After two days in the desert, Virginia Tech wrestling earned another top-5 tournament finish.
Caleb Henson stole the show, finishing the competition with a record of 5-0, including three wins by bonus points. The defending national champion at 149 pounds defeated three ranked opponents en route to the top of the podium, including No. 20 Carter Young of Oklahoma State, All-American No. 14 Jaden Abas of Stanford, and No. 5 Ridge Lovett from Nebraska, whom Henson defeated in the 2024 NCAA semifinals, but fell short against during the 2023 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals. These latter two wins came by way of fall and sudden victory, respectively. Henson improved his season record to 11-0 and is just the second Virginia Tech wrestler to win an individual title in this esteemed event since 2018. His performance earned him ACC Wrestler of the Week honors.Β
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β Virginia Tech Wrestling (@HokiesWrestling) December 7, 2024
More hardware for the mantle. No. 1 Caleb Henson reigns supreme and is your 149-pound Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Champion π#ALLINALLTHETIME #Hokies π¦ pic.twitter.com/YROSKrfPyV
Eddie Ventresca earned a second-place finish at 125 pounds, claiming upset wins against No. 2 Caleb Smith of Nebraska and No. 6 Tanner Jordan of South Dakota State. HWT Jimmy Mullen claimed fourth, while 141-pounder Sam Latona finished sixth, knocking off No. 7 Sergio Lemley of Michigan during his journey to the podium. 197-pounder Andy Smith earned a sixth-place finish as well after notching a win over No. 12 Luke Surber of Oklahoma State. Rafael Hipolito finished in eighth place in his Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational debut, defeating All-American No. 5 Peyton Keller of Ohio by way of a 12-4 major decision. 184-pounder No. 16 Thomas Stewart Jr. and 165-pounder Mac Church finished their tournaments with records of 0-2 and 2-2, respectively.Β
The Hokiesβ performances earned them a fourth-place finish in the team race. The final team results are listed below:
- Oklahoma State - 192 points
- Nebraska - 115 points
- Ohio State - 110.5 points
- Virginia Tech - 90 points
- Iowa State - 89.5 points
- Northern Iowa - 85.5 points
- Michigan - 75 points
- Stanford - 72.5 points
- South Dakota State - 62 points
- Purdue - 53.5 points
Virginia Tech is back in action on December 19th on the road in a massive top-10 dual against the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys.