The Tar Heels wrestling team is off to one of their best starts of the season in the past 10 years. The team enters the holiday break with a 7-1 record and is coming off a big win while on their Midwest
road trip.
UNC upset #12 Northern Iowa on the road, 19-13. The result is the Heels best win of the season, and the highest ranked team Carolina has beaten on the road since the 2017-2018 season. Six UNC wrestlers won their matches to get UNC the win. Bryce Hepner secured the win for the Heels in the 165lb category when he upset eighth-ranked Panther wrestler Ryder Downey in a 7-4 decision.
The win is UNC’s second ranked win of the season. North Carolina also took down a then-17th ranked West Virginia earlier in the month in Chapel Hill. The Heels had eight wrestlers emerge from their matches victorious as the Carolina easily dispatched the Mountaineers 27-7. The win propelled the Heels to their best start since the 2005-2006 season.
UNC will enter the new year riding a wave of confidence as the team has overperformed their preseason expectations so far. Carolina is ranked 13th in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) coaches poll, up ten spots from their preseason ranking of 23rd. Six UNC wrestlers are ranked in the top 25 of their weight class. The Heels only blemish so far this season is a road loss to sixth ranked Nebraska.
Iowa State transfer Kysen Terukina has been especially good for the Heels. Terukina is the only undefeated UNC wrestler; he has a perfect 6-0 record (all dual wins) after recording tough wins against Nebraska and Northern Iowa. The three-time NCAA qualifier has consistently been one of UNC’s highest ranked individual wrestlers, spending most of the season in the top-20. Terukina was recently awarded ACC Wrestler of the Week honors for his wins against the Cornhuskers and the Panthers.
The Heels will have one more preseason tournament before opening up ACC play. UNC will participate in the Soldier Salute tournament in Iowa on Jan 3-4. From there, the team will travel to Charlottesville to face Virginia in their conference opener on Jan 16th.
