North Carolina
ACC Championships
Bennett Claims ACC Title
March 14, 2011 | Wrestling
March 14, 2011
CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. -
March 5, 2011
Redshirt freshman Zac Bennett became the 13th wrestler under head coach C.D. Mock to claim an ACC Championship Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.as the 197-pounder posted a 9-4 decision over Virginia Tech's Chris Penny. Joining Bennett in the NCAA Championships (March 17-19) will be fellow freshman Corey Mock who claimed a third place showing for the Tar Heels.
ennett opened the 2011 ACC Championships as the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds and claimed a 10-4 decision over Maryland's Christian Boley to advance to the championship bout.
Instead of facing the number one seed, Bennett squared off against Chris Penny of Virginia Tech who upset No. 1 seed Mike Salopek of Virginia in the semifinal round.
With the win Bennett has punched his ticket for the NCAA Championships claiming the lone automatic bid from the 197 class in the ACC.
Joining Bennett at the NCAA Championships will be freshman Corey Mock who claimed the third and final spot in the 157 weight class by placing third.
Mock dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision to Maryland's Kyle John in the semifinal round after earning a bye out of the first round. The Chapel Hill, N.C., native bounced back with a pin of Duke's Ryan Harding in 5:42.
In the third place bout, Mock faced off against Virginia's Shawn Harris and came away with a 7-2 decision to punch his ticket for the NCAA Championships.
With only two automatic bids available in the 174 pound weight class junior Thomas Ferguson saw his hopes dashed early as he dropped a 12-2 major decision to Maryland's Mike Letts in the quarterfinal round after besting Duke's Brett Klopp 8-4 in the opening round.
Ferguson bounced back from the adversity and posted a major decision over NC State's Colin Genthert by an 18-6 margin.
In the third place bout, Ferguson put up another impressive win with a 9-2 decision over Virginia Tech's Matt Epperly.
Senior Thomas Scotton had a similar fate at 165 where he dropped a 5-2 extra-time decision to No. 2 seed Peter Yates of Virginia Tech before earning a shot at a third place finish.
Scotton posted an 11-8 decision over NC State's Nigel Jones and then went on to claim third place with a 7-2 decision against Jedd Moore of Virginia.
Freshman Pat Owens placed fourth at 133 pounds dropping a 5-3 decision in the third place match. Owens opened with a 8-0 major decision against NC State's Conor Hovis before getting pinned by eventual champion Devin Carter of Virginia Tech.
Senior Nick Stabile went 2-2 on the day with a 7-2 decision over Maryland's Justin Cash and a major decision against Duke's A.J. Guardado.
The Tar Heels who failed to qualify Saturday will have to wait until Wednesday, March 9 when the NCAA announces the at-large selections. The NCAA Championships will be held at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Arena on March 17-19.
