GoHeels Exclusive: Optimism and Expectations

By: Joe Wedra

When Coleman Scott walked into Carmichael Arena on Tuesday to kick off UNC Wrestling's start-of-the-year meeting, the energy was a bit different.

All it took was one look around the room to understand the buzz that was present. When the full roster gathered in one meeting place for the first time this season, the talent and optimism for how special this group of Tar Heels can be jumped off the walls.

One after one, wrestlers walked into the meeting room – each with seemingly more potential than the next. First it was Austin O'Connor, who looks to be ranked as a preseason number one at 149 pounds. Next was Joey Melendez, a redshirt freshman from Illinois who went 20-5 last season and could be one of the surprises of the conference at 125 pounds. Each minute, the talent kept piling in.

There's little doubt that things feel different heading into this season, for both Scott and the rest of the team.

Nationally, the Tar Heels seem poised to be as big of a threat as they've been in many years. Some have the team pushing to be contenders on the national stage, feasibly pushing a top-10 finish at NCAAs.

"We know our expectations are different now," Scott says. "There's just no denying it at this point. What we've done here is get better each and every year, and now everyone's seeing where we're at. It's what you get when you increase your talent, you have everyone looking at you and the spotlight shines on you. And it's up to us to perform when these bright lights hit."

Those bright lights are inevitable, especially after what the program pulled off last season.

Not only did it have a third-place finisher in O'Connor, the highest NCAA finish by a Tar Heel wrestler since 1996, but it placed its highest nationals finish (19^th) since 1995. Over the course of the regular season, the team knocked off six ranked opponents in team duals, including No. 8 Arizona State in November.

With five returning national qualifiers and a highly-touted group of projected starters who redshirted last season, Carolina is poised for yet another breakout campaign.

Potential new faces in the lineup include Melendez, Jaime Hernandez (runner-up at Junior World Team Trials) and Zach Sherman, who looks to return to the mat after qualifying for NCAAs in 2018.

For O'Connor – who has found himself stepping into a coveted leadership role in the room – bolstering the lineup around him is what he's looking forward to most.

"It's going to be great to have the talent up and down the lineup," O'Connor says. "We were strong last year and I think we'll be even stronger this year. We're a force. There are going to be a lot of people who are surprised with how this lineup is going to wrestle this year. I'm really excited."

This week, the Heels are getting settled into Chapel Hill before kicking into gear next week with full team practice.

There are plenty of new faces around the room, but not much needs to be said about where the goals are set around the program.

Scott has set a clear standard. There's no wiggle room in terms of expectations.

Carolina wrestling is back on the map. The 2019-20 campaign is set to be a very large step in the right direction.

"The time is now," Scott says. "These guys know what is expected of them. Tar Heel wrestling is going to be a main attraction in Chapel Hill, and it starts with their effort and attitude as we get ready to go here."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jaime Hernandez

Joey Melendez

Austin O'Connor

Zach Sherman

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