A former Marysville High School state wrestling champion won his first match on Thursday during the NCAA national championship tournament in Cleveland.
University of Pittsburgh grappler Taleb Rahmani pinned Mike D’Angelo of Princeton in 5:54 during the opening round of the 157-pound weight class.
“I got off to a slow start in the match, but then picked it up,” Rahmani told the Journal-Tribune Thursday afternoon.
The victory put Rahmani’s record at 18-12 for the 2017-18 campaign.
“The season hasn’t gone the way I would have like it,” said the redshirt sophomore. “The competition has been much tougher this year.”
Rahmani posted a 25-8 record in 2016-17.
Rahmani, who won the 152-pound state crown as a Monarch senior in 2015, said he has been working on adding new maneuvers to his repertoire.
“I’ve been working on more leg attacks and getting better on the bottom,” he said.
The victory put Rahmani into Thursday evening’s second round against top-seeded Hayden Hidlay of North Carolina State University.
Hidlay was able to overcome Rahmani a 4-2 decision.
The combatants have faced each other twice before during the season.
Hidley scored an 18-7 victory over Rahmani during their first match. He then edged the former Monarch grappler by a 4-2 count in overtime during the ACC tournament earlier this month.
Hidley, a freshman from Lewistown, Pa., won the conference championship, while Rahmani placed fourth in the ACC event that was hosted by North Carolina.
Virginia Tech won the tournament championship with 81 points.
The Hokies were followed in the top six by North Carolina State (73), North Carolina (52.5), Duke (47.5), Virginia (34) and Pitt (33.5).