Virginia Opens ACC Competition At No. 5 NC State Friday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia wrestling team (7-2, 0-0 ACC) opens Atlantic Coast Conference competition this weekend, traveling to face No. 5 NC State (10-0, 0-0 ACC) on Friday (Jan. 24) in a 7 p.m. dual at Reynolds Coliseum.
The match will be streamed on ACCNX which streams live on the ESPN app. ACCNX is available through participating TV providers that carry ACC Network. Fans can also follow the action through live stats linked at VirginiaSports.com or by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAWrestling).
VIRGINIA WRESTLERS IN THE RANKINGS
The Cavaliers have three wrestlers ranked at their weight classes in the latest edition of the InterMat rankings. Senior Jack Mueller (Dallas, Texas) leads the way as the second-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds. Junior Jay Aiello (Chantilly, Va.) is ranked No. 9 at 197 pounds, while junior Louie Hayes (Orland Park, Ill.) is ranked No. 19 at 133 pounds.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE HOOS
The Cavaliers turned in a pair of victories at home last weekend, taking a 23-9 victory over Chattanooga on Friday before capping the weekend with a 44-3 victory over VMI on Saturday. Virginia won seven weight classes against the Mocs, including bonus-point victories at four of them with a fall from Hayes. Virginia then posted three pins and four tech falls in the match against the Keydets.
VIRGINIA PROBABLE LINEUP (Rankings according to InterMat)
125: No. 2 Jack Mueller OR Patrick McCormick
133: No. 19 Louie Hayes
141: Brian Courtney
149: Denton Spencer OR Michael Murphy
157: Justin McCoy
165: Sam Martino OR Krystian Kinsey
174: Victor Marcelli
184: Michael Battista
197: No. 8 Jay Aiello
HWT: Quinn Miller
NC STATE PROBABLE LINEUP (Rankings According to InterMat)
125: Jakob Camacho
133: Jarrett Trombley
141: No. 13 Tariq Wilson
149: A.J. Leitten OR Matt Grippi
157: No. 2 Hayden Hidlay
165: No. 12 Thomas Bullard
174: No. 16 Daniel Bullard
184: No. 3 Trent Hidlay
197: No. 16 Nick Reenan
HWT: Deonte Wilson
A LOOK AT THE WOLFPACK
NC State enters the weekend as the fifth-ranked team with an overall record of 10-0 and six wrestlers in the lineup who are ranked in the national rankings by InterMat. Among the 10 wins, the Wolfpack have two wins over nationally-ranked opponents with a 25-9 victory over then No. 15 Cornell and a 25-12 victory over then No. 12 Princeton. NC State also finished eighth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational with three place winners, including a pair of second-place finishes from the Hidlay brothers. NC State also finished second at the Southern Scuffle with eight place winners, including 157-pound Champion Hayden Hidlay.
THE SERIES WITH NC STATE
It’s been a traditionally tight series with the Wolfpack as NC State holds a 38-34-1 lead in the all-time series with the Cavaliers. The Wolfpack have won five straight in the series to take the overall lead, however, with Virginia last posting a victory in the 2013-14 series with a 22-10 win at NC State to close the ACC portion of the season. Last season, NC State claimed a 23-17 victory over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville with Virginia claiming four weight classes that included a pin by Aiello and a tech fall from Mueller.
SPENCER CONTINUES TO BE A NATIONAL LEADER IN WINS BY FALL
Redshirt sophomore Denton Spencer (Waverly, Ga.) continues to rank among the national leaders in wins by fall with eight falls against qualifying opponents to put him seventh nationally as he has racked up those wins in a combined 12:58 of action.
CAVALIER TRIO HAS BEEN ON A ROLL
Three members of the squad have been on a roll lately with Aiello, Quinn Miller (Lilburn, Ga.) and Mueller all having sustained success. Aiello has won 9-of-10 matches with his lone loss coming at the hands of No. 8 Christian Brunner of Purdue in the finals at the Midlands Championship. He also defeated No. 2 Jacob Warner (Iowa) and No. 10 Ethan Laird (Rider) in that stretch. Miller has also won 9-of-10, including nine straight victories heading into this weekend – six of those victories have been by bonus-points with four wins by fall. Mueller is 8-0 on the season with three pins, two major decisions and a technical fall.
UP NEXT FOR THE CAVALIERS
Virginia will return home to host No. 3 Virginia Tech in a dual match at John Paul Jones Arena on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for the event and can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com or by calling the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821).