The focus for the NC State wrestling team leading into the start of ACC conference action was self-reflection. Time away from competitions, renewed energy and focus in the practice room.

The Wolfpack started the 2023-24 campaign as road warriors. On the road consistently with no home events until the first week of January. There was a lot of travel involving flying across the country, but finally the season has turned, and it is a more consistent routine from here heading into March.

The semester break came after 11 duals and the Cliff Invite in Las Vegas. The Pack returned to campus for the first home event of the season, against Oklahoma State on January 5, then made a quick trip up to Hofstra that same weekend.

Then finally a break. The NC State coaches specially scheduled two straight weekends off from outside competition and made it strictly about the work inside the mat room.

It appears the philosophy paid off, as NC State returned to the mat and scored a 31-6 win at #19 Pitt to open ACC dual action last weekend.

“We knew we were coming off (the semester break) and we wrestled a ton in November, then had a lot of good competition in December, and then had Oklahoma State and Hofstra to open January,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “We strategically planned it out to have three really good weeks of training. We knew going into these ACC duals that we wanted to make that next level of intensity and I think it showed in our opener (at Pitt).

“I felt we were a little more ready to compete and in a little bit better shape and a little more aggressive. That is something we worked really hard on since that Oklahoma State dual. Guys responded well to that time away from duals.”

The almost three-week stretch with no duals resulted in a crucial road win at Pitt after NC State dropped two of its previous three duals. Against the Panthers, NC State won eight of the 10 bouts, scored six individual ranked wins, and had five bonus point victories for the Pack’s 28th win over the last 31 ACC duals dating back to the 2020-21 season.

From this point on, the schedule is very consistent with duals every Friday night. 

“Now that we are synced back into Friday night competitions, we are back on a really good training schedule,” Popolizio said. “We were all over the place that first semester, and there was really nothing consistent in the way of our competitions. These last three weeks that changed I thought the guys responded well with the training we threw at them. Our intensity and focus were a lot higher over these last few weeks. I do think we say the benefits of that in the Pitt dual.

“It’s hard to be on your A-game for as long as this season is. We know that as a team, and sometimes we are going to have lesser results and not wrestling at our best. There are highs and lows throughout the season.”

Rivalry Week

NC State now turns its attention to archrival North Carolina. The Wolfpack and Tar Heels are rivals in every sport, not just wrestling, and the home Wolfpack fans always look forward to UNC making the short drive over from Chapel Hill.

“This dual is one I know every year both teams look forward to competing in,” Popolizio said. “Our guys are excited and ready. Being at home with the crowds that we have been getting, hopefully that helps us to carry this momentum.

“I hope it's rowdy inside Reynolds (Coliseum) and just an awesome atmosphere Friday night. This will be a huge dual for us for sure. We have the loyalest fans in the country that will always remain die hard Wolfpack fans.”

Marquee Matchup

141: #4 Ryan Jack vs. #5 Lachlan McNeil

This has turned into one of the top rivalries in the ACC. Both are currently ranked in the top-5 at this weight class nationally, but both are coming off losses in their ACC season debuts last weekend. Jack fell to rival Cole Matthews of Pitt, 15-10, while McNeil dropped a road bout to Tom Crook of Virginia Tech, 5-4. 

They both have top-10 wins over current #6 Cael Happel of Northern Iowa and #8 Tagen Jamison of Oklahoma State this year.

“Both have gotten better through the years, and they always have good matches when they wrestle,” Popolizio said. “You look at their results, they have been very comparable over the years. They are both having a lot of success.

“They have wrestled so much, sometimes that is tough on guys because you get very familiar with what each other do. In this match, we just have to go out and attack and let things fly. This should be another great match in their series for sure.”

Jack leads the all-time series against McNeil 3-1. McNeil took the first bout in the series when he was in redshirt back in Nov. of 2021, 3-1. But Jack has won each of the last three meetings between the two: 7-5 in the dual last year, 4-3 in the semifinals at last year’s ACC Championship, and 4-2 earlier this year at the Cliff Keen Invite.

For the second year in a row, it looks like 141 pounds is the top weight in the ACC, with the same four wrestlers going at it at the top. The loser of this bout will fall to 0-2 in ACC action, big stakes on the line for ACC Championship seeding purposes.

Coaching Rivalry Too

The Wolfpack vs. Tar Heels isn’t just a rivalry among the wrestlers, this year’s edition has a little bit of spice to it as well regarding the head coaches.

Popolizio is in this 12th season at NC State, and now will be facing his third different head coach at North Carolina. That is because former UNC national champion (1988) and four-time All-

American (1985-88) Rob Koll came back to Chapel Hill in the offseason after runs as head coach at both Stanford (2022-2023) and Cornell (1993-2021).

While at Cornell, Koll matched up against Popolizio, who was head coach at Binghamton in his early head coaching days. The two were both in the EIWA conference and met in two duals both won by Koll’s Cornell squad: 35-3 in 2011 and 22-21 in 2012. The two coaches also squared off with Popolizio leading the Pack, as NC State went up to Cornell back in 2020 for a 25-9 victory.

“New or not, he has been in the game for a long time,” Popolizio said. “He’s had a lot of success as a head coach, and him coming back to UNC is only going to elevate our conference.”