photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com
Conference season is upon us. This week we have five DI conferences in action and each day, we’ll bring a new preview. After hitting the first four conferences in action this week, we’ll focus on the ACC. Though the ACC only has six teams in action, this tournament routinely provided the most bang for your buck. Four of its teams are ranked in the top-20 in TOM’s Tournament rankings. Perennial powers NC State and Virginia Tech are both tied for fifth. Five of the conference’s teams are listed in the top-20 in dual performance.
For those that have never attended or closely followed the ACC Tournament, please do. You’ll be in for a treat. One of the exciting things about this tournament is that since it’s so small, each match counts. One upset can swing the entire balance of the team race.
The ACC now features plenty of star power, something that seemed unthinkable over a decade ago. Thirteen wrestlers in action Sunday are currently ranked in the top ten of their respective weights. Two number-one ranked wrestlers will suit up for ACC schools, along with a past national champion.
One of the favorites to get crowned conference champion is Pat Popolizio’s NC State squad. The Wolfpack grabbed their second consecutive ACC title in 2020 by four points over a surprising Pittsburgh team. It was a total team effort for the Wolfpack, who claimed two individual titles and qualified for nationals at eight of ten weights. All eight of those national qualifiers are back for a veteran-laden NC State team that aims to three-peat. Of course, an NC State streak was already interrupted once this year by Virginia Tech. Tony Robie’s team halted the Wolfpack’s 22-match dual winning streak in perhaps the best collegiate dual of the season. This Hokie team is also built for tournaments as two of their team members have held a number-one ranking nationally, this season. Not to be overlooked is a North Carolina team that finished third at this event in 2020. The Tar Heels continue to progress under Coleman Scott and have a top-ranked wrestler of their own. Virginia and Pittsburgh each have quality teams that are capable of making things very interesting in Raleigh. Virginia comes in with eight of ten starters listed in the top-33, while Pittsburgh has five.
Below, we’ve gone through each weight class and previewed its competitors and made predictions for the finals, along with national qualifiers, and the team race.
When: Sunday, February 28th
Where: Raleigh, North Carolina
How to Watch: ACC Network Extra (Mat One) ACC Network Extra (Mat Two); ACC Network (Finals)
125
1st - #5 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech)
2nd - #7 Jakob Camacho (NC State)
3rd - Colton Camacho (Pittsburgh)
4th - Patrick McCormick (Virginia)
5th - Will Guida (North Carolina)
6th - Logan Agin (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
Perhaps the most exciting match during the most competitive dual of the year took place when Sam Latona used a last-second takedown and backpoints to defeat Jakob Camacho. Not only did it give Latona the win, but the backpoints also propelled his team to victory on the “Most Match Points Scored” criteria. While there are plenty of other opportunities for NC State and Virginia Tech to collide during the ACC finals, this one will help sort out the team race. Latona comes into this match unbeaten and has earned bonus points against every other conference foe, save for his Wolfpack counterpart. The two met in 2019-20, while the Hokie was redshirting, and Sam was victorious there, as well. Camacho is the defending ACC champion at this weight after shocking returning NCAA finalist Jack Mueller in last year’s championship bout. That provided him with the tenth seed at nationals. Camacho’s loss to Latona was his only during the 2021 campaign. Coming in as the three-seed is another Camacho, Colton, of Pittsburgh. Colton was majored by the top two seeds and suffered a pair of out-of-conference losses to EIWA opponents. He gets the third seed after a sudden victory win over Patrick McCormick. These two could end up clashing again for the final qualifying spot. McCormick spelled Mueller last season and compiled a 12-5 record, but this year he’s at 5-4. The fifth seed is sort of confounding as Logan Agin has a head-to-head win over Will Guida, 6-4. While Guida has a slightly better record, I’m not sure how that came to be.
