Carolina Wrestling Q&A: Back On The Mat

North Carolina Wrestling is back on the mat this week, as UNC will play host to Campbell on Friday night at 6 p.m. to kick off the season in Chapel Hill.

As the team prepares for Friday night's dual meet, several members of the team were asked to describe what it meant to have the opportunity to be back in Carmichael Arena and compete in Carolina Blue more than eight months after the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID-19.

Below are comments from around the wrestling room as "dual meet week" has arrived yet again.

What does it mean to you to be able to be back on the mat again this Friday night?

Josh McClure, redshirt senior, 157 pounds

Being back on the mat, to me, means another opportunity to achieve my goal of becoming an All-American. There were times over the last eight months where I thought that dream was over, so to be able to have another crack at it, while representing the best University in the world, is great. I'm excited to be back in the lineup again and lay it all on the line in front of our fans and my teammates Friday night.

Kennedy Monday, redshirt senior, 165 pounds

It means a lot to be back on the mat for myself and for my team. We have been training really hard for this opportunity, and we're ready to go. I can't wait to show everyone that we are a top contending team.

Head Coach Coleman Scott

Being back on the mat is going to be exciting for everyone around our program. There's been a lot of good energy in the room over the past couple of weeks, and for good reason. Our guys have been waiting for this opportunity since March. It's going to be great to have some normalcy back, being in Carmichael Arena and wrestling for our fans. I'm excited for these guys, to have the opportunity to start their season the way they want to start it.

Andrew Gunning, redshirt senior, 285 pounds

To me, being back on the mat this year means a lot. After qualifying for NCAAs last year and not even getting the chance to wrestle, I was pretty upset. It has always been a goal of mine since I started wrestling to not only make nationals but to be on the podium. With that being said, this is possibly the last chance I'll have to fulfill my goals. So to me, leaving it all out on the mat this season is a must, and that excites me. Overall, I'm excited to scrap not only individually but with my Carolina family beside me. I look forward to bringing home some hardware as a team and personally this year!

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Andrew Gunning

Josh McClure

Kennedy Monday

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