"When we found out at weigh-ins that Caleb (Marsh) wasn't going to be able to go, I was worried," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "I thought it would be hard for us to win, but we had a lot of guys step up and I'm proud of our guys for the way they came through."
Prior to Sunday, the Golden Flashes were just 4-9 at the 165-pound weight class in dual meets and 1-12 at 125 pounds, but sophomores Tyler Buckwalter and Del Vinas each came up with big victories.
The afternoon started at 165, as Buckwalter earned a 9-1 win over Peter Santos. In just his fourth victory of the season, Buckwalter scored a takedown with 10 seconds left in the match to clinch the major decision. He set the tone in the first period with a takedown immediately followed by a three-point turn.
"Tyler's a better dual meet wrestler than a tournament wrestler at this point," Andrassy said. "Our hope is that he just continues to progress."
The Wolfpack answered with a major decision of their own at 174, before sophomore Sam Wheeler gave the Flashes the lead for good with a 9-5 decision over Mike Macchiavello. Wheeler recorded two first period takedowns and never trailed.
Sophomore Cole Baxter followed with an 8-3 decision over KaRonne Jones that included four minutes of riding time.
"Our young guys are getting better and better every match," Andrassy said. "The improvement isn't always as fast as we'd like to be as coaches, but it's come against very good competition this year."
Vinas claimed his first career dual victory with a 5-3 decision over Micah Perez. Vinas scored a pair of first period takedowns from his own shots and escaped in the third.
"It was only our second win at 125 in dual this year," Andrassy said. "We can win a lot of duals if we win there."
Sophomore Mack McGuire brought the crowd to its feet with a first period pin of Chris Wilkes. With the match scoreless late in the first, McGuire got in deep on a shot and had not yet earned a takedown, but tilted Wilkes' legs high enough to put him flat on his back.
With his team up 19-11, sophomore Michael DePalma sealed the victory with a 12-2 major decision of Brian Hamann. Up 2-0 after one period, DePalma broke things open in the second with a reversal and two takedowns.
The Golden Flashes begin a string of five straight conference duals Friday, Jan. 24, visiting Ohio. Already 2-0 in the MAC, Kent State hosts Central Michigan Sunday, Jan. 26 at the M.A.C. Center.
Ian Miller and Caleb Marsh are both expected back in the lineup Friday.
Results:
165 Tyler Buckwalter (KSU) won by major decision over Peter Santos (NCSU) 9-1.
174 Pete Renda (NCSU) won by major decision over Mike Vollant (KSU) 14-3.
184 Sam Wheeler (KSU) won by decision over Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) 9-5.
197 Cole Baxter (KSU) won by decision over KaRonne Jones (NCSU) 8-3.
285 Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) won by major decision over Mimmo Lytle (KSU) 10-1.
125 Edilberto Vinas (KSU) won by decision over Micah Perez (NCSU) 5-3.
133 Mackenzie McGuire (KSU) won by pin over Chris Wilkes (NCSU) 2:43.
141 Sam Speno (NCSU) won by decision over Tyler Small (KSU) 3-2.
149 Michael Depalma (KSU) won by major decision over Brian Hamann (NCSU) 12-2.
157 Thomas Gantt (NCSU) won by decision over T.J. Keklak (KSU) 9-4.
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