After spending the first two months of the season in nothing but road action, NC State finally gets to roll out the home mat and will host its first dual of the 2023-24 season this Friday night. The fourth-ranked Wolfpack welcomes #9 Oklahoma State in one of the top non-conference duals of the season for both squads.

“It has been a long time since we’ve been on our home mat,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “I think we are very close to a sellout, and you just know it is going to be a great crowd.”

NC State’s season thus far has consisted of 10 duals on the road, a round-robin event, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and a whole lot of airline miles and hotel reward points.

The Pack will enjoy the luxuries of the home crowd inside historic Reynolds Coliseum in a nationally televised dual on ESPNU against the Cowboys. The dual has the potential to feature nine ranked-versus-ranked matchups, as the two squads have a combined 19 ranked wrestlers this week.

“I’m excited for the opportunity for us to compete against teams like this, especially at home,” Popolizio said. “I think this is great for our fan base to bring the caliber of team that Oklahoma State is to Raleigh. 

“The atmosphere inside Reynolds is one of the best in the country when it is packed. We expect great energy Friday night.”

Redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback used one of his five competition dates last year while in redshirt and wrestled in front of the home crowd in an ACC dual against Duke.

“I’m definitely excited to have a home dual,” Fishback said. “One of the coolest experiences I’ve had in wrestling was wrestling that one match last year against Duke. There are going to be a lot of people (Friday night), and it is going to be a great environment. 

“We have great fan support, and it is fun to go out there and wrestle in front of them.”

A pair of impressive streaks for the Pack will be on the line Friday night.

NC State has won 21 straight duals inside Reynolds Coliseum. The last loss came to Pitt on Feb. 10, 2019, and come Friday night it will have been 1,790 days since a home loss. The Pack has also won 18 straight non-conference duals at home. The last loss was to #2 Ohio State in 2018, 2,149 days ago.

Know Your Opponent

For the fourth time as head coach of the Wolfpack, Popolizio will be going up against his alma mater and college coach in Oklahoma State head coach John Smith.

NC State hosted the Cowboys in 2015 in Popolizio’s third season at NC State but suffered a 20-12 defeat. NC State returned the favor the next season, winning in Stillwater, 19-15. 

The last time the two programs met, Oklahoma State won a dual in Naples, Italy, 19-16 during the 2017-18 season.

“It is a place that molded me as a human being,” Popolizio said. “Knowing the rich tradition that Oklahoma State has, I know that this is a really good opportunity for our program to compete against a school that all of college wrestling knows about and respects.”

Battle at 184

One of the more anticipated matchups will be #12 Dyland Fishback taking on #3 Dustin Plott at 184 pounds. Fishback is in his first season competing for the Pack after redshirting last year, while Plott is a two-time All-American who has moved up from 174 pounds.

“I just need to wrestle free, not let him slow me down,” Fishback said. “I need to wrestle my kind of match and wrestle through every position. It will be a good match. He wrestles hard, so I need to go out there and match that and be better in every position.”

Popolizio has noted several times this year that Fishback might have the toughest schedule of the Wolfpack wrestlers this season. Sitting at 12-3 on the year, half of his matches have been against ranked foes. He already notched a top-five win, taking out then-#4 Trey Munoz at the Cliff Keen, and last time out, Fishback lost a one-takedown bout to last year’s NCAA finalist and current #1 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, 5-2.

“Dylan is a very dynamic wrestler, you can see that every time he goes out onto the mat,” Popolizio said. “He has a ton of experience, and he is a very explosive wrestler. He has all the skill sets you need to compete for a national title, he just needs the college experience. As the season goes on, I feel like we will continue to see a better version of him. 

“This is a great opportunity for him against a very good wrestler in Plott. Dylan has to trust his skill set, and let it fly.”

While they have never wrestled a live match, Fishback and Plott have both spent time this past year at the U.S.A. Wrestling training center in Colorado and have matched up during camp.

Open Competition at 165 Pounds

The starting spot for the Pack at 165 pounds is still up for grabs as we enter the last few months of the season. Both A.J. Kovacs and Derek Fields have got the starting nod in duals thus far.

“The good news is we have two really good options,” Popolizio said. “We have two guys that are continuing to develop pretty fast. I like where we are at. They both keep getting better and are pushing each other. 

“We have a lot of wrestling left, and we are going to give them both opportunities as far as dual meets. I think it will be more about who we feel matches up better in a dual meet. We need both guys ready. Whoever we send out their Friday night certainly has the opportunity to leave a mark for what they are looking for this season.”

Whomever the Pack sends out at 165 pounds, a tough match awaits in #3 Izzak Olejnik. Olejnik was an All-American at Northern Illinois and transferred to Oklahoma State for his final season. The Pack coaches are very familiar with him, as they hosted him for a visit when he was in the transfer portal.

Recovery Key for Pack’s Lower Weights

Last time out, both Jakob Camacho (125 pounds) and Kai Orine (133) suffered first-period pins to start the dual in the Pack’s loss to Ohio State. Both have huge opportunities for redemption.

Camacho will face freshman #20 Troy Spratley while Orine gets a rematch against #3 Daton Fix, as they previously faced off in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Championships.

“You come off that week Camacho had, and everybody knows he was disappointed in those results,” Popolizio said. “But that doesn’t take away from his skill set and talent. He has proven he can compete with the best guys in the country. Now he has to dig himself back to where he wants to be.

“The last time Kai and Fix wrestled it was an entertaining match. Both are very dynamic, and that should be a fun one.”