N.C. State wrestler Nick Gwiazdowski repeats National Championship
N.C. State’s Nick Gwiazdowski defeated Michigan’s Adam Coon 7-6 on Saturday for his second straight individual championship at 285 pounds at the NCAA wrestling championships.
No. 1 seed Gwiazdowski (34-0) beat No. 6 seed Coon (32-5) with an escape point with 17 seconds remaining in the match.
N.C. State’s Kevin Jack finished fifth at 141 pounds to give the Wolfpack its first pair of All-Americans in the same year since 1993.
Gwiazdowski becomes the first wrestler in school history to win multiple NCAA titles and only the third ACC wrestler all-time to do so, and the first since 1995. He brings N.C. State its seventh national wrestling championship, and its fourth at heavyweight.
“This was an amazing accomplishment for Nick,” coach Pat Popolizio said. “Defending his national title shows his dedication and desire to be the best in the country. Anytime you are defending the national title there is a lot of pressure, and he kept his composure and confidence through it all.”
Duke: Redshirt junior Conner Hartmann concluded his 2014-15 season with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Hartmann earned a spot on the podium and All-America honors for the second consecutive season.
UNC: Redshirt freshman Ethan Ramos secured All-America status by advancing to the semifinals at 165 pounds at the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Track and field
Saint Augustine’s: The team won six events in the Wake Forest Open outdoor track and field meet at Kenter Stadium.
The men’s 16400-meter relay team, long jumper Alex Louden , the men’s 400-meter relay team and 200-meter sprinter Burkheart Ellis Jr., among men, , and the women’s 1600-meter relay team and long jumper Shakinah Brooks (So./Raleigh, NC) were victors on the final day of the two-day meet.
Baseball
St. Aug’s: Pitchers Jeremy Sandifer and Philip Hathcock allowed only one run combined as the Falcons defeated Bluefield State 5-1 in the first game and 1-0 in the second game of a non-conference doubleheader in Cary.
Hathcock, the CIAA Baseball Pitcher of the Week, fired a three-hitter in seven complete innings in the first game to improve to 2-2. He recorded six strikeouts and one walk.
Elon: Michael Elefante threw the first complete game of his career, and the Elon offense erupted for a season-high 17 runs as the Phoenix (10-11, 2-0 CAA) won 17-3 against James Madison 17-3 (9-10, 0-2) at Latham Park. The victory clinched a series win for the Phoenix in its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association set.
Mount Olive: The team dropped a doubleheader to King in Conference Carolinas play, losing 4-3 in game one and 5-2 in game two.
Softball
N.C. State: The team (16-10, 4-1 ACC) split a doubleheader at Pittsburgh (23-7, 5-3), winning the first game 4-0, before dropping the second game 9-8.
N.C. Central: The team lost 7-6 to Princeton and 5-0 to Saint Francis at the Liberty Softball Classic.
Elon: The team split its CAA opener at College of Charleston, losing 6-5 loss in the opening game before rebounding with a 4-3 victory in the second contest.
St. Aug’s: The team beat Elizabeth City 5-3 and Lincoln University 25-1 in the CIAA Softball Round-Up in Raleigh.
Men’s volleyball
Barton: The team beat visiting Lees-McRae 25-12, 25-16, 21-15, 22-25, 15-13 in Conference Carolinas action.
Women’s tennis
Meredith: The team eased past the Averett Cougars on a 9-0 sweep in USA South action. The Avenging Angels gave up just 10 games.
Women’s lacrosse
Mount Olive: Candace Corkin led the No. 16 team with six goals en route to an 18-0 home shutout of Converse College at Amon Field in Conference Carolinas play.
This story was originally published March 21, 2015 at 8:36 PM with the headline "N.C. State wrestler Nick Gwiazdowski repeats National Championship."