The ACC announced on Tuesday the pre-seeds and brackets for each weight class prior to this weekend’s conference championship in Durham.
Headlining regular season ACC co-champion No. 9 Virginia Tech (9-2, 5-1 ACC) were four top-seeded grapplers: Eddie Ventresca (125 lbs), Sam Latona (141 lbs) Caleb Henson (149 lbs), and Rafael Hipolito (157 lbs); no other ACC program had as many wrestlers ranked No. 1 in their respective weight classes.
Defending national champion Henson enters the conference championship as the favorite to win the 149-pound title for the second consecutive season, while Sam Latona looks to reach the top of a podium for the first time since 2021, when he claimed the 125-pound title. Ventresca was the ACC runner-up in 2023. Hipolito is seeking a title in his freshman season; he’d be the fourth Virginia Tech freshman to win an ACC title in the last six seasons, following in the footsteps of Mekhi Lewis, Sam Latona, and Caleb Henson.
Four other Hokies received top-4 seeds. Connor McGonagle (133 lbs) and Jimmy Mullen (285 lbs) received 2-seeds. Andy Smith (197 lbs) received a 3-seed. Defending ACC champion TJ Stewart, Jr. (184 lbs) received a 4-seed. Rounding out the rest of Virginia Tech’s lineup, Mac Church (165 lbs) and Lennox Wolak (174 lbs) received 5-seeds.
Virginia Tech comes into championship weekend looking for its first ACC title since 2018, and its fifth all-time. The Hokies have finished as conference tournament runner-ups in five of the last six seasons behind rival NC State. These programs are familiar foes, particularly in the conference championships. During each tournament since 2020, title matches in at least one weight class have featured a Hokies-Wolfpack matchup; the 2021 tournament saw the most such matchups during this span with four title bouts. This year's brackets feature three weight classes in which a Virginia Tech or NC State wrestler is ranked No. 1 and No. 2.
Beyond final conference standings, berths and seeding for the NCAA National Championship being held in Philadelphia at the end of the month are also at stake this weekend in Durham, with the top-2 finishers from each weight class earning All-ACC honors. Live coverage of the first round of the ACC championships begins on the ACC Network Sunday, March 9th at 10 AM. Title bouts are set to get underway at 8 PM.