TOM Predictions
1st) Latona (Virginia Tech)
2nd) Camacho (NC State)
3rd) McCormick (Virginia)
4th) Camacho (Pittsburgh)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), Jakob Camacho (NC State), Patrick McCormick (Virginia)
133
1st - #4 Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh)
2nd - #7 Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech)
3rd - Joe Heilmann (North Carolina)
4th - #12 Louie Hayes (Virginia)
5th - #13 Jarrett Trombley (NC State)
6th - Drake Doolittle (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
It speaks to just how far the ACC has come as a conference when you look at the depth at 133 lbs. The fifth-seed at the conference meet is currently ranked 13th in the nation. A decade ago, you may be lucky to have more than one ranked wrestler per weight. Going for his third ACC crown in as many tries is Micky Phillipi. Micky netted first-team All-American honors last season after earning the fourth seed at nationals. Philippi is unbeaten on the year though he has wrestled tight, low-scoring bouts against the majority of the weight. One he has yet to wrestle in 2021 is Korbin Myers. Korbin is fresh off of three consecutive major decisions against conference foes and looks better than ever. The two split matches back in 2018-19, with Myers winning their dual and Phillipi holding on in tiebreakers at ACC’s. Before that matchup, the pair has to get by a talented rest of the field. Joe Heilmann is the third seed and gets the nod over Jamie Hernandez. Heilmann had a big 2-0 win over Louie Hayes, which helped solidify his spot in the lineup and his seed at this weight. Hayes is a two-time national qualifier that was a spot away from the NCAA podium as a freshman. Coming in as the fifth-seed is #13, Jarrett Trombley. Trombley missed both Heilmann and Hayes in dual action, but is 1-0 career against the Tar Heel and split matches versus Hayes. Redshirt freshman Drake Doolittle rounds out the class. His lone win this year came against UNC in extra countable matches.
TOM Predictions
1st) Myers (Virginia Tech)
2nd) Philippi (Pittsburgh)
3rd) Hayes (Virginia)
4th) Trombley (NC State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech), Micky Phillipi (Pittsburgh), Louie Hayes (Virginia), Jarrett Trombley (NC State)
141
1st - #5 Tariq Wilson (NC State)
2nd - #9 Zach Sherman (North Carolina)
3rd - #16 Brian Courtney (Virginia)
4th - #17 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh)
5th - #31 Sam Hillegas (Virginia Tech)
6th - Patrick Rowland (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
141 lbs tends to be one of the more unpredictable weights in the ACC. It would be wise to expect the unexpected again. In last year’s final, Zach Sherman broke a personal four-match losing streak to Tariq Wilson, by knocking off the Wolfpack All-American 5-4 for the title. That win helped Sherman get the 11th seed at nationals and receive second-team All-American honors. Both parties are back at 141 lbs and it was returning to the norm for Wilson, who staged a miraculous comeback to knock off Sherman, 9-6. Wilson comes into ACC’s unbeaten, while Sherman’s only defeat came via Wilson. After the big two is Brian Courtney, a junior that has come into his own in 2021. Courtney turned the tables on the fourth-seed Cole Matthews. The Panther had defeated Courtney three times in 2019-20, but Courtney reversed course this year. With only three automatic bids to St. Louis on the line, their next meeting could see the stake raised significantly. The fifth seed is Sam Hillegas, who could fall victim to the odd circumstances surrounding this season. In years past, freshmen like him would have been able to pad their record with quality wins along the way. Now he sits at 5-3 and may not be able to compile enough data to earn an at-large berth. Of course, if he finishes third or higher, this is a moot conversation. The sixth-seed is Patrick Rowland, a redshirt freshman himself, who posted his lone win of the year in a dual against Pitt.
