North Carolina
Virginia Tech
Tar Heels Fall to No. 15 Virginia Tech 25-16
January 16, 2010 | Wrestling
Jan. 16, 2010
BLACKSBURG, VA. -
The North Carolina wrestling team was defeated 25-16 Saturday by No. 15 Virginia Tech in the Tar Heels' first Atlantic Coast Conference match away from home. The loss drops Carolina to 3-5-1 in dual meets and 1-2 while the Hokies improve to 11-3 and 1-0 in the league.
Earning victories for the Tar Heels were Thomas Ferguson (174 pounds), No. 12 Dennis Drury (197 pounds) and Ziad Haddad (heavyweight). Ferguson won via forfeit while Drury and Haddad both dominated their opponents in earning technical fall victories.
The match started at 149 pounds, where Carolina's Ky Corley was defeated by Brian Stephens 18-9. Next up was the day's most anticipated match, as third-ranked 157-pounder Thomas Scotton faced off against No. 5 Jesse Dong. Trailing 4-2, Scotton recorded a takedown in the closing seconds to tie the bout. However, Dong had accumulated 1:09 in riding time, so he was awarded an extra point to take the contest 5-4.
The Hokies' Matt Epperly narrowly defeated Kyle Kiss (3-1) at 165 pounds to give Virginia Tech a 10-0 lead. Ferguson's victory then gave the Tar Heels' their first points.
After Carolina's Nick Tenpenny was narrowly defeated by No. 20 Tommy Spellman at 184 pounds, the 12th-ranked Drury earned a victory over Virginia Tech's Chris Penny a score of 17-2. Haddad followed that up with another technical fall win, defeating Tim Miller 19-4 and putting Carolina in the lead 16-13.
However, three straight Hokie victories in the lower weight classes gave them the win. No. 16 Jarrod Garnett defeated Brian Bokoski 6-1 in the 125-pound weight class and Brock LiVorio moved the Hokies out front with a 10-6 victory over Jeremy Shaw. The match ended with No. 9 141-pounder Chris Diaz of Virginia Tech picking up a win via forfeit.
Carolina will be back in action Friday at 5 p.m. when they travel to Charlottesville, Va. to take on the Cavaliers of Virginia.
#15 Virginia Tech (11-3, 1-0 ACC) 25, North Carolina (3-5-1, 1-2 ACC) 149: Brian Stephens (VT) maj. dec. Ky Corley, 18-9 (VT 4-0) 157: #5 Jesse Dong (VT) dec. #3 Thomas Scotton, 5-4 (VT 7-0) 165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. Kyle Kiss, 3-1 (VT 10-0) 174: Thomas Ferguson (UNC) wins by forfeit (VT 10-6) 184: #20 Tommy Spellman (VT) dec. Nick Tenpenny, 6-3 (VT 13-6) 197: #12 Dennis Drury (UNC) tech fall Chris Penny, 6:49 (17-2) (VT 13-11) 285: Ziad Haddad (UNC) tech fall Tim Miller, 7:00 (19-4) (UNC 16-13) 125: #16 Jarrod Garnett (VT) dec. Brian Bokoski, 6-1 (Tied 16-16) 133: Brock LiVorio (VT) dec. Jeremy Shaw, 10-6 (VT 19-16) 141: #9 Chris Diaz (VT) wins by forfeit (VT 25-16)
Players Mentioned
