There were a number of reasons why N.C. State's Michael Macchiavello wasn't expected to win an NCAA wrestling championship.
They didn't matter as the final seconds ticked away in his 197-pound title bout with Virginia Tech's Jared Haught on Saturday. With just 10 seconds left, Macchiavello — seeded fourth entering the tournament — notched a takedown to earn a 3-1 victory for the Wolfpack's eighth individual national title.
But those same reasons, which Macchiavello himself can rattle off himself in chronological order, make his title all the sweeter.
"If you ask anyone in the wrestling world or people outside of the N.