original photo courtesy of NC State athletics
Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina, played host to an ACC battle featuring fourth-ranked NC State and the seventeenth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers on Friday evening. Four straight wins between 157 and 184 lbs helped lock the dual up for Wolfpack head coach Pat Popolizio’s team; however it was the 197 lb bout that shocked everyone on hand, along with fans around the country. Pitt junior, Nino Bonaccorsi, the ninth-ranked wrestler in the land, would square off with true freshman Isaac Trumble. Isaac entered the day with a 3-0 record and saw all three of those previous matches end in falls. Those contests came in “extra” competition, so this clash marked Trumble’s dual debut for NC State.
The match started off slowly and neither wrestler was able to get on the scoreboard after the first period. Trumble started the second on top and that’s where he was able to blow the match open. The freshman from Springfield, Nebraska, was able to lock up a turk and force Bonaccorsi onto his back for four points as time expired in the middle stanza. In the final period, Trumble was able to tally an escape and secure riding time for a 6-1 win.
The 197 lb situation will be one to monitor going forward for NC State. Popolizio’s team has two-time NCAA qualifier Nick Reenan at the weight and he currently holds a #22 ranking nationally. The dual victory extended NC State’s winning streak to 21 matches, which started during the 2018-19 season. It is the longest active streak in DI wrestling. Coincidentally, the Panthers were the last team to defeat NC State.
Trumble was a part of a 2020 recruiting class that was ranked sixth in the country. He finished the year ranked #56 overall among seniors and rose up the ranking with an impressive final year-plus at Millard South High School. Before his senior season, Trumble finished top-four in both styles in Fargo and then finished third at the Super 32. He did not suffer a loss during his final two years of high school competition, even moving up to 285 lbs late in his senior season.
Congratulations to Isaac Trumble, TOM’s College Wrestler of the Week.
Back to articles