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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Virginia wrestling team will take part in the 2008 ACC Championships Saturday at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md. The tournament, which begins at noon, will be webcast by ACC Select at www.accselect.com. Finals are scheduled for 8 p.m.
Virginia went 18-5 in the dual-meet schedule, setting a school record for dual wins in a season. Virginia finished fourth last season at the ACC championships. The Cavaliers last won the league title in 1977 and also captured ACC crowns in 1974 and 1975.
The Cavaliers were last in action Feb. 24 against No. 22 Maryland. The Terrapins took a hard-fought 16-15 decision over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. All but one of the bouts were decided by decision, with seven of the 10 matches coming down to decisions by three points or fewer.
Virginia has four wrestlers in the national rankings this week:
Rocco Caponi (184) No. 11 (InterMat), No. 13 (W.I.N.)
Eric Albright (133) No. 17 (W.I.N.)
Chris Henrich (174) No. 19 (InterMat), No 18 (W.I.N.)
Brent Jones (197) No. 20 (InterMat)
Caponi will be shooting for his second-consecutive ACC title at 184 pounds. The junior has lost just twice this season and owns a 35-2 record. Albright was the conference runner-up at 133 last year, while DiPasquale was runner-up at 149 in 2006.
While the Cavaliers boast some experienced veterans, they also have plenty of newcomers. Four freshmen comprise 40 percent of Cavaliers’ lineup this weekend, and they will be key to Virginia’s outcome Saturday.
The Cavaliers’ competitors at the ACC Championships:
125 – Ross Gitomer, So. (33-10)
133 – No. 17 Eric Albright, Jr. (24-5)
141 – Nick Nelson, Fr. (26-10)
149 – Shawn Harris, Fr. (19-13)
157 – Drew DiPasquale, Jr. (16-10)
165 – Michael Chaires, Fr. (30-8)
174 – No. 19 Chris Henrich, Fr. (22-7)
184 – No. 11 Rocco Caponi, Jr. (35-2)
197 – No. 20 Brent Jones, So. (30-10)
Hwt – Jack Danilkowicz, So. (13-16)