NC State Wrestling: A Program On The Rise

“Start the pace early. Hands and feet moving. Physical.”

NC State Head Coach Pat Popolizio gives some quick advice to Tommy Gantt. Gantt would go on to an All-American finish at the NCAA tournament. In a sport where so much success at the higher level relies on mental conditioning, Popolizio knows that he has to show full confidence in his wrestlers. In return, his close-knit team of wrestlers believe in him too.

“He’s always telling us we’re gonna win,” says three-time NCAA all american Kevin Jack.

“He just preaches success, man. By making guys believe it…I think this is a national powerhouse in the making,” says Gantt.

As soon as Popolizio stepped on campus, his presence was felt right away. Things changed in order to ensure national level success, and they changed quickly. With no intentions of slowing down, he is the captain of a ship sailing full speed ahead. As part of the NC State program, you can expect to be part of a unique side of wrestling history.

At the 2018 NCAA Championships, NC State flaunted the firepower potential in their young stars. Hayden Hidlay entered the tournament as the only undefeated freshman in the country in all weight classes, where he finished as a finalist. To say the future is bright for Hidlay is an understatement.

Unseeded coming into the tournament, fellow freshman Tariq Wilson had a lot to prove. He put the NCAA wrestling world on notice by upsetting the #5 and #4 seeds en route to a 3rd place finish. His one loss in the tournament was in overtime to the eventual national champ, showing plenty of upside for the following seasons.

This may seem like an anomaly in NCAA wrestling, and it is. Unless you’re NC State. Several years before, Kevin Jack showed up at NCAA’s by handing upsets to the #5, #12, and #4 seeds as the first freshman all american for NC State since 1991. If you wrestle for NC State under Popolizio, one thing is clear: there’s no need to wait until you’re a seasoned NCAA veteran to find success. In fact, you better be ready to win right away.

Nick Gwiazdowski joined the NC State team and proceeded to go on a tear in the heavyweight category, finishing his NCAA career as a 2X NCAA champ. Gwiz led the charge of national titles for the new NC State wrestling program. To provide historical context, NC State had won five individual NCAA championships since its establishment in 1925. Within five years, under Popolizio, the NC State Wolfpack won three individual titles, and you can bet that they won’t stop at just three. The Wolfpack wrestling story is still being written.

A trip to Italy to wrestle Oklahoma State University in the middle of the wrestling season? Why not? These two programs made it happen and seemed to have a lot of fun doing it too. Of course, the new and exciting history didn’t end here either.

At the 2018 NCAA championships, Michael Macchiavello became the second ever North Carolina native to win a NCAA championship behind the late Tab Thacker in 1984. His opponent in the finals match? A familiar opponent from the conference that had beaten him twice. When it mattered the most, however, he delivered.

Soon after graduating, Wolfpack NCAA all-american Pete Renda landed an assistant coaching job at the University of Pennsylvania. Some of his fellow teammates are still continuing their wrestling careers.

Nick Gwiazdowski is certainly making a name for himself at the senior level. As part of the legendary 2017 USA World freestyle championship-winning team, Gwiazdowski came home with a bronze medal of his own. Several months later, he was also part of the USA World Cup team, which went to win their first Freestyle Wrestling World Cup since 2003.

Tommy Gantt also made a splash at the senior level by winning a gold medal at the prestigious Bill Farrell tournament. When breaking down one of Gantt’s techniques displayed at the Bill Farrell, Mike Malinconico mentioned that he wouldn’t be surprised if Gantt made the national team.

The NC State Wolfpack wins early and wins often in more ways than one. Why wouldn’t you be interested in being a part of something as special as this?