No. 13 Wrestling Opens 2026 At Soldier Salute

Saturday, January 3

Coralville, Iowa

All Day

North Carolina

Soldier Salute

Luke Simcox
V West Virginia
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, NC
Friday, December 12th, 2025
Dalton T. Wainscott

Photo by: DALTON WAINSCOTT

January 2, 2026 | Wrestling

CORALVILLE, Iowa - The 13th-ranked North Carolina wrestling team opens the 2026 calendar year this weekend, bringing 19 wrestlers to the two-day Soldier Salute.

Tournament Information
Date/Time: Saturday, Jan. 3 - Sunday, Jan. 4
Location: Xtream Arena - Coralville, Iowa
Live Results
Tournament Information

Last Time Out
• On Dec. 21, the Tar Heels defeated No. 12 Northern Iowa, 19-13.
• The win for the Carolina was the highest ranked road victory since the 2017-18 campaign, when the Tar Heels defeated 12th-ranked Nebraska, 22-14.
• On the day, six Tar Heels were victorious, Kysen Terukina (125), Nate Askew (149), Bryce Hepner (165), Jake Dailey (184), Robert Platt (197) and Jacob Levy (285).
• Dailey, Platt, Levy and Terukina completed the stretch of four-straight verdicts in favor of the road Tar Heels, with Dailey and Terukina earning ranked victories in the process.
• Rounding out the match at 165-pounds, Hepner earned the 7-4 decision over eighth-ranked Ryder Downey, securing the dual victory for Carolina. After a scoreless opening three minutes, Hepner collected a reversal and four nearfall points in the ensuing second period, en route to the victory.

Terukina Named ACC Wrestler Of The Week
• Last week, Tar Heel 125-pounder Kysen Terukina was tabbed the Atlantic Coast Conference's Wrestler of the Week.
• Terukina, in his first season with the Tar Heels, earned conference honors for the first time in his career, following the 2-0 stretch against Nebraska and Northern Iowa.
• Against the Cornhuskers, Terukina defeated Alan Koehler by decision, 4-1, followed by Sunday's ranked decision over No. 26 Trever Anderson of Northern Iowa, 5-3. Terukina helped Carolina defeat No. 12 Northern Iowa, 19-13, the highest ranked road victory since the 2017-18 campaign.
• This season, Terukina is 6-0 with all six victories coming in dual action. Sunday's victory at Northern Iowa was the Hawaii native's first ranked win of the campaign, as Terukina is the lone Tar Heel still unbeaten this season.

Tar Heels In The Polls
• Entering the weekend, six Tar Heels are ranked in the weekly InterMat Wrestling rankings:
- 125: Kysen Terukina - No. 13
- 133: Ethan Oakley - No. 17
- 141: Luke Simcox - No. 21
- 165: Bryce Hepner - No. 17
- 184: Jake Dailey - No. 23
- 285: Nolan Neves - No. 29
• As a team, Carolina is ranked No. 13 in the NWCA Coaches Poll.

Carolina Lineup This Weekend
125: No. 13 Kysen Terukina, Cameron Stinson Jr.
133: No. 17 Ethan Oakley, Matthew Botello
141: No. 21 Luke Simcox, Nick O'Neill
149: Nate Askew
157: Laird Root, Joey Showalter
165: No. 17 Bryce Hepner, Charlie Darracott
174: Collin Carrigan, Nicholas Fea, Cade Tenold
184: No. 23 Jake Dailey, Aidan Schlett
197: Mikey Calcagno, Robert Platt
285: Jacob Levy