6-3 (UNC 13-7)
133 - Mike Rappo (UNC) major dec. Jack Anderson (DU), 13-5 (UNC 17-7)
141 - #18 Vincent Ramirez (DU) major dec. Spencer Jasper (DU), 12-4 (UNC 21-7)
149 - Dan Adamo (DU) dec. Jeremy Shaw (UNC), 9-4 (UNC 21-10)
157 - Thomas Scotton (UNC) major dec. Mike Bell (DU), 12-4 (UNC 25-10)
Players Mentioned
