How NC State wrestling stacks up around the ACC as conference duals begin

ACC Duals begin this weekend, as No. 6 NC State (6-0) will face conference foes in six of its final seven duals of the season – a huge showdown at No. 3 Oklahoma State (Jan. 12) is the lone non-conference dual left.

NC State kicks off ACC action this Friday night at 7 p.m. hosting Duke inside Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack will also host No. 18 Pitt (Jan. 24) and No. 15 Stanford (Feb. 14) this year. 

Road action will be at Virginia, No. 23 North Carolina, and concluding the dual season at No. 8 Virginia Tech.

The Pack has claimed at least a share of the ACC Dual Championship trophy in six of the last seven years. Over those last seven years, NC State is 32-2 in ACC duals.

Virginia Tech appears to have their best squad in a few years as they try to unseat the Pack this season. The Hokies have all 10 starters ranked, with four in the top-10. ACC newcomer Stanford is already one of the favorites to make a conference trophy run in their first season, as the Cardinal recently won the Midlands team title with three individual champions (133, 149 and 174 pounds).

Here is a weight-by-weight look at the ACC as conference duals get underway.

125: #11 Vince Robinson (13-2)

Around the ACC: #4 Eddie Ventresca (VT), #17 Nick Babin (Pitt), #20 Spencer Moore (UNC), #33 Keyveon Roller (UVA)

In what has been a very top-heavy weight in the ACC over the last few years, NC State has made the ACC Final each of the last nine years, this year 125 pounds might be the deepest weight class. Five of the seven starters are currently ranked. 

The top two were both in redshirt last year. VT’s Ventresca was an All-American in 2023 and missed last year with injury. NC State’s Robinson has started the season on fire with four ranked wins and his two losses were both medical forfeits (his injury happened in Las Vegas according to sources will be back in action this weekend). Pitt brought in Babin from Columbia as a grad transfer, and he defeated Jakob Camacho earlier this season (1-0). Keep an eye on Stanford, as Nico Provo has yet to see action this year but was ranked in the preseason top-10 after ascending to #1 in the national rankings after winning the Cliff Keen last year.

133: #7 Kai Orine (9-2)

Around the ACC: #10 Tyler Knox (Stanford), #12 Connor McGonagle (VT), #15 Ethan Oakley (UNC), #27 Gable Porter (UVA)

At the top, 133 pounds leads all other weights with four ranked in the top-15 and none of the four have a history of wrestling against each other.

Orine has made the move down from 141 pounds. He is the two-time reigning ACC champion and two-time All-American at 133 pounds. Coming off redshirt, Knox has been the talk of the 133-pound class nationally, jetting up into the top-10 after winning a Midlands title and posting six ranked wins thus far. Virginia Tech added McGonagle (three-time NCAA Qualifier) from Lehigh and UNC added Oakley (2024 SoCon champion) from Appalachian State.

141: Tyler Tracy (4-5)

Around the ACC: #11 Sam Latona (VT), #22 Dylan Cedeno (UVA), #27 Jayden Scott (UNC), #31 Anthony Santaniello (Pitt)

With Orine moving down to 133 pounds, Latona becomes a heavy favorite to take this weight class which features unprovens from every other ACC squad. Latona is a two-time All-American at two different weights, 2021 at 125 and 2023 at 133), and is in his first season up at 141 for his last year. 

Santaniello is in his first season after redshirting last year, he was the #45 overall recruit in 2023. UVA has had multiple starters this year, but Dylan Cedeno just won a Southern Scuffle title and looks to be in control of the spot after competing at 157 pounds last year.

NC State’s Tracy is also in his first season after redshirting last year, and just made the move down from 149 pounds in the Pack’s dual against Cornell. The Pittsboro native was a two-time state champion and is a member of the Jamaican National Team.

149: #33 Koy Buesgens (12-6)

Around the ACC: #1 Caleb Henson (VT), #6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC), #8 Jaden Abas (Stanford), #25 Jack Gioffre (UVA), #26 Finn Solomon (Pitt)

Six of the seven are ranked this week, the most for a weight in the ACC. The returning national champion, Henson, is undefeated this year (12-0) and ranked #1 nationally. McNeil moves up to 149 pounds, he was a two-time All-American at 141 for UNC, including placing sixth last year. Abas, in his sixth season, is a four-time NCAA Qualifier and was an All-American as a freshman back in 2021. Solomon redshirted with the Pack two years ago and is a second-year starter.

