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Tar Heels Wrestling 2014-2015 Season Preview

On the second day of the 2014 NCAA Championships, junior Evan Henderson achieved one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Seeded ninth, Henderson commanded respect as a returning All-American, and he started the 2014 tournament strong with a 3-0 decision in the first round and then a 4:03 fall in the second round. Yet his opponent in the quarterfinals was Mitchell Port (Edinboro), the undefeated, first-seeded wrestler at 141 lbs., whom everyone expected to make the finals and give returning champion Logan Stieber (Ohio State) the biggest challenge of Stieber’s college career.

The highly anticipated contest between Port and Stieber never happened, however, because, at the end of the quarterfinals match, Henderson was the one with his hand raised, earning a 5-3 decision.

Henderson then lost to Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) but won the next match to advance to the consolation finals. There he faced Port again, but this time Port won with a 9-1 major decision. Nonetheless, Henderson’s fourth-place finish made him the Tar Heels’ first two-time All-American since 2005 and the highest placer in 18 years.

After last year’s attention-grabbing performance at the NCAA tournament, Henderson would be the most exciting Tar Heel wrestler to watch this season. He would be, that is, if he were not redshirting this season to compete internationally in freestyle wrestling.

Henderson is not the only major contributor who will be missing from the mat this season. The Tar Heels only 2014 ACC champion, Nathan Kraisser, transferred to Campbell after assistant coach Cary Kolat left UNC to accept the head coaching position with the Fighting Camels.

Another possible loss for the Tar Heels is Alex Utley. Last week the senior won the Hokie Open at 184 lbs., but he suffered a knee injury, and his status remains in question.

Nonetheless, Tar Heels fans will have other exciting wrestlers to follow this season. Redshirt junior John Michael Staudenmeyer, who was the 2014 ACC runner-up at 165 lbs., will wrestle 174 lbs this year. InterMat has Staudenmeyer ranked #20, and he started the season strong with a second-place finish at the Hokie Open.

At 141 lbs., redshirt sophomore Joey Ward also finished second place at the Hokie Open last week. Currently ranked #14, Ward may be the most underrated wrestler in his weight class and should consistently place high at each tournament this season.

Redshirt freshman Ethan Ramos is currently unranked, but, after winning the Hokie Open at 165 lbs. last week, he promises to be one of the most exciting Tar Heel wrestlers to watch. Virginia’s Nick Sulzer (#2) is the number one contender for the ACC championship, but the 165-pound weight class is otherwise wide open, giving Ramos the opportunity to become an ACC finalist in his first year.

Christian Barber is another Tar Heel wrestler who, though currently unranked, should give Tar Heels fans reason to cheer this season. The 149-pound redshirt junior finished last season with an impressive 32 wins and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Although he placed only fourth last week at the Hokie Open, his first loss was to Virgina Tech’s Sal Mastriani, who went on to upset his second-ranked teammate Devin Carter, compelling Carter to drop to 141 lbs. Barber’s other loss was a close decision to Duke’s Marcus Cain (#20).

In addition to the returning wrestlers who will lead the Tar Heels this season, Head Coach C.D. Mock’s freshmen class is ranked second-highest in the ACC and #15 in the country.

Furthermore, Mock hired two former Oklahoma State wrestlers to be his assistants. Coleman Scott was the 2008 NCAA champion at 133 lbs. and the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist at 60 kg. Neil Erisman was a three-time NCAA qualifier and the 2011 Big 12 champion at 157 lbs. Coming from one of the most storied wrestling programs in history, Scott and Erisman bring a winning tradition to the Tar Heels wrestling program and may be exactly what the program needs to continue its ascent up the rankings.

The Tar Heels have their first dual meet tomorrow at Stanford, and their first home match is a tri-meet against NC State and Drexel, on February 1.

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