Jan. 21, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
Redshirt sophomore 149-pounder Nick Stabile began the 2008-09 wrestling season with tremendous success, placing third at the Wolfpack Open and second at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Stabile, a Pennsylvania native, holds a 19-8 record going into Wednesday's match against Duke, including a 5-3 overtime decision against Maryland. Stabile is ranked No. 15 in his weight class by InterMat and has gained great preparation for the postseason, having already competed against nine ranked opponents.
THB.com: What is the best thing about being a Tar Heel?
Nick Stabile: The best thing about being a Tar Heel is the respect that all athletes give to one another. Every team is so close here, and I really don't think that happens too often at other schools.
THB.com: Why did you choose UNC?
NS: UNC had everything that I was looking for when selecting a school. It has top-notch academics, a great/fun coaching staff, and we have the talent in the room to be as successful as almost any team in the country.
THB.com: What makes wrestling a great sport?
NS: Wrestling is the most demanding sport out there. It takes so much dedication and hard work to be successful in the sport. I think what makes the sport so great is that it teaches you so many qualities that help you to be successful further down the road.
THB.com: What do you like to do in your free time?
NS: I love watching college football and I am a huge Notre Dame fan. One of my favorite things to do is to do absolutely nothing and just watch college football all day.
THB.com: What are your goals for the rest of the season?
NS: My goal for the year is to All-American at the NCAA tournament. Of course I have to qualify first, but I feel that I have been close with some of the best guys in the country and should be looking to go further than just qualifying for nationals.
THB.com: What are the team's goals?
NS: The team's goal is to win the ACC tournament and make some noise at nationals. We've been wrestling well this year at the tougher tournaments and we just have to put it together at then end of the year. There is no reason that we can't finish inside the top 20 at the end of the year.
THB.com: What is your favorite UNC wrestling moment?
NS: I don't really have a favorite UNC moment in particular, but I enjoy the road trips. Just being stuck in a van or bus with the team (even though some of the trips are very long) is great. We joke around, and basically just have a ball telling stories and fooling around for the duration of the trips.
THB.com: How will wrestling so many ranked opponents early on in the season help prepare you for the ACC season and the postseason?
NS: It has helped so much to be able to wrestle so many good guys early on in the year. Now I know what it's going to be like at the end of the year and if I want to place in the top 8 then these are the caliber of wrestlers that I'm going to have to bear.
THB.com: In only your second year of competing you've made the jump to a nationally ranked wrestler. How does that feel?
NS: It's nice to be ranked, but it really doesn't mean a whole lot. It will help me to qualify for nationals, most likely, but the thing about wrestling is that the end of the year is really all that matters. It's important to put yourself in good position to win as many matches as you can at nationals, and hopefully get yourself on the medal stand. UNC used to be a highly ranked team in the early 90s, and we're trying to get ourselves back to that level. We need to start getting All-Americans to do that.
THB.com: What did you do to improve in the off-season in order to make that jump to being ranked?
NS: Last year I was at 141 and couldn't maintain my weight properly. I think the biggest thing for me was making the jump up to 149. I can manage my weight right and I can go hard for the full seven minutes in a match. That combination is what I think gives me the opportunity to win in almost every match. Next off-season I have to lift heavily and improve on a few certain areas to put me in a better position to reach my goals.
THB.com: What is your favorite movie?
NS: I can't say my favorite movie because I would never hear the end of it.