After redshirting last season mainly at 141 pounds, Buesgens is in his first year as a starter. A former top-20 overall recruit, he has already seen action in 18 matches thus far and won a pair of wrestle-offs against teammate Tracy for the 149-pound spot.

157: #12 Ed Scott (6-3)

Around the ACC: #13 Rafael Hipolito (VT), #22 Dylan Evans (Pitt), #26 Sonny Santiago (UNC), #28 Grigor Cholakyan (Stanford)

NC State and Virginia Tech find themselves at the top of this weight class once again. Scott returns for the Pack for a final season and the Hokies are breaking in a new starter in Hipolito, taking over for known NC State nemesis Bryce Andonian. 

Scott started out just 1-2 but has won five of his last six matches. Hipolito is a multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and got the call in the NCSU-VT dual last year, losing a narrow 12-7 match to Scott. Santiago for UNC earned the top seed at ACCs last year in this weight class.

165: #32 Derek Fields (8-7)

Around the ACC: #14 Hunter Garvin (Stanford), #17 Nick Hamilton (UVA), #25 Mac Church (VT), #29 Aiden Wallace (Duke)

Hamilton is the defending ACC champion at this weight, as his run to the title last year earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. Garvin is a returning All-American, placing sixth last year as a redshirt-freshman after starting as the #20 seed. A former top-30 overall recruit, Church is coming up multiple weight classes as he redshirted last season all the way down at 141 pounds.

Fields returns for his second season as the starter, and he was the top seed at the ACCs last year. He started the season 7-0 but has faced arguably the toughest schedule among NC State wrestlers since mid-November. He has four losses to wrestlers ranked in the top-8, and also fell to VT’s Church in Las Vegas (4-2).

174: #19 Matty Singleton (10-4)

Around the ACC: #4 Lorenzo Norman (Stanford), #13 Lennox Wolak (VT), #18 Luca Augustine (Pitt), #20 Josh Ogunsanya (UNC)

After seeing limited action as a true freshman at 165 pounds in 2023, Singleton redshirted last season. All four of his losses this season are to ranked foes, but he also has three ranked wins including last time out when he reversed an earlier match against #11 Simon Ruiz of Cornell, 6-5.

Virginia Tech brought in Wolak from Columbia where he earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish last year, while UNC brought in his former teammate Ogunsanya also from Columbia where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier at 165 pounds. Norman has been one of the most impressive freshmen in the nation, recently claiming a Midlands title and was runner-up at the Cliff Keen.

184: #11 Dylan Fishback (6-3)

Around the ACC: #18 Reece Heller (Pitt), #24 Gavin Kane (UNC), #29 TJ Stewart (VT)

The top four from this weight class all return to do battle again this season. Stewart is the defending ACC champion and went on to earn All-American honors in his first season in the lineup. Fishback was the ACC runner-up in his first season in the lineup. Kane earned All-American honors at the weight back in 2023 and was slowed with an injury last year. Heller is coming off a Midlands title.

197: #26 Christian Knop (6-4)

Around the ACC: #8 Andy Smith (VT), #12 Mac Stout (Pitt), #24 Nick Stemmet (Stanford)

A first-time ACC champion will be crowned at this weight. Smith enters his third season as the Hokies starter in his final season. He was an NCAA Qualifier each of the last two years, reaching the Round of 12 as the #26 seed last year. In his first season as Pitt’s starter, Stout advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAAs last year. Stemmet enters ACC action as a three-time NCAA Qualifier.

After starting the season as a first-time starter, Knop missed a month of action due to an ankle injury. He returned to action, won a wrestle-off between a pair of teammates and last time out reversed an earlier loss to #25 Mikey Dellagatta of Cornell (5-2 in OT).

285: #4 Isaac Trumble (11-2)

Around the ACC: #14 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt), #15 Jimmy Mullen (VT), #30 Connor Barket (Duke)

Trumble spent his first two seasons at 197 pounds, reaching the ACC final each time. He redshirted last season and is up to heavyweight this year. He is 10-2, having already claimed wins over current #5 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State), #6 Taye Ghadiali (Campbell), and #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski – Rutgers) – all returning All-Americans.

A first-time ACC champion will also be crowned at this weight. Pitzer suffered through a shoulder injury for much of last year, but still qualified for the NCAAs. Mullen came to Virginia Tech one of the highest ranked recruits in Hokies history, top-10 overall, and redshirted last year splitting time between football and wrestling. He gave up football and is 13-2 thus far.