UNC Wrestling Wins Three Titles at Southeast Open

The North Carolina wrestling squad secured seven podium finishes on Sunday in Salem, Virginia, led by individual weight-class titles from Lincoln Jipp, Nadav Nafshi, and Elias Navida. The strong showing sets the stage for the Tar Heels as they prepare to host their upcoming home showcase.

Freshman Standouts Capture Weight Classes

Freshmen Nadav Nafshi and Lincoln Jipp delivered dominant performances on their way to topping the podium at the Southeast Open. Competing in the freshman and sophomore division, Nafshi picked up the 174-pound title. Jipp matched that momentum at 197 pounds.

Together, the two freshmen racked up 10 total wins during the tournament. Six of those victories came with bonus-point victories, showcasing an ability to put opponents away early rather than simply coasting through decisions. Jipp capped off his tournament run with a commanding 14-3 major decision over Virginia Tech’s Jonathan Rocha in the final. Nafshi opened his tournament in the freshman and sophomore division with a 13-0 major decision over NC State’s Lucas Ricketts in the round of 32, followed by an 11-1 major decision against George Mason’s Nick Moore in the round of 16. He advanced past Illinois’s Jaxon Penovich with an 8-2 decision in the quarterfinals, defeated Maryland’s Carson Thomas 4-0 in the semifinals, and secured the 174-pound title with a 7-5 decision over NC State’s Jason Kwaak in the final.

Leadership at 141 Pounds

Elias Navida provided a steady presence for Carolina. Competing in the open 141-pound bracket, Navida earned three consecutive decisions to claim the title.

He followed it up by defeating Maryland’s Clayton Gabrielson 10-3 in the semifinals. In the championship bout, Navida outworked Chattanooga’s Ethan Uhorchuk to secure a 10-5 victory.

Podium Depth and Full Tournament Results

Beyond the three champions, four other Tar Heels worked their way onto the podium across various brackets. Mikey Calcagno fought his way to a runner-up finish at 197 pounds in the open division, while Marco Tocci took fourth place at 133 pounds.

Additional scoring came from Cameron Stinson Jr., who placed sixth at 125 pounds after opening in the open division quarterfinals with a 10-4 decision loss to App State’s Cooper Foster, bouncing back with a 16-0 technical fall over Davidson’s Brady Joling in the consolation, and falling 4-3 in a decision to Chattanooga’s Tyler Tice in the fifth-place match. Nolan O’Boyle also finished sixth at 184 pounds in the open division, beginning with a 7-5 decision over Ohio’s Jeremy Olszko in the round of 32, suffering a 24-8 technical fall against Chattanooga’s Landon Jones in the round of 16, and advancing in the consolation with a 15-0 technical fall over Campbell’s Kaleb McNeil. Tocci opened his open 133-pound run with a 15-4 major decision over Ohio’s Ryan Meek in the round of 16, defeated NC State’s Brad Yokum 10-5 in the quarterfinals, dropped a 19-4 technical fall to No. 3 Aaron Seidel of Virginia Tech in the semifinals, and dropped an 8-2 decision to App State’s Joe Fongaro in the third-place match. In open 149-pound action, Nate Askew opened with a 4-1 decision over Chattanooga’s William Anderson in the round of 32, defeated Virginia Tech’s Christopher Bacchioni 7-0 in the round of 16, lost a 6-3 decision to No. 31 Anderson Heap of Davidson in the quarterfinals, defeated teammate No. 28 Nick O’Neill 7-0 in the consolation, and fell 5-0 to Virginia’s Jack Myers in the consolation. No. 28 Nick O’Neill dropped a 2-1 tie-breaker decision to App State’s Brayden Fahrbach in the open 149-pound round of 16, defeated teammate Mitchell Younger 2-1 in the consolation, and pinned Campbell’s Anthony Borrometi at 3:40 in the consolation before falling to Askew. Mitchell Younger opened in the open 149-pound round of 32 with a 10-0 major decision loss to App State’s Jeremiah Price before his loss to O’Neill. In the open 157-pound division, Colin Nugent won 14-3 by major decision over Gardner-Webb’s Hunter Jones in the round of 16, lost 14-1 by major decision to No. 22 DJ McGee of George Mason in the quarterfinals, and dropped an 11-8 decision to Maryland’s Garrett Reece in the consolation. Cullen Kane dropped a 2-1 decision to Campbell’s James Tildsley in the open 157-pound round of 16 and an 8-5 decision to Washington & Lee’s Liam Flanagan in the consolation. The complete breakdown of Carolina’s matches at the Southeast Open highlights the team’s depth across weight classes:

Weight Class	Wrestler	Division	Finish
125	Cameron Stinson Jr.	Open	Sixth Place
133	Marco Tocci	Open	Fourth Place
141	Elias Navida	Open	Champion
174	Nadav Nafshi	Freshman/Sophomore	Champion
184	Nolan O’Boyle	Open	Sixth Place
197	Mikey Calcagno	Open	Runner-Up
197	Lincoln Jipp	Freshman/Sophomore	Champion

Next Up at Carmichael Arena

The Tar Heels will not have much time to rest following their successful trip to Virginia. Carolina returns home to host the Blue and White Showcase on Friday evening. Action inside Carmichael Arena is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.