PHILADELPHIA — North Carolina wrestler Ethan Oakley, a Wheatmore alum, went 1-2 in the NCAA championships and didn’t place in the tournament at Wells Fargo Center last week.
Oakley, seeded 12th, fell to No. 21 seed Angelo Rini of Indiana by 7-1 in the first round.
Oakley responded to defeated Edinboro’s Colton Camacho 15-11 in a consolation matchup. In the second consolation round, Oakley was eliminated with an 8-4 loss to Iowa State’s Evan Frost.
Oakley, a transfer from Appalachian State who has a year of eligibility remaining, finished the season with a 22-7 record.
Stanford’s Tyler Knox, who lost to Oakley during this month’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, gained All-America status by placing eighth.
North Carolina State’s Vince Robinson won the national championship at 125 pounds with a 2-1 overtime decision against Oklahoma State’s Troy Spratley.
The title marked N.C. State’s first since 2018.
Two other N.C. State wrestlers nabbed top-eight finishes. Heavyweight Isaac Trumble ended up fourth at heavyweight. Matty Singleton, the ACC champion, placed seventh at 165 pounds.
North Carolina’s Lachlain McNeil gained his third All-American honor by placing fifth at 149 pounds.
