So the tournament is over, and how do you think we did? I feel much better about this year's tournament than last year. That said, here is a weight by weight look at expectations vs results:
125 - Terukina was seeded 4th in a very tough weight class (3 top 10 wrestlers), and he finished in 4th place. He also qualified for the ncaat. On the way to this finish he lost a 2-2 TBRT criteria match to the #1 seed, and #3 wrestler nationally, and lost a 1 point match to last years ncaat champion. He is a graduate transfer that basically replaced Moore with a very similarly ranked wrestler, and represented UNC well. I wish him luck at ncaat, and would not bet against him winning a few matches there. It is hard to say that he exceeded expectations, but he certainly met the expectations that we should have had for him.
133 - Oakley lost 2 straight against wrestlers he was technically supposed to lose to based on seeding. With a 5 seed he was supposed to lose the 4/5 match, and the 3/5 consolation semis match. So he met the expectations based on how he wrestled this year, but if you remember last years dual meet record you would have to be a little disappointed with this result. I am not certain he gets invited to the ncaat at this point, but it is possible. He certainly lost to very good wrestlers, but the fact is that he lost twice. If he is done, I am grateful for the way he represented the University and the team.
141 - Simcox wrestled to seed, and finished 2nd. I still think he is capable of winning this tournament, and he lost on a riding time point (1:30 of riding time). He needed a takedown, but was never able to get it. Still he finished 2nd as a redshirt freshman, and I am looking forward to seeing how far he can go. He is still just a redshirt freshman.
149 - Askew was a true freshman, and I kept hoping he would get that signature win that would change his trajectory. It never came, and he lost twice in the tournament with no wins. It was not fair that he was our starter this year, and I hope he take full advantage of his redshirt year next year. With a 7 seed it is hard to say he did not meet expectations, but this is clearly not a scenario that we can afford going forward. Next year we should have Scott back and some others may bulk up to challenge at this weight.
157 - Root was seeded 4th, and he finished 4th. He could have possibly finished 3rd, as he split with Washleski, winning the 4/5 match before losing to him in the 3rd place match. Again, he is a redshirt freshman, qualified for the ncaat, and I look forward to seeing where he can go in wrestling.
165 - Bryce Hepner, ACC Champion. Enough said, and I think after a rough several week period late in the season he clearly exceeded his seed and the expectations. Great job Hepner, and it seems we may get him for another year. Good luck at the ncaat.
174 - Of all the wrestlers that had to step in and/or step up as a freshman, Carrigan put on the best show today. After winning his last 2 matches in the acc dual meet season, he came on in the acct. He lost to the eventual acc champion at this weight, but he won everything else. He beat the #3 seed in his first match, and beat the #1 seed in his consolation finals match. A 3rd place finish qualified him for the ncaat, and he clearly exceeded expectations. Note that he got that signature win, and the confidence carried over into the acct. Great job by this young wrestler.
184 - I thought Dailey could win this tournament, and a sudden victory loss in the championship match suggests that was a real possibility. He exceeded his 4 seed, and did very well. As with several of the young wrestlers I am really looking forward to seeing how high they can go in the future (starting in about 2 weeks).
197 - Platt has shown some signs of potential that is better than what his average outing looked like this year. He was seeded 5th, and finished 4th. He did not qualify based on only 3 auto bids, but he did make a decent case for him to make the ncaat via an at-large bid. I am not predicting this, but it is possible after solidly beating Brophy and Burrell. He also wrestled well against a very solid Stout from Pitt.
285 - Levy is perhaps the individual most negatively impacted by our 3 season ending injuries. He had to step in late to replace Neves after his injury. He, like Askew, likely needed an extra year to develop. While he ever so slightly underperformed in the tournament today, he only costs the team a half point by losing his second match. Hopefully he and Askew can spend next year learning, developing, and having fun with wrestling.
Based on the seeding, we should have been 5th, well behind 4th place Pitt. We actually finished 16 points ahead of Pitt, and 4 points behind state. I would say this clearly ranks as exceeding expectations for the tournament. Tech, Carolina, and Virginia were the 3 teams that most exceeded their seeding for the tournament. While the points over expectations are sort of dramatic, each team finished 1 place higher that the seeding would have predicted.
Overall I am really pleased with this year's acct. On top of that, we should return a champion, and a group of redshirt freshmen that did well (2 in 2nd place, 1 3rd place wrestler, and 2 4th place wrestlers). More on potential holes in the lineup and/or transfer portal possibilities later, but for now it was a good showing, and hopefully we can get 1-2 at-large bids (Oakley and/or Platt). Here is hoping they can do equally as well at the ncaat.