NC State wrestling's regular-season finale a landmark for special class

The 2016 recruiting class was a special one for NC State wrestling. It not only included five blue-chip recruits, it was ranked the No. 1 class in the country. Highly touted groups, including two top-10 classes, have followed, but it was a huge breakthrough at the time.

And they weren’t just good on paper. Four of the top five recruits from the group — now fifth-year seniors — have been four-year starters, and the other was on track to do so before tearing his ACL.

Though the group was only in its second year on campus, it played a key role in the Wolfpack claiming the program’s first (and ACC’s second) team trophy for a top-four finish at the NCAA Championships in 2018. Hayden Hidlay took second nationally at 157 pounds that year and Tariq Wilson placed third at 133, while Daniel Bullard qualified and won a match at 174.

Classmates Thomas Bullard and Nick Reenan were redshirting that season after starting as true freshmen, and all five have been key parts to a historic run for the Wolfpack since as lineup mainstays.

During their five years on campus, NC State has gone 64-8 overall, 21-3 in ACC action and won two ACC titles. It has never been ranked outside of the top 10 in the national coaches' poll. Over the last two years, their record is a sparkling 20-1 overall.

“I think a lot of times you bring in a class like that, you’ll see some guys that don’t pan out,” head coach Pat Popolizio admitted. “That’s one thing that makes this class unique and special. In one way or another, whether it was this year or another year, folkstyle or freestyle, during their careers here, they all did something elite at one time — and there’s still a lot of wrestling to go.”

Even without a NCAA Tournament as redshirt juniors (or seniors yet), the class boasts a national finalist and current No. 1-ranked wrestler (Hidlay) and another who took the NCAA Championships by storm as a redshirt freshman going from unseeded to finishing third in the country (Wilson).

Although it wasn’t in official college action, a third (Reenan) proved to be the second-best freestyle wrestler in the U.S. for his weight at one point, losing only to that year’s eventual world champion. Meanwhile, one of the Bullard twins was a second-team All-American last year (Thomas) and the other was an ACC finalist (Daniel), with both on track to make national noise this season.

Yet, for everything that they’ve accomplished — and the list is far lengthier than the thumbnail sketch above — especially after last year’s NCAA Championships were canceled, the group still doesn’t feel like its reached its goals.

“In our sport, usually your better years are your junior and senior years, just because of the experience and maturity,” Popolizio said. “When you take that away, I think that’s something that sticks with those guys.

“You look at a guy like Hayden, I think he was on pace for an elite NCAA run. I think that’s something those guys probably do feel like they got cheated a little bit.”

The good news is the seniors get this year to accomplish their goals, and because of the NCAA ruling to freeze eligibility this winter, they can “make up” the lost season next year if they desire. Popolizio said he'll leave the decision to come back for a sixth year up to each individual and noted none have been finalized yet.

“They have to be thankful that, one, we’re getting through this season right now, and two, we got the chance to have that extra year,” the coach said. “So it’s in their hands if they want to come back and give it another shot.

“I think they want to see how everything plays out before making that decision.”

Even if none ever stepped on the mat again, with what has already been accomplished they've forever left their mark on the NC State program they have helped turn into a national powerhouse.

NC State dropped to No. 7 in the national coaches' rankings after last week's criteria loss to Virginia Tech. It's the program's first time outside the top five since last season.

However, the college wrestling format changes once the postseason begins, going from dual meets (which are team-based) to individual double-elimination tournaments. So it doesn't really offer any indication as to how the ACC and NCAA Championships may go.

The team also can't help but look forward to postseason rematches from the regular season, and those opportunities are sure to come Feb. 28 at the ACC Championships in Raleigh.

Popolizio noted those regular-season losses are "eating at" a few of his team members, and that won't change until they get their chance at revenge.

"You know as good as I do those guys are probably going to run into each other again at ACCs," he said. “I know we have ultra-competitive guys on our team along with our coaching staff, so I don’t think there’s much you have to say or do [after the Virginia Tech loss].

"We expect to win no matter who we’re wrestling, and we didn’t, but I think that’s one of those duals — just like last year with them — you could re-wrestle it 10 times and the outcome keeps changing. But on that night, we were not the better team.

"That’s left a little bit of a sting on those guys that we have to get better and go earn things, can’t have mental lapses anywhere in the match.”

It's a lesson much better to learn in the regular season than the postseason.

The Wolfpack concludes its regular season by hosting Duke Friday night (7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra). Here are the top two matchups of the dual:

149: No. 31 Fr. Ed Scott (3-4) vs. No. 22 R-Jr. Josh Finesilver (3-1)

Scott may be on a three-match losing streak, but they've been against wrestlers ranked No. 2, 10 and 28 in the national rankings. He gets another crack at a highly ranked foe Friday night. Finesilver is a two-time NCAA qualifier who has two 20-win campaigns under his belt and redshirted last season.

197: No. 9 Fr. Isaac Trumble (6-0) vs. R-Jr. Kaden Russell (0-4)

Don't be fooled by Russell's record, the Duke coaches are very high on his potential and he started the year nationally ranked by some. Trumble, given the exciting way he wrestles and meteoric rise he's had in the national rankings, is a guy worth watching every match. He's fallen behind in both of his last two matches by giving up a pair of early takedowns, but battled his way back for victory. Look for a quicker start Friday night and you can probably count on Trumble's trademark fireworks once again.

All 10 NC State wrestlers are ranked among the top 33 nationally at their weight class, including seven in the top 10, when the NCAA coaches' rankings were released Thursday.

Here’s a breakdown of where all 10 Wolfpackers stand at their weight nationally, and where that ranks within the ACC, with some interesting notes below that:

• Only three schools in the country had all 10 starters ranked among the top 33 at their weight — Iowa, NC State and Missouri.

• However, it’s not just impressive depth the Wolfpack boasts. NC State's seven wrestlers listed among the nation’s top 10 stand as the second-most nationally, behind Iowa’s nine. Missouri (six) is the only other program with more than five in the top 10.

Anybody in the top 10 is at worst a fringe All-American candidate for the NCAA Championships (where the top eight earn such plaudits). To put in perspective what that means nationally and historically, NC State set the school record with four top-eight finishers when it tied for fourth nationally in 2018.

If the coaches’ rankings were each individual’s finish at the NCAA Championships (No. 1 took first, No. 2 second, etc.), NC State would have five All-Americans and two more that lost in the "blood round" (one win shy of All-America honors).

• Within the ACC, Virginia Tech has nine in the overall rankings (five in the top 10) and is the only school nationally to boast a pair of No. 1s (165 Mekhi Lewis, 184 Hunter Bolen).

North Carolina also has nine in the top 33 and four in the top 10, led by No. 2 Austin O’Connor at 149. Pitt has six and three, respectively, led by No. 3 at 133 Micky Phillippi, while Duke’s lone representative is 149-pounder Josh Finesilver, No. 22 at 149.

That should result in an exciting team race at the ACC Championships.

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