TOM Predictions
1st) Wilson (NC State)
2nd) Sherman (North Carolina)
3rd) Courtney (Virginia)
4th) Matthews (Pittsburgh)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Tariq Wilson (NC State), Zach Sherman (North Carolina), Brian Courtney (Virginia)
149
1st - #1 Austin O’Connor (North Carolina)
2nd - #10 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)
3rd - Ed Scott (NC State)
4th - #24 Josh Finesilver (Duke)
5th - Denton Spencer (Virginia)
6th - Mick Burnett (Pittsburgh)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
The first of two national number-ones from the ACC will take the mat as Austin O’Connor aims for a second consecutive ACC title. O’Connor has been able to put points on the board more so than any prior season. He has earned bonus points in all but one bout this season. That outlier was “only” a seven-point decision victory over second-seeded Bryce Andonian. We could be on the verge of a second consecutive 2020 ACC finals rematch between O’Connor and Andonian. Bryce has improved significantly from year one to year two and has wins over past national qualifiers Josh Finesilver and Josh Heil. Andonian’s only setback on the season came via O’Connor. True freshman Ed Scott gets the third seed after a win over Finesilver. Scott was all over the veteran with a 12-6 victory. He also scored a major decision over fifth-seeded Denton Spencer, who was ranked nationally at the time. The two-time national qualifier Finesilver also recorded a win over Spencer, 7-2. True freshman Mick Burnett gets the call for Pittsburgh at 149 lbs. Burnett only saw action in one conference dual, losing 10-1 to fellow Ohio-native, Andonian. Burnett’s lone win this year came against Lehigh in an extra match.
TOM Predictions
1st) O’Connor (North Carolina)
2nd) Andonian (Virginia Tech)
3rd) Scott (NC State)
4th - Finesilver (Duke)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Austin O’Connor (North Carolina), Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), Ed Scott (NC State)
157
1st - #2 Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
2nd - #20 Justin McCoy (Virginia)
3rd - #28 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech)
4th - #29 Josh McClure (North Carolina)
5th - Brandon LaRue (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
History is on the line for Hayden Hidlay at 157 lbs. On Sunday, Hidlay will attempt to become just the tenth wrestler to capture four ACC Championships and the fifth from NC State. In doing so, he’d become the first Wolfpack wrestler to win four since Darrion Caldwell in 2011. Hidlay has only lost six bouts through three-plus years in Raleigh, against 85 wins, and none of those losses have come to ACC opponents. The next two seeds, Justin McCoy and Connor Brady, are the only two wrestlers this year to keep Hidlay to a regular decision. Hidlay is also responsible for the only loss on McCoy’s 2021 record. McCoy was a huge recruit for Virginia in the Class of 2018. He produced an 18-13 record as a redshirt freshman last season and was seeded 27th at nationals. This year, McCoy has been much more consistent. Brady started off slow with a pair of losses to opponents from Campbell on the first weekend of the season, but has picked things up since. His most significant win of the year came against Josh McClure, a national qualifier in 2019. McClure has taken his lumps this year in-conference, but has racked up four wins outside of the ACC. Fifth-seeded Brandon LaRue’s only win of the year came via fall against Pittsburgh’s Antonio Petrucelli.
TOM Predictions
1st) Hidlay (NC State)
2nd) McCoy (Virginia)
3rd) Brady (Virginia Tech)
4th) McClure (North Carolina)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Hayden Hidlay (NC State), Justin McCoy (Virginia), Connor Brady (Virginia Tech), Josh McClure (North Carolina)
165
1st - #8 Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
2nd - #2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
3rd - #13 Jake Keating (Virginia)
4th - #15 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina)
5th - #21 Thomas Bullard (NC State)
6th - Eric Carter (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
If you’ve skipped over the analysis and went straight to the predictions, don’t be alarmed. I’m operating under the assumption that 2019 NCAA champion Mekhi Lewis will weigh-in, come out to the mat, and injury default. That would put the winner of Jake Keating and Eric Carter’s opening round match into the finals. Lewis was down to top-seeded Jake Wentzel and suffered a shoulder injury that caused him severe discomfort just over two weeks ago. That was Lewis’ first collegiate loss since the first day of December in 2018. While Lewis redshirted in 2019-20, Wentzel captured an ACC title at this weight, providing him with his first NCAA berth. Even if Lewis is unavailable, you still can’t pencil Wentzel in as champion. He’ll have a daunting task in the semis regardless of who his opponent is. Fifth-seeded Thomas Bullard has scuffled this year to a 4-5 record, but is 3-0 career against the Panther. Bullard handed Wentzel his only loss of this season. Now, Bullard will have to get by Kennedy Monday in the opening round. Monday downed Bullard 4-2 in dual action earlier this year. Both are multiple-time national qualifiers. On the bottom half of the bracket is Keating, who has quietly progressed each year in Charlottesville. Jake was 17-13 as a sophomore. After redshirting last season, Keating has come back and won eight of ten bouts. His first-round opponent, Eric Carter, has surrendered bonus points in all four of his 2021 contests.
