Wahoos Venture to No. 7 Virginia Tech Saturday
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia wrestling team returns to ACC competition at 7 p.m. Saturday when it travels to No. 7 Virginia Tech for a dual at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. Links for live statistics and a pay-per-view broadcast will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
The match features the only unbeaten teams in ACC action this season. Virginia (15-5, 2-0 ACC) has won three straight duals and four of the last five, with the lone loss coming to nationally ranked Penn, 18-15. Virginia Tech (15-4, 2-0) is coming off a 23-15 win over then-No. 12 Lehigh last Friday in Blacksburg. Tech owns four wins over ranked teams this year, while UVa boasts a pair of victories over ranked squads.
The dual is slated to feature at least one ranked wrestler in every weight class except heavyweight. Virginia Tech has ranked wrestlers in each of the first weight classes, from 125 up to 165 pounds. Virginia boasts ranked wrestlers at 125, 174, 184 and 197 pounds.
Virginia has three wrestlers ranked in the latest InterMat individual rankings – No. 4 Chris Henrich (Sr., Lansdale, Pa.) at 174, No. 18 Jon Fausey (R-Fr., Dalmatia, Pa.) at 184 and No. 18 Mike Salopek (R-So., North Huntingdon, Pa.) at 197. In addition, Matt Snyder (R-So., Lewistown, Pa.) is ranked No. 18 at 125 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News.
The Hokies have six wrestlers in the InterMat individual rankings – No. 15 Jarrod Garnett at 125, No. 10 Devin Carter at 133, No. 19 Chris Diaz at 141, No. 9 Brian Stephens at 149, No. 6 Jesse Dong at 157 and No. 15 Pete Yates at 165.
Virginia Tech owns a 37-32-1 edge in the all-time series and won both duals against the Cavaliers last season, although UVa bounced back to win the ACC Championships while the Hokies took third. The series has been extremely competitive over the last few years – Virginia Tech has won the last four duals with Virginia, with each victory coming by single digits.
Virginia last wrestled in Blacksburg on Dec. 10, 2004, as the Hokies prevailed, 32-0, in their first-ever ACC dual match. UVa’s last win in Blacksburg came on Feb. 1, 2003, an 18-16 victory over the Hokies.
The Cavaliers have three dual matches on the docket next weekend. On Friday (Feb. 11), UVa will travel to Maryland for a 6 p.m. ACC dual. The Cavaliers return home to Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 12 for a pair of duals, taking on Duke at noon and Appalachian State at 1:30 p.m. Senior Day ceremonies will be conducted prior to the Duke bout.