Virginia Announces 2013-14 Wrestling Schedule
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Aug 19, 2013
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia wrestling head coach Steve Garland announced his team’s 2013-14 schedule Friday (Aug. 9). The schedule includes seven home duals, including a Nov. 24 clash against Virginia Tech at UVa’s John Paul Jones Arena.
“This year’s schedule is pretty intense once again,” Garland said. “Last year we ramped up our schedule and this year we are taking another big step in ensuring our student-athletes get the chance to compete against the best of the best. We will take on teams represented from the Big 12, Big Ten, EIWA and of course a huge home dual with Virginia Tech – and this is all before Christmas.
“On top of the tough dual schedule, we have two of the best tournaments in the nation on the schedule in the Las Vegas Invitational and Southern Scuffle and one the toughest dual tournaments in the nation with the Virginia Duals.”
Virginia’s ACC dual schedule will be as tough as it ever has been. The ACC will feature seven programs this year as Pittsburgh joins the conference. UVa will wrestle at Pitt for the first time in program history on Jan. 24. The schools have competed against one another just once previously in dual action, with the Panthers scoring a 21-15 win on Nov. 27, 2010.
UVa will take on rival Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. Nov. 24 at John Paul Jones Arena. The two programs battled at JPJA two years ago, with the spirited dual coming down to an overtime match in the final bout. Tickets for the Virginia Tech dual are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (18 and under), seniors and staff and will go on sale Oct. 14 through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office. All tickets are general admission. The remaining four home bouts will be contested inside Memorial Gymnasium; there is no admission charge for matches at Mem Gym.
Virginia again will take part in three premier college wrestling events, Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational (Dec. 6-7), Southern Scuffle (Jan. 1-2) and Virginia Duals (10-11).
The Cavaliers also will play host to Maryland (Jan. 31) and North Carolina (Feb. 7) in ACC action at Mem Gym. UVa also will wrestle on the road in ACC play at Duke (Jan. 17) and NC State (Feb. 9). The conference championships are slated for March 8 in Blacksburg, Va.
Virginia has six home duals scheduled for Memorial Gymnasium. In addition to its ACC bouts, UVa entertains Anderson, Gardner-Webb and West Virginia in a quadrangular meet to open the season on Nov. 2 and takes on Bucknell on Feb. 2.
UVa also will compete in the Hokie Duals on Nov. 10 in Blacksburg, with matches against VMI, Wisconsin and Kent State, as well as the Northeast Duals on Nov. 30 in Albany, N.Y., featuring duals against Lehigh, Rutgers and Clarion. The Cavaliers also have in-state dual matches on the docket against Old Dominion (Jan. 19) and George Mason (Feb. 16).
The NCAA Championships will be contested March 20-22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. UVa took 21st place at the championships last year and has recorded four straight top-30 finishes.
The Cavaliers return 20 letterwinners for the 2013-14 season, including 2013 All-American Nick Sulzer (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio). 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year George DiCamillo (Highland Heights, Ohio) also returns after winning the conference’s 133-pound championship last season. 2013 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Stephen Doty (R-Sr., St. Louis, Mo.), Jon Fausey (R-Sr., Dalmatia, Pa.) and Joe Spisak (R-Jr., Boiling Springs, Pa.) also return to the lineup, as does 2012 NCAA qualifier Gus Sako (R-Jr., Cleveland, Ohio), who redshirted in 2013.