Charleston, S.C. - North Carolina snapped The Citadel's five match winning streak on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the Bulldogs, 21-16, at McAlister Field House.
Each team won five duals, but a pin in the final match gave the Tar Heels (7-8-1) a come-from-behind win in the final dual of the season for The Citadel (9-6). The Bulldogs, who had won eight of their last nine dual coming into the day, started off strong by winning four of their first five matches, but a gritty UNC squad managed two pins and won four of final five bouts to take home the win.
Starting at 141, Nick LaFevre's two-point nearfall and riding time point in the third period boosted him past UNC's Rocco Wellek to give The Citadel an early 3-0 advantage. The Tar Heels would even up the team score at 149, as Jon Burns' combo of an escape, a takedown and a riding time point was good enough to secure a 4-0 win over Derek Royster.
Turtogtokh Luvsandorj scored an upset at 157 pounds as he downed No. 16 Thomas Scotton, 3-0. Luvsandorj has now won 10 straight dual matches and is 13-1 since Jan. 9. He earned an escape in the third, along with a penalty point and a riding time point to defeat Scotton, who won the Southern Scuffle and the Hokie Open this season and took third at the Reno Tournament, came into the match with a 25-6 overall record.
Pierre Frazile continued the momentum for the Bulldogs as the sophomore, who has not wrestled since Feb. 4 due to injury, took down UNC's Daniel Helena at 165 pounds. Frazile scored two early takedowns, to go along with an escape point and a penalty point to hold off Helena, 6-5. At 174 pounds, a tie match after the first period went in favor of J.C. Oddo, who used a takedown in both the second and third periods, along with a riding time point, to down the Tar Heels' Thomas Ferguson, 7-3, and give The Citadel a 12-3 team lead.
At 184, UNC began their comeback as Nick Tenpenny's quick takedown and three-point near fall were enough to defeat Kelby Smith, 7-2. At 197 pounds, No. 19 Dennis Drury pinned Justin Sparrow at the 6:23 mark to tie the team score at 12. Ziad Haddad's four takedowns were enough to get past Odie Delaney at heavyweight as the Tar Heel won 9-4 and gave UNC a 15-12 team advantage.
Richard Alarcon responded for the Bulldogs as the lineup turned over at 125 pounds. The sophomore from California used three takedowns, an escape, a stalling point and riding time advantage point to earn a 9-0 major decision over UNC's Rocco Wellek and give The Citadel back the team lead at 16-15. The Tar Heels would continue their comeback and seal the win at 133 however, as Giazzi Segarra stepped in for a banged up Jordan Dix and couldn't get past North Carolina's Jeremy Shaw, who pinned the freshman at the 1:39 mark.
North Carolina 21, The Citadel 16
141: Nick LaFevre (CIT) dec. Rocco Wellek (UNC), 3-2
149: Jon Burns (UNC) dec. Derek Royster (CIT), 4-0
157: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) dec. #16 Thomas Scotton (UNC), 3-0
165: Pierre Frazile (CIT) dec. Daniel Helena (UNC), 6-5
174: J.C. Oddo (CIT) dec. Thomas Ferguson (UNC), 7-3
184: Nick Tenpenny (UNC) dec. Kelby Smith (CIT), 7-2
197: #19 Dennis Drury (UNC) pinned Justin Sparrow (CIT), 6:23
HWT: Ziad Haddad (UNC) dec. Odie Delaney (CIT), 9-4
125: Richard Alarcon (CIT) maj. dec. Brian Bokoski (UNC), 9-0
133: Jeremy Shaw (UNC) pinned Giazzi Segarra (CIT), 1:39
The Bulldogs will now prepare for the SoCon Championships on Saturday, March 5. This year's tournament will take place at Davidson, N.C. A live blog update of Bulldog wrestling action will be available throughout the tournament. For more information on Bulldog wrestling, visit the official site at CitadelSports.com.