TOM Predictions
1st) Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
2nd) Keating (Virginia)
3rd) Monday (North Carolina)
4th) Bullard (NC State)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh), Jake Keating (Virginia), Kennedy Monday (North Carolina)
174
1st - #7 Daniel Bullard (NC State)
2nd - #11 Clay Lautt (North Carolina)
3rd - #29 Vic Marcelli (Virginia)
4th - Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech)
5th - Jared McGill (Pittsburgh)
6th - Conor Becker (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
Could another rematch of the 2020 ACC finals be on the docket at 174 lbs? There North Carolina’s Clay Lautt edged Daniel Bullard, 4-3. Bullard gets the top-seed this time, presumably by having a “cleaner” conference mark as opposed to Lautt. The Wolfpack 174 lber has wins over the three through five seeds this season and is 4-0 against ACC competition. Lautt started the year at 184 lbs and suffered losses to top-five opponents from Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Those accounted for his only defeats of the year. Clay has been in control of his two ACC matches at this weight. One of those opponents he downed was third-seeded Vic Marcelli. Vic is a sophomore that has reversed his fortunes after turning a 13-16 campaign last season. Fourth-seeded Dakota Howard was the Hokies 197 lber last season, but has cut down and done an admirable job. Howard has one of the best gas-tanks in the league, evidenced by his 8-7 win over UNC’s Devin Kane. He was also able to log a tech-fall win over the fifth-seed, Jared McGill. McGill won his first four matches of the year for Pitt, but has since dropped four straight. The last opponent McGill defeated was Conor Becker, who has gone 1-4 during his initial season in Chapel Hill.
TOM Predictions
1st) Lautt (North Carolina)
2nd) Bullard (NC State)
3rd) Howard (Virginia Tech)
4th) Marcelli (Virginia)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Clay Lautt (North Carolina), Daniel Bullard (NC State), Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech)
184
1st - #1 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech)
2nd - #4 Trent Hidlay (NC State)
3rd - #21 Devin Kane (North Carolina)
4th - #25 Michael Battista (Virginia)
5th - #28 Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh)
6th - Vincent Baker (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
The second match featuring a top-ranked wrestler nationally could help in determining the team race. This is also a rematch of the 2020 184 lb final won by Hunter Bolen, 2-1. Bolen has taken all three career bouts against Trent Hidlay, but all have been by the slimmest of margins. The Hokie earned first-team All-American honors in 2020 after receiving the second seed at nationals. He has continued to impress, going 8-0 in 2021. Hidlay was also a first-team All-American last season, as a freshman. Now a sophomore, he has only lost five times in a Wolfpack singlet and three have come against Bolen. None of their previous contests have seen more than four combined points scored, so expect a tactical, defensive match. Lurking at the third seed is Devin Kane, one of the success stories of the 2019 national tournament. Despite receiving the 33rd seed, Kane managed to advance to the Round of 12 before coming up a match shy of All-American status. Kane started the year at 174, but flip-flopped with Lautt in early-February. Michael Battista is another Virginia wrestler that has shown significant improvement during this abridged 2021 season. Battista was 18-20 last season, but has managed to go 6-2 this time. His biggest win of the year came over 2020 national qualifier Gregg Harvey. That sets up a first-round matchup between the two. Harvey soared during Pitt’s out-of-conference slate, but has struggled against ACC competition. Vincent Baker gets the nod for the Blue Devils. He has only seen action in three matches this year and was 6-25 in 2020 as a true freshman.
