March 13, 2003

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina wrestling team claimed its 15th Atlantic Coast Conference title on March 8, 2003, blowing away last year's champion NC State by 22.5 points. The Tar Heels had nine wrestlers competing for individual titles in the finals and came away with five champions-sophomores Mark Canty (Gahanna, Ohio), Dusty Heist (Meadville, Pa.), Chris Rodrigues (Marietta, Ga.), Evan Sola (Wernersville, Pa.) and freshman David Dashiell (Chesapeake, Va.). All five have automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship in Kansas City, Mo., March 20-22.

Along with these five individuals, senior Jimmy O'Connor (Woodbine, Md.) was selected as one of the wild cards by the ACC coaches. O'Connor fell to No. 12 Dustin Kawa (NC State) in the finals at 165 pounds, 6-5. He ended the season with a record of 21-11.

No. 15 125-pounder Rodrigues completed an up-and-down season on an up with a championship victory over 2002 ACC Champion George Cintron (NC State). The two split in the regular season each winning 2-1 tiebreakers in double overtime, but this time Rodrigues did not want to take his chances with the coin flip and defeated Cintron handily, 6-1. He heads into the NCAA Championship with a record of 27-11. Rodrigues finished eighth in the county in 2002, earning All-America honors as a freshman.

Sola picked up his first ACC title at 133 pounds besting last year's champion Joe Alexander (Virginia) 2-0, to qualify for his second straight NCAA Championship. Sola is currently ranked 16th in the nation and has 31 victories this season, fourth best at the 133-pound wieght division. He did not win a match at last year's tournament.

Canty tasted bitter sweet victory in the finals this season downing Virginia's Brian Muir, 2-1, in overtime. In doing so, Canty is going to his second NCAA Tournament and will try and better his 0-2 performance last year. He ranks third on the Carolina squad with an overall record of 24-10.

Heist will go to his first nationals championship with his title win over No. 17 Jake Story (Maryland, 10-4. Heist stands at 16-9 overall and is coming off one of the most convincing victories in the ACC over a top-seeded opponent.

Dashiell made the most of his first conference championship with a title at 197 pounds. Dashiell upended Virginia's Zach Freday 5-4 in overtime for his first league title. Dashiell will participate at the national tournament hosted in Kansas City, Mo.

Senior Christopher DiGuiseppe (Holland, Pa.) was named as an alternate for the NCAA Tournament after finishing second at 157 pounds at the league championship. DiGuiseppe downed top seed Tim Foley from Virginia in the semifinals and fell by a 2-1 score to 17th-ranked Scott Garren (NC State) in the finals. DiGuiseppe wrested at 149 pounds during the regular season. He ended the regular season with a record of 15-14 and has earned a spot in the NCAA Championship thanks to an injury to Virginia's Josh Etu. DiGuiseppe will wretle at 157 pounds at the tournament.

Head Coach Bill Lam will guide his Tar Heels at the NCAA Tournament for the last time in 2003. Lam is in his 30th and final season as coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. He has a career record of 378-131-4, including 93 ACC champions, 36 All-Americas, 15 ACC titles, nine ACC Coach of the Year honors, five NCAA champions and one national Coach of the Year honors (1982). Lam will end his career at Carolina as the winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history.