Wrestling Hosts Pitt Friday In ACC Home Opener

Friday, January 30

Chapel Hill, N.C.

7 PM

North Carolina

Pitt

Buy Tickets

Rob Koll
University of North Carolina Wrestling v Northern Colorado
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, NC
Sunday, November 9, 2025

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

January 29, 2026 | Wrestling

Dual Notes

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina wrestling team hosts No. 14 Pitt Friday evening in a top-15 matchup, the Atlantic Coast Conference home opener for the Tar Heels.

Dual Information
Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 30 - 7 PM
Location: Carmichael Arena - Chapel Hill, N.C.
Watch: ACCNX
Tickets

Takedown Cancer Dual and Carolina Fever
• In partnership with UNC Children's Hospital, Tar Heel athletes and coaches joined patients to paint shoes for the Carolina coaching staff to wear Friday evening.
• Starting Friday morning, a live auction will open for the shoes, with ever dollar raised supporting the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Program at UNC Children's. For more information, click here.
• Friday's dual against the Panthers is a Carolina Fever match, with all UNC students earning two Fever points and the first 500 students receiving a free hat.
• In addition, all UNC students in attendance will be entered in a raffle to win two men's basketball tickets vs. Duke.

Against The Panthers
• Entering Friday, Carolina holds a 12-5 edge over Pitt in the all-time series, following last year's 16-16 criteria victory in Pittsburgh.
• Nolan Neves' third-period takedown a season ago gave Carolina the 52-49 total match point criteria win for Carolina.
• Prior to Friday, the Tar Heels have won five-straight meetings between the two programs inside Carmichael Arena.

Last Time Out: NC State
• Eighth-ranked NC State defeated No. 11 North Carolina last Friday evening, in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action.
• On the night, Luke Simcox (141), Laird Root (157) and Jake Dailey (184) were victorious for the visiting Tar Heels, with Dailey earning the lone bonus-point win for Carolina.
• Starting at 141-pounds, Simcox earned a 2-1 decision over 12th-ranked Ryan Jack. The win for the redshirt-sophomore is his second-straight ACC win to begin the year, and his first ranked dual victory of the campaign.
• Rounding out the Carolina individual efforts, Dailey's 15-5 major decision was his second consecutive bonus-point win, following the 21-5 technical fall at Virginia two weeks ago.

New Faces, New Places
• Entering year three in the Rob Koll era, the program welcomed nine new faces to the program in the offseason.
• The Tar Heels welcomed two transfers, Bryce Hepner (Ohio State) and Kysen Terukina (Iowa State). Hepner and Terukina, consistent starters at their respective weights, are a combined 21-4 this season.
• Carolina's 2025 recruiting class features seven freshmen: Nate Askew (149), Matthew Botello (133), Mikey Calcagno (197), Liam Hickey (133), Jacob Levy (285), Luke Sipes (165) and Mitchell Younger (149).

NCAA Coaches' Rankings
• On Thursday, seven Tar Heel wrestlers were ranked in the first NCAA Coaches' Rankings for the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
- 125: Kysen Terukina - No. 20
- 133: Ethan Oakley - No. 22
- 141: Luke Simcox - No. 13
- 157: Laird Root - No. 29
- 165: Bryce Hepner - No. 11
- 184: Jake Dailey - No. 18
- 285: Nolan Neves - No. 29
• The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of three coaches in each weight class.

Tar Heels In The Polls
• Entering the weekend, six Tar Heels are ranked in the weekly InterMat Wrestling rankings:
- 125: Kysen Terukina - No. 15
- 133: Ethan Oakley - No. 19
- 141: Luke Simcox - No. 10
- 157: Laird Root - No. 28
- 165: Bryce Hepner - No. 14
- 184: Jake Dailey - No. 13
• As a team, Carolina is ranked No. 11 in the NWCA Coaches Poll.

Probable Lineups: No. 11 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Pitt
125: No. 15 Kysen Terukina vs. Tyler Chappell
133: No. 19 Ethan Oakley vs. No. 30 Evan Tallmadge
141: No. 10 Luke Simcox vs. Briar Priest
149: Nate Askew or Nick O'Neill vs. No. 20 Kade Brown
157: No. 28 Laird Root vs. No. 17 Dylan Evans
165: No. 14 Bryce Hepner vs. No. 33 Jared Keslar
174: Collin Carrigan vs. No. 19 Luca Augustine
184: No. 13 Jake Dailey vs. No. 28 Chase Kranitz
197: Robert Platt vs. No. 8 Mac Stout
285: Jacob Levy vs. No. 15 Dayton Pitzer