No. 6 Virginia Tech looks to open its conference schedule with a win in Chapel Hill at 7 PM on Friday, January 10th. The Hokies hope to bounce back after losing soundly by a score of 34-9 to No. 4 Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
The No. 22 Tar Heels enter this matchup with a 4-4 duals record. After opening the season 3-1, its lone loss coming against Nebraska, North Carolina has since experienced a 1-3 skid, dropping duals to Illinois (24-14), Ohio State (23-11), and Iowa State (23-11). Consequently, the Tar Heels desperately need a win to open their ACC duals schedule. According to Intermat, North Carolina’s lineup features six ranked wrestlers, including one in the top 10. Barring unexpected lineup changes or injuries, the matchups we’ll likely see in this bout are as follows:
- 125 lbs: No. 4 Eddie Ventresca vs No. 21 Spencer Moore
- 133 lbs: No. 12 Connor McGonagle vs No. 13 Ethan Oakley
- 141 lbs: No. 12 Sam Latona vs Jayden Scott OR Luke Simcox
- 149 lbs: No. 1 Caleb Henson vs No. 6 Lachlan McNeil
- 157 lbs: No. 13 Rafael Hipolito vs No. 26 Sonny Santiago
- 165 lbs: No. 25 Mac Church vs Collin Carrigan OR Nicolas Fea
- 174 lbs: No. 4 Lennox Wolak vs No. 20 Josh Ogunsanya
- 184 lbs: No. 25 TJ Stewart vs No. 16 Gavin Kane
- 197 lbs: No. 8 Andy Smith vs Robert Platt
- 285 lbs: No. 15 Jimmy Mullen vs Cade Lautt OR Aydin Guttridge
On paper, this matchup heavily favors the Hokies, however, as Virginia Tech wrestling fans know all too well, duals are decided on the mat. Despite arguably having the better overall roster, the Hokies will need to take care of business from start to finish. Several wrestlers in the Hokies’ lineup are coming off of blowout losses in the Oklahoma State dual, and should look to get right against their Tar Heel foes. In particular, Ventresca and Wolak lost by major decision and technical fall, respectively, in top-5 matchups that Virginia Tech had to win to have a chance against the Cowboys.
Friday’s bouts should be opportunities for these two to bounce back and potentially earn bonus points for the Hokies. Other wrestlers lost hard-fought bouts in Stillwater, namely Latona, and Smith, and should similarly be motivated to contribute to the team score with bonus point wins. Caleb Henson provided one of the few highlights for the Hokies in the Oklahoma State dual, pinning his opponent in the first round. The defending NCAA champion faces a tough test in North Carolina’s Lachlan McNeil, who was named the ACC’s Wrestler of the Week in late December after picking up ranked wins against wrestlers from Ohio State and Iowa State. This matchup at 149 pounds undoubtedly is the marquee bout of Friday night’s dual.
TJ Stewart has gotten off to a difficult start this season, dropping all four of his dual bouts; however, the sophomore looked greatly improved in the Southern Scuffle on January 4th-5th. His matchup is particularly tough, though, as the Tar Heels’ All-American Gavin Kane has been a standout throughout his time in Chapel Hill. Last season, Stewart dropped his bout against Kane in the ACC duals opener, but later got his revenge, defeating his Carolina blue-clad opponent 7-4 in the ACC semifinals in sudden victory.
Virginia Tech’s TJ Stewart displays incredible offense on his way to making the Southern Scuffle quarters 😤#ncaawrestling pic.twitter.com/sxH4VpciLT
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) January 4, 2025
Virginia Tech leads the series in this matchup all-time with a 16-6 record, including a dominant 33-3 victory last season in Blacksburg.