No. 15 Tar Heels Win Two At Cowboy Shootout

Friday, January 4

Laramie, Wyo.

6:30 p.m.

North Carolina

Wyoming

Austin O'Connor (photo by Sean O’Sullivan)

January 5, 2019 | Wrestling

LARAMIE, Wyo. --- No. 15 North Carolina picked up wins against American and Army West Point in Friday night's Cowboy Shootout at the University of Wyoming's Arena-Auditorium. No. 5 Austin O'Connor, No. 11 Chip Ness and Josh McClure all won three times, while Chasen Blair picked up his first career pin and first win over a ranked opponent.

The Tar Heels (7-4) began the night with a 20-15 loss to No. 13 Wyoming that came down to the final match. O'Connor and McClure led the night off with back-to-back wins for Carolina after the starting draw was set at 149 pounds. The Tar Heels dropped matches at both 165 and 174, but Ness pinned Carless Looney late in the third period to give the team a 12-8 lead. Blair picked up a win over No. 18 Cale Davidson before No. 15 Cory Daniel dropped an overtime match. Wyoming (9-3) won the final three bouts of the night, however, including a late decision from Sam Turner over A.C. Headlee to decide the dual.

Carolina stormed out of the gate against American (0-3) and never looked back. O'Connor and McClure again provided a one-two punch, giving the Tar Heels a 6-0 cushion early. After Sawyer Davidson dropped a tight match at 165, Carolina rattled off seven straight wins to cruise to a 31-3 win.

Ness was able to pick up the dual's first bonus points with his 17-5 major decision, but it was Blair who stole the spotlight. After knocking off his first ranked opponent earlier in the night, it took him just 3:47 to pin American's Abraham Correa-Medina.

After wins from Daniel and Joe Heilmann, Gary Wayne Harding was the next Tar Heel to knock off a ranked foe. He wrestled No. 17 Josh Terao and battled a tough seven minutes, picking up a 5-2 win to emphasize Carolina's win. Headlee finished things off with a 3-2 win over Jack Mutchnik.

Army West Point (2-2) took UNC down to the wire, but multiple dramatic matches helped the Tar Heels win their second dual of the night. O'Connor started things off with a bang, pinning Beau Guffey in just 1:36. McClure continued the fireworks next, knocking off No. 16 Lucas Weiland in a 3-1 decision.

The Tar Heels took losses at 165 and 174, but Ness used his veteran leadership on the mat to tilt things back in Carolina's direction. He posted strong second and third periods, piling up takedowns and ultimately a four-point near fall to score a tech fall win over No. 19 Noah Stewart, 17-1. After that, Daniel and Harding both picked up wins to set up another dramatic finish at 141.

Headlee and Army's Cory Shie went down to the wire, but the Tar Heel redshirt junior fought to the finish and closed out an 8-4 win to wrap up a strong night for UNC in Wyoming.

The Tar Heels take the mat next at Princeton on Friday, January 11, at 7 p.m. ET.

No. 13 Wyoming 20 No. 15 North Carolina 15
149: #5 Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. Jaron Jensen (WYO), 8-2 — UNC leads 3-0
157: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. Dewey Krueger (WYO), 4-2 — UNC leads 6-0
165: Branson Ashworth (WYO) tech fall Will MacDonald (UNC), 18-0 (3:45) — UNC leads 6-5
174: Hayden Hastings (WYO) dec. Devin Kane (UNC), 10-6 — WYO leads 8-6
184: #11 Chip Ness (UNC) pinned Carless Looney, 6:54 — UNC leads 12-8
197: Chasen Blair (UNC) dec. #18 Cale Davidson (WYO), 8-5 – UNC leads 15-8
285: #20 Brian Andrews (WYO) dec. #15 Cory Daniel (UNC), 4-2 (SV-2) – UNC leads 15-11
125: Cole Verner (WYO) dec. Joe Heilmann (UNC), 4-2 – UNC leads 15-14
133: #12 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. Gary Wayne Harding, 8-7 – WYO leads 17-15
141: Sam Turner (WYO) dec. A.C Headlee (UNC), 3-2 – WYO wins 20-15

No. 15 North Carolina 31, American 3
149: #5 Austin O'Connor (UNC) dec. Michael Sprague (AU), 7-3 — UNC leads 3-0
157: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. Kizhan Clarke (AU), 5-3 — UNC leads 6-0
165: Anthony Wokasch (AU) dec. Sawyer Davidson (UNC), 7-5 — UNC leads 6-3
174: Devin Kane (UNC) dec. Colin Shannon (AU), 7-5 — UNC leads,9-3
184: #11 Chip Ness (UNC) maj. dec. Tanner Harvey (AU), 17-5 — UNC leads 13-3
197: Chasen Blair (UNC) pinned Abraham Correa-Medina (AU), 3:47 — UNC leads 19-3
285: #15 Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Niko Camacho (AU), 6-0 — UNC leads 22-3
125; Joe Heilmann (UNC) dec. Gage Curry (AU), 4-1 — UNC leads 25-3
133: Gary Wayne Harding (UNC) dec. #17 Josh Terao (AU), 5-2 — UNC leads 28-3
141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Jack Mutchnik (AU), 3-2 — UNC wins 31-3

No. 15 North Carolina 22, Army West Point 18
149: #5 Austin O'Connor (UNC) pinned Beau Guffey (ARMY), 1:36 — UNC leads 6-0
157: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. #16 Lucas Weiland (ARMY), 3-1 — UNC leads 9-0
165: Cael McCormick (ARMY) pinned Will MacDonald (UNC), 2:22 — UNC leads 9-6
174: #12 Ben Harvey (ARMY) dec. Devin Kane (UNC), 8-5 — Tied 9-9
184: #11 Chip Ness (UNC) tech fall #19 Noah Stewart (ARMY), 17-1 (6:14) — UNC leads 14-9
197: Alex Hopkins (ARMY) wins by DQ Chasen Blair (UNC) — Army leads 15-13*
285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Ben Sullivan (ARMY), 3-2 — UNC leads 16-15
125: Trey Chalifoux (ARMY) maj. dec. Joe Heilmann (UNC), 10-2 — Army leads 18-16*
133: Gary Wayne Harding (UNC) dec. Lane Peters (ARMY), 10-5 — UNC leads 19-18
141: A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Corey Shie (ARMY), 8-4 — UNC wins 22-18
*both teams lost one team point — Carolina in the 197-pound match, Army in the 125-pound match