By Matt Plizga - plizga@duaa.duke.edu

Tough Night In Chapel Hill For Duke As UNC Wins, 32-6

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Duke traveled the short distance to Chapel Hill on Thursday night with hopes of pulling off an upset. However, a strong North Carolina squad defeated the Blue Devils, 32-6, in Fetzer Gymnasium. With the loss, the Blue Devils fall to 6-6 on the season and 0-2 in ACC meets. North Carolina improves to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the ACC.

Duke's senior captain Kellan McKeon started off the night at 125 pounds and gave former ACC champion Drew Forshey a run for his money, but came up on the short end of a 9-2 decision.

With the first of the Blue Devil's two individual victories on the night was redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson at 133 pounds. Gibson earned a 7-1 decision over UNC's Jeremy Shaw. That win tied the meet at 3-3, but it would be almost all Tar Heels the rest of the way. Gibson's season record is now 8-3 and he is tied for second on the team with four pins. With the win he moves into sole possession of 17th place on the all-time Duke wins list with 71. 

At 157 pounds, sophomore Voris Tejada had a closely fought match with Thomas Scotton of UNC, but ended up losing, 7-3. Tejada now holds a 25-10 mark overall this year and a 6-1 record in duals. His career .710 winning percentage (44-18) is 17th all-time at Duke.

Redshirt sophomore captain John Barone chalked up another victory in what is turning out to be one of the most impressive seasons ever for a Duke grappler. His 2-1 decision over Nick Tenpenny earned him his first ACC match of the year. Barone is now 27-4 with 11 falls and an 11-1 ledger in duals. His 62-20 overall mark as a Blue Devil is good for ninth place on Duke's all-time winning percentage list with a .756 clip. Barone is tied for 12th on Duke's single season wins list and is already tied for 21st on the career wins list. He needs eight more victories to eclipse the single season wins record, and there are 10 more regular season dual meets and the ACC Tournament to go.

Duke redshirt junior Aaron Glover and redshirt sophomore Mike Tunick both drew extremely tough matches on Thursday night. Glover went up against the No. 12 nationally-ranked 165-pounder in Keegan Mueller and lost 15-1 in a major decision. At the heavyweight class, Tunick battled with No. 18 Justin Dobies and went down in a major decision, 13-4.

With the loss, Duke is now down 9-2 in this year's Carlyle Cup standings. The Carlyle Cup is an all-sports competition between Duke and North Carolina and is in its eighth year of existence. Carlyle & Company, the Greensboro, N.C.-based jeweler, remains the title sponsor of this head-to-head all-sports competition. The two schools have split the first seven Cups, 3-3-1.

Next up for Duke will be a road contest versus No. 21 Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4:00 p.m., at Comcast Pavilion in College Park, Md. The Blue Devils do not return home to Cameron Indoor Stadium until Sunday, Feb. 10 when they take on ACC foe Virginia at 6 p.m.
Carlyle Cup Point At Stake When Wrestling Clashes With North Carolina

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke will make the short trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a 7 p.m. showdown with archrival North Carolina on Thursday in Carmichael Auditorium. It marks the second of five ACC contests for the Blue Devils this season and the first on the road.

The Blue Devils: Duke is 6-5 so far this season in duals and 0-1 in ACC action. In their only team-scored tournament of the year, the Blue Devils took 21st place out of 29 teams at the prestigious Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29 and 30 in Greensboro, N.C.

Duke’s most dominating wrestler at any weight this year has been 184-pound redshirt sophomore captain John Barone, who was named the ACC’s wrestler of the week on Nov. 27. Barone’s 11-second pin of Mike Walsh of Limestone College on Dec. 1 was the fastest fall in Duke history, breaking an 18-year-old school record. He is 26-4 with 11 falls and a 10-1 mark in duals in 2007-08. Barone is 61-20 overall as a Blue Devil, which is good for ninth place on Duke’s all-time winning percentage list with a .753 clip.

Senior captain Kellan McKeon will represent Duke at 125 pounds against UNC. The native of Chapel Hill, N.C., is 20-10 this season with three falls and two top-four tournament finishes. He is 7-3 in dual meets.

At 133 pounds, redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson makes the start. Gibson, who has seen limited action due to injuries, is 7-3 this year with four pins. He is tied for 17th on the all-time career wins list at Duke with 70.

At 157 pounds, sophomore Voris Tejada will get the nod. Tejada boasts a 25-9 mark this year and is 6-0 in dual meets. His career .721 winning percentage (44-17) is 15th all-time at Duke.

Junior captain Addison Nuding may get the call at 165 pounds. Nuding is 22-6 on the year with two pins and a 9-2 dual record. He is 13-2 in his last 15 matches and has won six in a row.

The Opponent: The Tar Heels are 4-3 in 2007-08 and have yet to wrestle in an ACC meet. Two of their three losses have come to ranked teams--- No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 21 Maryland. North Carolina tied for 15th with 45 points in the Southern Scuffle, which is the only tournament it has shared with Duke.

UNC placed third at the ACC Tournament in 2007, but lost their one individual champion and one of their two finalists. Vincent Ramirez is the lone returnee from that trio, and the 149-pound junior from Durham, N.C., is 10-7 this year with one fall. Also leading the Heels are juniors Keegan Mueller at 165 pounds and Justin Dobies at heavyweight. Mueller is 17-3 overall, 7-0 in duals and is ranked 13th nationally. Dobies holds an 18-5 record, including a 7-0 duals mark, and has four falls this season.

Most Recent Meeting: The last time Duke and North Carolina clashed, it was on Jan. 31, 2007, as the Tar Heels downed the Blue Devils, 30-12, at Chapel Hill High School. Voris Tejada and John Barone picked up wins for Duke at 157 and 174 pounds, respectively.

The Carlyle Cup: The Carlyle Cup is an all-sport competition between Duke and North Carolina and is in its eighth year of existence. The winner of Thursday’s wrestling meet will receive one point toward its yearly total. North Carolina holds an 8-2 lead in the current standings. Carlyle & Company, the Greensboro, N.C.-based jeweler, remains the title sponsor of this head-to-head all-sports competition. The two schools have split the first seven Cups, 3-3-1.

Probable Starters (Record):
125: Kellan McKeon (20-10) vs. Drew Forshey (11-6) or Jason DeLuca (8-3)
133: Bryan Gibson (7-3) vs. Danny Lopes (10-9) or Jeremy Shaw (6-7)
141: A.J. Guardado (13-13) or Spencer Jasper (9-12) vs. Nick Stabelle (14-3)
149: Mike Bell (11-14) vs. Vincent Ramirez (10-7)
157: Voris Tejada (25-9) vs. Ben Fiacco (10-8) or Thomas Scotton (11-4)
165: Addison Nuding (22-6) or Aaron Glover (7-5) vs. No. 13 Keegan Mueller (17-3)
174: Ben Wales (14-10) vs. Kyle Kiss (13-8)
184: John Barone (26-4) vs. Nick Tenpenny (10-7)
197: Robert Holbrook (11-11) vs. Dennis Drury (10-9)
HWT: Mike Tunick (5-5) vs. No. 18 Justin Dobies (18-5)

A Look Ahead: Next up for Duke will be a road contest versus No. 21 Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4:00 p.m., at Comcast Pavilion in College Park, Md. The Blue Devils do not return home to Cameron Indoor Stadium until Sunday, Feb. 10 when they take on ACC foe Virginia at 6 p.m.