BLACKSBURG, Va. – Reigning ACC Champion Nick Hamilton returned to the win column at 165 pounds on Friday night (Jan. 31), but Virginia (4-4, 0-3 ACC) fell to No. 10 Virginia Tech (7-2, 2-1 ACC) by a score of 36-3 in a Smithfield Commonwealth Clash matchup.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hokies won the first five weight classes of the night to open up the lead on the Cavaliers before Hamilton would get the Cavaliers on the board at 165 pounds. Hamilton, who is ranked No. 22 at 165 pounds, opened up the scoring with a takedown and added an escape point to take the 4-2 decision over No. 29 Mac Church.

Virginia Tech closed out the night, taking the final four weight classes on the way to the dual victory.

FROM HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND
“I still believe in this team. I know who they are and what they are capable of. No retreat, no reservations and no regrets. We aren’t moving off the path; we are going forward. We have a very important weekend coming up at home. I look forward to seeing how we respond.”

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia will return home to host Duke in ACC action next Friday (Feb. 7) at 7 p.m.. The Cavaliers will face the Blue Devils in JPJ Arena and tickets are on sale at UVATix.com. There will be a youth clinic prior to the start of the dual at 5 p.m. and registration is available at VirginiaSports.com. Participation in the youth clinic is free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Tickets are required for youth and adults for the dual.

No. 10 VIRGINIA TECH 36, VIRGINIA 3
125: No. 5 Eddie Ventresca major dec. No. 30 Keyveon Roller, 8-0 – VT 4, UVA 0
133: No. 19 Connor McGonagle major dec. No. 26 Gable Porter, 10-0 – VT 8, UVA 0
141: No. 10 Sam Latona dec. No. 17 Dylan Cedeno, 5-1 – VT 11, UVA 0
149: No. 1 Caleb Henson major dec. No. 30 Jack Gioffre, 19-5 – VT 15, UVA 0
157: Matt Henrich dec. Nick Sanko, 4-1 – VT 18, UVA 0
165: No. 22 Nick Hamilton dec. No. 29 Mac Church, 4-2 – VT 18, UVA 3
174: Gage Wright dec. Michael Murphy, 12-5 – VT 21, UVA 3
184: No. 24 Thomas Stewart Jr. pinned Hadyn Danals, 1:36 – VT 27, UVA 3
197: No. 8 Andy Smith dec. Ethan Weatherspoon, 2-1 – VT 30, UVA 3
HWT: No. 14 Jimmy Mullen pinned Gabe Christenson, 4:17 – VT 36, UVA 3

THE SMITHFIELD COMMONWEALTH CLASH

  • The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014.
  •  It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.
  • The dual between the teams counts for one point in the standings. Virginia currently leads the competition by a score of 5.5-to-2.