University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Hokie Duals
Utley's Title Leads Carolina At Hokie Open
November 9, 2015 | Wrestling
BLACKSBURG, Va. --- In his first action since his 2014-15 season was cut short due to injury last December, redshirt senior Alex Utley went 4-0 at 184 pounds to lead the North Carolina wrestling team at the Hokie Open Sunday at Rector Fieldhouse. Utley's performance was the lone title for the Tar Heels, but several others placed, including redshirt senior Evan Henderson's runner-up finish at 141.
Utley dominated the early rounds Sunday before edging John Lampe of Chattanooga 3-2 in the semifinals. The Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, product then topped Virginia Tech's Zack Zavatsky 6-4 in the final, defending his Hokie Open title. Utley has now won 12 straight matches dating back to last November.
Henderson, the preseason No. 1 wrestler in the country at 141, came up one round short Sunday, falling to Stanford freshman Joey McKenna in the final, 4-3. The two-time All-America, who did not compete in folkstyle last season while redshirting, scored a pair of major decisions in the early rounds before beating NC State's Sam Speno 4-1 in the semifinals.
Other Tar Heel placers were Tyrone Klump (third place, 125), Christian Barber (sixth, 149), Robert Henderson (third, 157), Jack Clark (sixth, 157), John Michael Staudenmayer (fourth, 174) and Cory Daniel (fourth, 285).
A number of Carolina wrestlers also competed unattached, including Cody Karstetter (sixth, 125), A.C. Headlee (third, 133), Alex Rinaldi (fourth, 133), Elijah Kerr-Brown (sixth, 165) and Chip Ness (third, 197).
UNC is back in action next Sunday at the Northeast Duals in Troy, New York. The Tar Heels will face Minnesota, Binghamton and Rutgers.
Players Mentioned
