Virginia Tech Wrestling: Hokies Pin Scarlet Knights in Style

Virginia Tech picked up another convincing ranked victory on Friday night against No. 18 Rutgers 26-11. The Hokies won 8 of 10 bouts, including four by bonus points. Virginia Tech is now 12-2 in duals held at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, dating back to the venue's first season hosting a wrestling match in 2014-15.

Virginia Tech’s No. 13 Eddie Ventresca opened the night at 125 pounds with a dominant 13-0 major decision. At 133 pounds, in what was predicted to be the marquee match of the night, Rutgers responded with No. 6 Dylan Shawver’s 19-3 tech fall over Franky Medina, who wrestled in place of No. 10 Conor McGonagle.

The Hokies then took control of the dual, winning five consecutive matches, including No. 1 Caleb Henson’s 11-1 major decision over No. 33 Michael Cetta at 149 pounds, and No. 4 Lennox Wolak’s fall against No. 18 Jackson Turley at 174 pounds. Rutgers won two of the final three matches by decision.

Despite getting the win, some areas of concern remain for coach Tony Robie’s squad. For the second consecutive dual, No. 19 Connor Brady did not compete for the Hokies, though Mac Church earned a gutsy 10-8 decision against Rutgers' Andrew Barbosa in Brady’s place.

As the conference schedule looms, getting an experienced wrestler in Brady back into the lineup will be crucial for the Hokies, as three other ACC opponents– Stanford, Virginia, and NC State–  also feature a currently ranked contender at 165 pounds. In another upset, No. 12 TJ Stewart looked lost on the mat. Against Rutgers’ Shane Cartagena-Walsh, Stewart scored a single point, dropping the bout 5-1.

Similarly to Brady, getting Stewart back to form in time for the ACC schedule will be important, as Pittsburgh, NC State, and North Carolina each have currently ranked wrestlers at 184 pounds in their lineups.   

Virginia Tech returns to the mat against Penn on Sunday, November 24th in Philadelphia for the PRTC Keystone Classic. The Hokies’ next dual then takes place on December 19th at Oklahoma State, which could potentially be a top-5 matchup and an opportunity for Virginia Tech to continue climbing the ranks of college wrestling’s elites.