The Wolfpack won for the seventh time in its last 10 dual matches to improve to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. Duke dropped to 1-3-1 overall and 0-2 in conference action.
“I was pleased with our tempo and our pacing tonight,” Wolfpack coach Carter Jordan said. “We were aggressive. We lost some of that at the end, but I think that was due in part to inexperience.”
The Wolfpack took a 12-0 lead after two matches thanks to Duke forfeits at 125 and 133 pounds. In the first actual bout of the evening, NC State’s Darrius Little overcame an early takedown by Mike Bell, built a 4-2 lead after two periods, and dominated the third period for an 8-2 decision. Little won his seventh match in a row and his 11th in his last 12 to improve to 22-6. The decision pushed the Wolfpack’s team lead to 15-0.
Darrion Caldwell followed Little to the mat for the Wolfpack and pinned A.J. Guardado in 98 seconds to give NC State a 21-0 advantage. Caldwell improved to 7-0 with six pins for the season. The victory was the 101st of his career and the pin was his 56th. Caldwell is second to Sylvester Terkay (1990-93) in NC State history in both categories. Terkay won 122 matches with 64 pins in his career. Caldwell’s pin was his 48th first-period pin.
No sooner had Caldwell pinned Guardado than freshman Matt Nereim, wrestling up a weight, pinned Duke’s Ryan Harding in 76 seconds to lift the NC State lead to 27-0. Nereim improved to 11-2 on the season. The match was his first at 157. He is 10-2 at 149 and has won nine matches in a row.
“Darrion looked like Darrion,” Jordan said. “What else can you say. He’s just a special wrestler. We’ve been careful in bringing him back from his shoulder injury, but he hasn’t shown any ill effects. And for a freshman, Matt Nereim has been spectacular. We’ve been using him at 149 while we’ve brought Darrion along from his injury. Tonight was his first match at 157 and he looked terrific.”
Duke got on the scoreboard with Willy Mello’s 8-6 decision over the Pack’s Colin Genthert at 165 pounds. Mello took control of the match with a reversal and three-point near fall in the first period, then staved off a third-period comeback attempt by Genthert. The Blue Devils trimmed the team lead to 27-9 when Bret Klopp pinned the Pack’s Nijel Jones in 1:02 in the 174-pound match.
The Blue Devils reached double digits on the scoreboard and cut the Wolfpack lead to 27-12 with Diego Bencomo’s 4-1 decision over Quinton Godley at 184 pounds. Bencomo overcame a 1-0 lead in the third period with an escape, a takedown and a point for riding time. Godley, wrestling his third match at 184, dropped to 18-11 overall. He is 1-2 at 184 and 17-9 at 174. Duke cut the NC State lead to 27-15 with Brian Self’s 3-1 decision over KaRonne Jones at 197 pounds.
Eloheim Palma ended the bout with a 6-4 decision over Andrew Fulk to lift the Wolfpack to the final margin of victory to 30-15. Palma took the early lead with a pair of takedowns in the first period and put the match away with an escape and riding time in the third period.
“Eloheim has struggled lately, so he needed that,” Jordan said. “He’s so intense and works so hard, and he’s been frustrated because things haven’t clicked for him lately. He needs to keep working and fighting his way through it. He has a great work ethic.”
NC State hits the road this weekend for a dual match at Stillwater, Okla., against fourth-ranked Oklahoma State on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Results:
125 - Dustin Champion (NCS) won by forfeit
133 - Dale Shull (NCS) won by forfeit
141 - Darrius Little (NCS) dec. Mike Bell, 8-2
149 - Darrion Caldwell (NCS) pinned A.J. Guardado at 1:38
157 - Matt Nereim (NCS) pinned Ryan Harding at 1:16
165 - Willy Mello (DU) dec. Colin Genthert, 8-6
174 - Bret Klopp (DU) pinned Nijel Jones at 1:02
184 - Diego Bencomo (DU) dec. Quinton Godley, 4-1
197 - Brian Self (DU) dec. KaRonne Jones, 3-1
Hwt - Eloheim Palma (NCS) dec. Andrew Fulk, 6-4
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