Clarke Caps Off Season With Runner Up Finish

Saturday, March 19

Detroit, Mich.

All Day

North Carolina

NCAA Championships

March 19, 2022 | Wrestling

DETROIT, MICH. – North Carolina graduate student Kizhan Clarke wrapped up the 2022 season with a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, falling to No. 1-ranked Nick Lee of Penn State, 10-3. The Tar Heels placed 18th as a team with 32.0 points.

Clarke struck first in the 141-pound national final match with a takedown less than a minute into the first period. A couple of takedowns for Lee were enough to pull away and seal the victory.

Earlier in the day, No. 10 Clay Lautt battled with No. 9 Mikey Labriola of Nebraska in the seventh-place match. After the first three minutes of the match, it was scoreless. Lautt would soon take the lead with an escape, but Labriola would use a takedown and an escape to take the match 3-2.

In the 2022 season, the North Carolina wrestling team finished with an 8-6 dual record, recording three All-America recipients. It is the first time since 1995 that UNC has had more than two All-America recipients. The Tar Heels placed 18th as a team at NCAA Championships with 32.0 points. The Tar Heels have finished among the top 20 in the final standings in each of the past four years.

2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships
March 19, 2022 | Little Caesars Arena | Detroit, Mich.

Session 5 (Saturday Afternoon)

Seventh Place Match
174: No. 9 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) over No. 10 Clay Lautt (UNC) | 3-2 Dec

Session 6 (Saturday Night)

Championship Final
141: No. 1 Nick Lee (Penn State) over No. 15 Kizhan Clarke (UNC) | 10-3 Dec