HAMPTON, Va. – The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team (5-2) took a runner-up finish at the Virginia Duals on Saturday (Jan. 11) after splitting duals with Old Dominion (3-7) and Rider (6-2) at the Hampton Coliseum. The Cavaliers defeated Old Dominion in the semifinals before falling to Rider in the championship bout.

The Cavaliers won seven weight classes in the semifinal match to take the 23-9 victory over the Monarchs. Virginia then won four weight classes, including a matchup of nationally-ranked foes at 197 pounds as ninth-ranked junior Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) took down No. 10 Ethan Laird of Rider in the championship match.

It is the second straight season for Virginia to finish second at the Virginia Duals. It is the fifth time in the last eight seasons that Virginia has finished either first or second at the annual event.

“Our fight and heart is there,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “We looked amazing in the morning session. We have a great group. We just made a lot of mistakes technically in the final match. We lost a heartbreaker at 125 pounds that was sort of a swing match in the dual, but we also had a huge win at 149 pounds that got us back in it. All in all, our team continues to come together.”

Juniors Louie Hayes (Orland Park, Ill.), Michael Murphy (Lookout Mountain, Tenn.) and Aiello all went undefeated on the day, as did redshirt sophomore Quinn Miller (Lilburn, Ga.).

In the semifinal match against Old Dominion, the Cavaliers won seven weight classes, including four straight to start the dual and build a 13-0 lead on the Monarchs. Old Dominion would then grab three of the next four weight classes, with the lone Virginia win coming at 174 pounds, as the Monarchs climbed back into the match. Aiello and Miller then put the exclamation mark on the match with their wins to close things out and put Virginia into the finals.

In the finale, the Cavaliers and Broncs traded scores through the first four weight classes with Hayes and Murphy winning at 133 pounds and 149 pounds, respectively, to have the overall score knotted at six. Rider would win the next four weights, including two bonus-point victories, to put the dual out of reach. Aiello and Miller again closed the dual with a pair of wins as Aiello took down the nationally-ranked Laird and Miller fought his way to a 1-0 decision at heavyweight. 

The Cavaliers will return to action next weekend with a pair of home duals. Virginia will host Chattanooga on Friday (Jan. 17) at 7 p.m. before facing VMI on Saturday (Jan. 18) at 1 p.m. Both matches will be in Mem Gym and admission is free to the public.

VIRGINIA DUALS SEMIFINAL MATCH
No. 22 Virginia 23, Old Dominion 9 
125:
 Patrick McCormick vs. Killian Cardinale (ODU), 7-4 – UVA 3, ODU 0
133: No. 18 Louie Hayes vs. Shannon Hanna (ODU), 8-1 – UVA 6, ODU 0
141: Brian Courtney major dec. Sa’Derian Perry (ODU), 12-4 – UVA 10, ODU 0
149: Michael Murphy dec. Kenan Carter (ODU), 3-2 – UVA 13, ODU 0
157: Larry Early (ODU) dec. Justin McCoy, 7-3 – UVA 13, ODU 3
165: Shane Jones (ODU) dec. Sam Martino, 2-1 – UVA 13, ODU 6
174: Victor Marcelli vs. Alex Cramer (ODU), 9-6 – UVA 16, ODU 6
184: Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. Michael Battista, 3-1 (sv-1) – UVA 16, ODU 9
197: No. 9 Jay Aiello dec. Timtohy Young (ODU), 6-1 – UVA 19, ODU 9
HWT: Quinn Miller major dec. Jacob Bullock (ODU), 15-1 – UVA 23, ODU 9

VIRGINIA DUALS CHAMPIONSHP MATCH
Rider 20, No. 22 Virginia 12
125:
 Jonathon Tropea (RU) dec. Patrick McCormick, 6-4 (sv-1) – RU 3, UVA 0
133: No. 18 Louie Hayes dec. Anthony Cefelo (RU), 11-5 – UVA 3, RU 3
141: Pete Lipari (RU) dec. Brian Courtney, 10-5 – RU 6, UVA 3
149: Michael Murphy dec. Gino Fluri (RU), 7-1 (sv-1) – UVA 6, RU 6
157: No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia (RU) major dec. Justin McCoy, 8-0 – RU 10, UVA 6
165: Joe Casey (RU) major dec. Sam Martino, 10-0 – RU 14, UVA 6
174: Dean Sherry (RU) dec. Victor Marelli, 7-6 – RU 17, UVA 6
184: George Walton (RU) dec. Michael Battista, 7-3 – RU 20, UVA 6
197: No. 9 Jay Aiello dec. No. 10 Ethan Laird (RU), 6-1 – RU 20, UVA 9
HWT: Quinn Miller dec. Ryan Cloud (RU), 1-0 – RU 20, UVA 12