Chapel Hill, N.C.
By John Martin
Tarheelblue.com
In the tradition of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge in men’s basketball, the University of North Carolina will host the first annual ACC/Big Ten Clash, a six-team wrestling event scheduled for Nov. 18 at Carmichael Auditorium.
Joining the host Tar Heels on the Atlantic Coast Conference side will be NC State and Virginia, while traditional powers Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin will represent the Big Ten Conference. Each team will wrestle the three schools from the opposing conference in a dual match format, and the league with the most victories will bring home the ACC/Big Ten Clash Cup. Fans will be able to watch simultaneous action on three mats.
“We want to put on a good show and keep the event here,” said UNC head assistant coach Glen Lanham. “We want to try to get our local high schools and local media out to create a fan-friendly event. If we can get enough people to come and watch some top-notch wrestling, the Clash could really take off and be huge..”
Local wrestling fans will be able to see some of the top teams in the country, as Northwestern (13th), Purdue (20th) and Wisconsin (21st) each posted top-25 finishes at the 2006 NCAA Championships. North Carolina (47th) and NC State (58th) also placed at nationals a year ago.
A complete schedule for the event will be available at TarHeelBlue.com when finalized.
Winners of back-to-back ACC titles, the Tar Heels should be poised for a strong 2006-07 season. Ten starters from last year’s league championships return, including five NCAA qualifiers and a pair of ACC champions.
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