Saturday marked the final day of the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh, with a pair of Tar Heels earning All-American status for their efforts in the biggest tournament of the year.

Redshirt freshman Austin O’Connor took home third place overall at 149 pounds, while redshirt senior Chip Ness ended his stellar career at UNC with a sixth-place finish at 184 pounds.

By virtue of placing in the top eight, both wrestlers were named All-Americans.

The duo helped the Tar Heels–who sent a total of eight wrestlers into the tournament–finish 19th overall in the event, which was the program’s best performance on that stage since 1995.

O’Connor became just the seventh UNC freshman wrestler to become an All-American, and his third place effort is the best ever by any Tar Heel in their debut campaign.

For Ness, this marks the second straight year he has been an All-American.

“I’m proud of the weekend we had,” head coach Coleman Scott said afterwards. “These guys fought and showed what toughness is. It’s great to have Chip go out as an All-American. And seeing Austin win two matches against some of the top guys in the nation, that’s a special thing. We have a bright future ahead, I promise you that.”

 

Photo via UNC Athletics

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