TOM Predictions
1st) Bolen (Virginia Tech)
2nd) Hidlay (NC State)
3rd) Kane (North Carolina)
4th) Battista (Virginia)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech), Trent Hidlay (NC State), Devin Kane (North Carolina)
197
1st - #11 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
2nd - #12 Jay Aiello (Virginia)
3rd - #17 Max Shaw (North Carolina)
4th - #19 Nick Reenan (NC State)
5th - Andy Smith (Virginia Tech)
6th - Kaden Russell (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (3)
Once the initial ACC bracket were released, one of the surprises was senior Nick Reenan as the entry for NC State rather than true freshman Isaac Trumble. Trumble upset top-seeded Nino Bonaccorsi in his first dual for the Wolfpack, but was pinned by the sixth-seed, Kaden Russell, in his most recent outing. If healthy, Reenan could upset the balance of this weight and come away with the title. Bonaccorsi gets the top-seed based on his head-to-head win over 2020 conference champ Jay Aiello. The Panther is looking for an ACC title of his own, after making the finals as a freshman and taking third in a stacked 184 lb class last season. Aiello is a two-time conference finalist that earned first-team All-American honors last year after getting the seventh seed at nationals. The third seed belongs to Max Shaw, who has turned in a solid redshirt freshman season for the Tar Heels. Shaw has a win over Lehigh’s three-time national qualifier Jake Jakobsen among his five victories. Virginia Tech also had a late substitution, swapping Andy Smith for Stanley Smeltzer. Smith picked up a pair of good wins against Colin McCracken (Kent State) and Levi Hopkins (Campbell), but took some lumps against ACC competition. Russell was 17-15 and in the conversation for an NCAA at-large berth in 2019, then sat out last season taking a redshirt. He is much tougher than his 1-4 record indicates.
TOM Predictions
1st) Aiello (Virginia)
2nd) Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
3rd) Reenan (NC State)
4th) Shaw (North Carolina)
Projected Automatic Qualifiers: Jay Aiello (Virginia), Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh), Nick Reenan (NC State)
285
1st - #16 Deonte Wilson (NC State)
2nd - #18 Quinn Miller (Virginia)
3rd - Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech)
4th - #22 Andrew Gunning (North Carolina)
5th - Austin Cooley (Pittsburgh)
6th - Jonah Neisenbaum (Duke)
Automatic NCAA Qualifying Spots Available (4)
With two-time ACC champ, Demetrius Thomas, out of the picture, the conference has belonged to Deonte Wilson in 2021. Wilson has responded by going 7-0 and standing out from an ACC weight class with a host of capable challengers. Deonte qualified for nationals for the first time in 2020 after making the conference finals, opposite of Thomas. He has proven to be a closer for the Wolfpack, so if the team race comes down to the big men, he’ll relish the opportunity to shine. Quinn Miller also qualified for nationals for the first time a year ago. He was fifth in the league. Miller’s 2-0 loss to Wilson is his only loss of the year. Another late addition to the Hokie lineup was blue-chip freshman Hunter Catka. NCAA qualifier John Borst was injured in Virginia Tech’s much-ballyhooed dual with NC State and gutted through a match with Wilson. Catka is 7-1 with four bonus-point wins. His lone setback was a 4-0 loss to Miller. Yet another returning national qualifier at this weight is Andrew Gunning. Though they did not meet in 2021, Gunning won at this tournament over Miller last year, which was on his way to a fourth-place showing. Pitt’s entry is freshman Austin Cooley who spent the bulk of the year competing at 197 lbs. Cooley’s only bout at heavyweight was a 4-0 loss to Catka. Jonah Neisenbaum was victorious for Duke in their dual with North Carolina; however, he did not face Gunning. That accounted for Neisenbaum’s only win in 2021.
TOM Predictions
1st) Wilson (NC State)
2nd) Miller (Virginia)
3rd) Catka (Virginia Tech)
4th) Gunning (North Carolina)
Projected Team Race
1st) NC State
2nd) Virginia Tech
3rd) Virginia
4th) North Carolina
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