The University of North Carolina wrestling team, currently ranked 23rd nationally, will begin its dual meet schedule for the 2025-26 season by hosting Northern Colorado on Sunday. The match is set to take place at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, with a scheduled start time of noon. Fans can watch the event on ACCNX.
Last weekend, North Carolina started its season at the Southeast Open, where 11 wrestlers from the team finished on the podium. Jacob Levy won in the 285-pound freshman/sophomore division and secured four bonus-point victories during the tournament. Matthew Botello placed fifth at 133 pounds and Luke Sipes took third at 165 pounds in their respective divisions. In the open division, Luke Simcox was runner-up at 141 pounds, while seven other Tar Heels earned top-six finishes.
North Carolina has a history of success against Northern Colorado, holding a 3-0 all-time record over the Bears with a combined score of 79-43 in previous meetings. This Sunday’s match marks the first time Northern Colorado will compete against North Carolina in Chapel Hill; prior contests were held either at Northern Colorado or neutral sites.
Seven Tar Heel wrestlers are currently ranked in this week’s InterMat Wrestling rankings: Kysen Terukina (No. 20 at 125), Ethan Oakley (No. 20 at 133), Luke Simcox (No. 19 at 141), Bryce Hepner (No. 19 at 165), Joshua Ogunsanya (No. 15 at 174), Robert Platt (No. 32 at 197), and Nolan Neves (No. 25 at heavyweight. As a team, North Carolina is No. 23 in the NWCA Coaches Poll.
The probable lineups for Sunday include several ranked competitors from both teams:
125: No. 20 Kysen Terukina vs. Aydan Thomas
133: No. 20 Ethan Oakley vs. No. 13 Dominick Serrano
141: No. 19 Luke Simcox vs. KJ Evans or Ramon Salazar
149: Nate Askew or Nick O’Neill vs. Emilio Trujillo or Brady Hankin
157: Joey Showalter or Laird Root vs. Daishun Powe
165: No. 19 Bryce Hepner or Charlie Darracott vs. Kilian Schultz or Logan Glynn
174: No. 15 Joshua Ogunsanya vs. Murphy Menke
184: Jake Dailey vs. Mahonri Rushton
197: No. 32 Robert Platt vs. Andrew Donahue
285: No. 25 Nolan Neves or Jacob Levy vs. Enzo Cappabianca