Friday Night Duals on ACC Network return January 15, with six wrestling bouts aired over five weeks
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by ESPN Public Relations
Image courtesy of ESPN PR
• Five Straight Weeks of ACC Friday Night Duals; Six Total Matches
• Five Ranked Matchups
• Doubleheader Featuring No. 4 NC State at No. 8 Virginia Tech Set for Friday, Feb. 5
For the second straight year, ACC wrestling fans will enjoy a dedicated night of programming on ACC Network (ACCN), the 24/7 national platform dedicated to ACC sports, throughout the remainder of the regular season as Friday Night Duals begin on Friday, January 15. ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), ACCN’s digital platform available on the ESPN App, will carry additional matches throughout the regular season.
Six duals, including five ranked matchups, highlight the Friday Night Duals slate starting with a ranked matchup with No. 14 North Carolina hosting No. 8 Virginia Tech on January 15 at 6 p.m. ET. Reigning ACC Champion and fourth-ranked NC State hosts 13th-ranked Pitt the following week (January 22, 6 p.m.) while the Wolfpack visits Chapel Hill to meet the Tar Heels on January 29 at 6 p.m.
A doubleheader on February 5, begins with Virginia hosting Duke at 6 p.m., followed by the much-anticipated dual between No. 4 NC State and No. 8 Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. The Hokies then grapple with the Panthers in Blacksburg on February 12 at 6 p.m. to close out the ACC dual season on ACCN.
Shawn Kenney and Rock Harrison, whom have called multiple ACC Wrestling Championships and last season’s debut of Friday Night Duals will be back this season. Both will call matches from their respective homes using live-from-home kits.
ACC Wrestling Guests on Packer and Durham
Packer and Durham, ACCN’s weekday morning show from 7-10 a.m., will again spotlight ACC wrestling with guests throughout the season.
Ranked Teams, Individuals
The ACC has four teams ranked in the latest NWCA rankings, including two among the top 10 (No. 4 NC State and No. 8 Virginia Tech), along with No. 13 Pitt and No. 14 North Carolina.
Individually, eight ACC wrestlers are nationally ranked in the top five of their respective weight classes by InterMat, including two top-ranked individuals - North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor (149) and defending NCAA Champion Mehki Lewis (165) from Virginia Tech. Lewis returns to the Hokies’ lineup after taking an Olympic redshirt to train for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Additionally, NC State’s Hayden Hidlay (157) and Virginia Tech’s Hunter Bolen (184) are ranked No. 2 nationally, while Virginia’s Jay Aiello (197) is ranked third. Pitt’s Mickey Phillips (133) and NC State’s Trent Hidlay (184) are ranked fourth and fellow Panther teammate Nino Bonaccorsi (197) is ranked fifth. Overall, a total of 31 ACC wrestlers currently hold top-20 weight class rankings.
Friday Night Duals on ACC Network
• Five Straight Weeks of ACC Friday Night Duals; Six Total Matches
• Five Ranked Matchups
• Doubleheader Featuring No. 4 NC State at No. 8 Virginia Tech Set for Friday, Feb. 5
For the second straight year, ACC wrestling fans will enjoy a dedicated night of programming on ACC Network (ACCN), the 24/7 national platform dedicated to ACC sports, throughout the remainder of the regular season as Friday Night Duals begin on Friday, January 15. ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), ACCN’s digital platform available on the ESPN App, will carry additional matches throughout the regular season.
Six duals, including five ranked matchups, highlight the Friday Night Duals slate starting with a ranked matchup with No. 14 North Carolina hosting No. 8 Virginia Tech on January 15 at 6 p.m. ET. Reigning ACC Champion and fourth-ranked NC State hosts 13th-ranked Pitt the following week (January 22, 6 p.m.) while the Wolfpack visits Chapel Hill to meet the Tar Heels on January 29 at 6 p.m.
A doubleheader on February 5, begins with Virginia hosting Duke at 6 p.m., followed by the much-anticipated dual between No. 4 NC State and No. 8 Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. The Hokies then grapple with the Panthers in Blacksburg on February 12 at 6 p.m. to close out the ACC dual season on ACCN.
Shawn Kenney and Rock Harrison, whom have called multiple ACC Wrestling Championships and last season’s debut of Friday Night Duals will be back this season. Both will call matches from their respective homes using live-from-home kits.
ACC Wrestling Guests on Packer and Durham
Packer and Durham, ACCN’s weekday morning show from 7-10 a.m., will again spotlight ACC wrestling with guests throughout the season.
Ranked Teams, Individuals
The ACC has four teams ranked in the latest NWCA rankings, including two among the top 10 (No. 4 NC State and No. 8 Virginia Tech), along with No. 13 Pitt and No. 14 North Carolina.
Individually, eight ACC wrestlers are nationally ranked in the top five of their respective weight classes by InterMat, including two top-ranked individuals - North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor (149) and defending NCAA Champion Mehki Lewis (165) from Virginia Tech. Lewis returns to the Hokies’ lineup after taking an Olympic redshirt to train for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Additionally, NC State’s Hayden Hidlay (157) and Virginia Tech’s Hunter Bolen (184) are ranked No. 2 nationally, while Virginia’s Jay Aiello (197) is ranked third. Pitt’s Mickey Phillips (133) and NC State’s Trent Hidlay (184) are ranked fourth and fellow Panther teammate Nino Bonaccorsi (197) is ranked fifth. Overall, a total of 31 ACC wrestlers currently hold top-20 weight class rankings.
Friday Night Duals on ACC Network
Date | Time (ET) | Match | Network |
Fri, Jan. 15 | 6 p.m. | No. 8 Virginia Tech at No. 14 North Carolina | ACCN |
Fri, Jan. 22 | 6 p.m. | No. 13 Pitt at No. 4 NC State | ACCN |
Fri, Jan. 29 | 6 p.m. | No. 4 NC State at No. 14 North Carolina | ACCN |
Fri, Feb. 5 | 6 p.m. | Duke at Virginia | ACCN |
| 8 p.m. | No. 4 NC State at No. 8 Virginia Tech | ACCN |
Fri, Feb. 12 | 6 p.m. | No. 13 Pitt at No. 8 Virginia Tech | ACCN |
About ACC Network
Owned and operated by ESPN in partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC Network (ACCN) and its digital platform ACCNX is a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports that launched on August 22, 2019. ACCN features regular-season and tournament games from across the conference’s 27 sponsored sports plus a complement of news and information shows and original programming. ESPN has been televising ACC content since 1979 and has exclusive rights to every conference-controlled game across all sports and championships.
Carriage agreements are in place with the following video providers: AT&T TV, AT&T TV NOW, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH Network, fuboTV, Google Fiber, Hulu Live TV, Optimum, Sling TV, Spectrum TV, Suddenlink, TVision, Verizon Fios, YouTube TV, members of the NCTC, NRTC and Vivicast, among others. All ACCN games will also be available on the ESPN app to authenticated subscribers. Fans interested in learning more about ACCN can visit www.GetACCN.com.
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