Eighth-ranked NC State will face Cornell at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh for its final regular season wrestling dual on Friday. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with coverage available on ACC Network and a senior ceremony planned for 6:40 p.m. honoring six graduating athletes: Don Cates, Aaron Faison, Troy Hohman, Ryan Jack, Andrew Macchiavello, and Isaac Trumble.
The match marks the sixth meeting between NC State and Cornell. The Wolfpack holds a 2-3 record in the series but secured a decisive 47-0 victory over Cornell in their last encounter in December 2024. NC State last lost to Cornell in 2015.
A win would represent the program’s 808th overall victory, head coach Pat Popolizio’s 273rd career win, his 192nd with NC State, and their third all-time win over Cornell.
Probable matchups feature several highly ranked wrestlers from both teams. At heavyweight, No. 2 Isaac Trumble is returning strong after recovering from a knee injury suffered at last year’s NCAA championships. He has won nine of his thirteen matches by bonus points this season and holds five victories over ranked opponents.
Other notable performers include redshirt-sophomore Koy Buesgens (No. 8 at 149 lbs), who started the season undefeated through ten matches; freshman Will Denny (No. 10 at 165 lbs), currently on a thirteen-match winning streak; redshirt-junior Matty Singleton (No. 6 at 174 lbs) with seven wins over ranked competitors; and Vincent Robinson (No. 5 at 125 lbs), who is defending his national title from last March.
NC State began the season ranked among the top ten nationally for at least the ninth consecutive year according to NWCA preseason rankings dating back to the 2017-18 season. Seven team members are currently ranked by InterMat within their respective weight classes—five inside the top ten.
The roster includes seven NCAA qualifiers, one national champion, and four All-Americans.
Within the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), five teams are currently ranked among the nation’s top twenty-five: Virginia Tech (No. 6), NC State (No. 8), North Carolina (No. 12), Pittsburgh (No. 15), and Stanford (No. 20). Last season, NC State shared regular-season honors with Virginia Tech and North Carolina but finished third at the championship tournament after having won or shared six straight titles between 2019 and 2024.
NC State is also distinguished as the only ACC program featuring more than one wrestler in InterMat’s top five per weight class—Robinson at No. 5 for 125 lbs and Trumble at No.2 for heavyweight—and accounts for five of fourteen ACC wrestlers currently listed in InterMat’s top ten.
