A Sit Down with Coach “OT” Ahead of National Championship Tournament
As the UNCP wrestling team prepare to send its record-tying eight wrestlers to the Division II National Championship in Iowa next weekend, Head Coach Othello “OT” Johnson took some time to look back on the season and how his team got to this point as well as share his expectations for his wrestlers that punched their ticket to national at the Super Regional tournament.
“As a program, we definitely took a step in the right direction. We got to a certain point in the seas
Braves Have a Record Eight Wrestlers Punch Their Ticket at Regionals
The UNCP wrestling team had a record tying performance at the NCAA Super Regional Tournament in Hartsville, S.C. on Feb.22 at the Deloach Center. The Braves had a program record eight wrestlers punch their ticket to the NCAA Division II National Championship tournament that will take place in Cleveland, OH next month. Of the eight wrestlers that qualified to advance further into the postseason the Black and Gold’s Nick Daggett, Ronnie Pietro and Tyler Makosy all secured regio
Wrestling Ends Regular Season with 33-12 Win Over Greensboro
Dominance was the theme of the match as the UNCP wrestling team closed out the regular season portion of their schedule with a 33-12 victory on Feb.13 over the Greensboro College Pride and head into the postseason still ranked No.10 in the nation and riding a three-game winning streak. The Pride would register the first points of the match after a no entry forfeit at the 125 pounds on the part of the Braves, but freshman Ronnie Pietro would follow that up with a smothering 16
Braves Take Down Newberry 23-17
The UNCP wrestling team picked up a huge win on the road against a former conference opponent when they took down the Wolves of Newberry College at the Eleazar Arena in Newberry, SC on Feb. 4 in a 23-17 victory, thanks to some clutch performances by some of their usual All-American suspects. The victory marked the second victory in a row for the Braves not just in the season, but also in the series with the Wolves. It also broke a nine-match winning streak for Newberry, whom
Braves Impose Their Will on Winless Queens
The No.10 ranked UNCP wrestling team sent seniors Rodney Shepard and Faris Teia out with a bang in their last home event of the of the season in their year with the program in absolute dominate fashion on “Senior Day”. The Braves steamrolled over the Queens University Royals in their most dominate performance to date. “Great to be able to put these two seniors in a position to be able to go out the right way. We were kind of a bit worried that they might not be able to get ma
Here’s What You Missed Over Winter Break
Men’s Basketball Extend Win Streak to Seven Straight: The UNCP men’s basketball team continued to dominate over the holiday hiatus from classes as they didn’t drop a single contest away or at home during their impressive seven-game win streak to improve their overall record to 9-1 coming into the new year. The Braves haven’t lost a game in nearly two months since a narrow 72-77 defeat against Barton on Nov. 16. The team’s lone senior in forward James Murray-Boyles lead the te
Eight Braves Place in 38th Annual Pembroke Classic
Redshirt junior Brandon Sloop was one of eight Braves to place in the 38th Annual Pembroke Classic on Nov. 11. The event featured wrestlers from programs and universities from all across the east coast including such as UCF, UNC Chapel Hill, Campbell, Florida, Appalachian State, SMU, NC State and some independent entries. There was also a junior tournament and female participants. PN Photo/Trevon Knight #wrestling #UNCP #students #college #campus #life
Wrestling Gets Ready for Season with Black and Gold Intersquad Scrimmage
The UNCP wresting team show cased some of their hard work from the offseason as well as some new talent in the team’s intersquad scrimmage. PN photo/Trevon Knight As the UNCP wrestling team prepares to embark on their 2018-2019 season reigning ECAC champions they held their annual Black and Gold Intersquad Scrimmage on Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court on Oct. 24. In what can be viewed as a glorified practice with an audience and spotlight introductions, members of the Braves wrestl
Meet UNCP Wrestling’s Newest All-American
The UNCP wrestling team welcomed a newcomer to the program. Redshirt junior Rodney Shepard transferred in from the Division I institution North Carolina State University, which is about two hours away in Raleigh, N.C. The Durham native had a rather impressive first season as a member of the Black and Gold. Shepard had a fifth-place finish at the Division II national championship and All-American honors at the 165-pound weight class. Shepard credited the great rapport he built
Wrestling Has a Trio Place at National Championship
The UNCP wrestling team continued their post-season pursuits as they sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two-day tournament that was held on March 9 and 10 at the U.S. Cellular Center and featured 52 schools from across the country. On the first day of the tournament, at 165 pounds, junior transfer Rodney Shepard won both of his matches and advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday. Despite tasting early defeat, fres
