The ACC’s expansion to seven teams provided NC State with a rare February bye week last weekend. 

The Wolfpack had last weekend off after jumping out to a perfect 4-0 start in conference duals, leaving them as the only undefeated team remaining in ACC action.

“We really altered our training these past couple of weeks depending on where we were at with guys,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “This was a good week to push some of the guys, while others got a little breather and focused on technique.

“It was good to have last weekend to analyze where we are at, to regroup here towards the end. We are at the point of the year where the work you put in the practice room is going to prepare you for the battles you’ll have.”

The Pack will close out the dual season hosting #15 Stanford this Friday night before traveling up to #14 Virginia Tech on Feb. 21. With a win in either dual, the Wolfpack will clinch at least a share of the 2025 ACC dual championship for the sixth time over the last eight years.

In their first season in the ACC, Stanford brings a quality squad looking to knock off the Pack for the first time in 16 ACC duals in Raleigh (NC State has not dropped a conference dual at home since 2019).

The NC State-Stanford dual could feature as many as seven ranked battles, with ACC Championships seeding on the line as well.

“You are going to see two really good, talented teams,” Popolizio said. “Our guys are going to have to be ready to go, and they need to take advantage of competing in Reynolds (Coliseum) one last time this year.

“It is new competition, none of these guys are really familiar with each other.”

This Friday night will also serve as Senior Night, as the Pack will honor seven wrestlers before the dual. Current starters Kai Orine (133 pounds), Ed Scott (157) and Christian Knop (197) will all be competing in Reynolds one final time. In addition, Derek Fields (165) will be honored, but he has one season of eligibility left, so a decision will need to be made in the offseason.

“It would be great to see some Reynolds magic, and all those guys step up and perform well their last time in front of the home fans,” Popolizio said.

Fishback Back On Track

Dylan Fishback was thrown into the Pack’s lineup last year as a redshirt freshman and had one of the toughest schedules in the nation at 184 pounds. The end result was an ACC finals appearance as well as a trip to the NCAA Championships.

This year, Fishback has fought off some nagging injuries, and has been limited in mat time, most notably not competing at the Cliff Keen Invite.

But as March approaches, Fishback has started to put it together, he’s gotten healthy, and the results are paying off.

“Fishback keeps making his adjustments,” Popolizio said. “At any given time we know he can have those breakout performances we have seen the last couple of years, and have a really good offensive match. When he starts clicking on all cylinders, he is going to be in a really good spot.”

Last time out he had his top match of the season, scoring a 14-5 major decision over UNC All-American Gavin Kane in the dual win over the Tar Heels.

“There is a lot of good depth at 184 in the ACC, those top four guys are all very familiar with each other with them all being in their starting lineups the last two years,” Popolizio said.

A Big Return To Raleigh

Since the start of January, NC State has gotten a boost in its training with the return of one of the top wrestlers in school history. After a couple of years away from the program, two-time national champion Nick Gwiazdowski has moved back to Raleigh and has become involved with the Wolfpack’s training once again.

“It is great having Nick back around,” Popolizio said.” “Not just wrestling, but all aspects of life having him back in town is a real positive. To get him back in our room, helping our guys and working with the (Wolfpack) RTC, for him to share his knowledge and his career experiences on the mat, it is a huge positive for our program.”

Gwiazdowski won national titles at heavyweight in both 2014 and 2015 in Popolizio’s early days in Raleigh. After graduating, he stayed in Raleigh to training at the Wolfpack RTC and was a two-time World Medalist (2017 and 2018).

He left Raleigh and moved back to New York where he continued training and was the volunteer assistant coach at Cornell for a couple of years.

After getting married and having his first child, Gwiazdowski and his family have put down roots in Raleigh.

“Anytime you have your alumni moving back into town is a huge positive,” Popolizio said. 

“He has always been a major asset to NC State wrestling, and I’m very thankful that he continues to want to give back and help this program achieve the levels he helped establish during his time as a student-athlete.”

In addition to helping the Wolfpack program, Gwiazdowski has been on the call for a pair of home duals for ACC Network Extra this year.