Jan. 16, 2001

The University of North Carolina wrestling team defeated Atlantic Coast Conference rival NC State 16-14 Tuesday night in Raleigh in the ACC opener for both teams. The night was highlighted by JohnMark Bentley's 5-0 victory over two-time ACC champion Tommy Davis in the 149 lbs. match and Corey Bell's 5-3 last-second win over Dustin Kawa at 174 lbs.

Bentley, the No. 8 ranked 149 pounder in the nation, and Davis went scoreless for almost 5:30 before a Bentley escape put him ahead 1-0. A takedown with 0:17 left gave Bentley a 3-0 lead and a one-point unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Davis along with one point for riding time gave Bentley the 5-0 win. Bentley's victory gave the Tar Heels a 16-11 margin heading into the night's final match where Chris DiGuiseppe lost to Pierre Pryor 3-0 at 157 lbs. Pryor's victory was only good for three points, however, and Carolina had the 16-14 win.

Bell, ranked No. 14 at 174 lbs., entered the third period tied 2-2 with Kawa, but an early escape gave Kawa a 3-2 lead that he held until 0:18 left in the match. At this point Kawa was issued a one-point penalty for a second stall warning which tied the match. Then with only 0:03 seconds left, Bell scored a takedown and escaped with the 5-3 decision.

15th ranked Nick Richmond scored the only major decision of the night, defeating Jason Gore 15-5 in the 184 lbs. match. Richmond scored eight points in the final period including a two-point takedown with 0:43 left to give him the eight-point margin needed for a major decision. The win put Carolina up 7-3 and the Wolfpack never got closer than one point the remainder of the night.

Brad Byers defeated Ryan McCallum 6-4 at 133 lbs. after entering the final period tied at three. An escape and takedown less than a minute into the final stanza put Byers ahead 6-3 and he held on for the decision.

Ryan Adams was also victorious for the Tar Heels, defeating Rick Fowler 7-2 in a matchup of freshman heavyweights. Entering the third period ahead 2-1, Adams scored five points in the last two minutes, including a two-point takedown 0:05 into the period, to take the victory.

Jake Reynolds dropped a close 9-6 decision to 12th ranked Scott Garren at 165 lbs., and Clint Osborn lost a hard fought 8-2 decision to 16th ranked Zach Breitenbach in the 197 lbs. match.

Chris Collins carried the Wolfpack's George Cintron to overtime at 125 lbs. but fell by an 8-6 decision, while Mike Booth lost to Oraefo Brown 8-2 in the 141 lbs. match. Brown's victory pulled NC State to within one at 13-12 but a one-point unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Wolfpack bench gave the Tar Heels a 13-11 margin heading into Bentley's match.

Carolina is now 2-2 overall, 1-0 in the ACC, while NC State falls to 4-6, 0-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels return to action this weekend, competing at Ohio on January 20 and Ohio State on January 21.

North Carolina 16, NC State 14

125 - George Cintron (NCS) dec. Chris Collins, 8-6

133 - Brad Byers (UNC) dec. Ryan McCallum, 6-4

141 - Oraefo Brown (NCS) dec. Mike Booth, 8-2

149 - #8 JohnMark Bentley (UNC) dec. Tommy Davis, 5-0

157 - Pierre Pryor (NCS) dec. Chris DiGuiseppe, 3-0

165 - #12 Scott Garren (NCS) dec. Jake Reynolds, 9-6

174 - #14 Corey Bell (UNC) dec. Dustin Kawa, 5-3

184 - #15 Nick Richmond (UNC) dec. Jason Gore, 15-5

197 - #16 Zach Breitenbach (NCS) dec. Clint Osborn, 8-2

Hwt - Ryan Adams (UNC) dec. Ricky Fowler, 7-2