Virginia Tech Finishes Ninth During NCAA Championships

This past week the Virginia Tech Hokies wrestling team sent all ten starting grapplers to the NCAA Championships held at the Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, OK. For the tenth time in 13 years the Cael Sanderson coached top ranked Penn State Nittany Lions took the team championship with 137.5 team points. The ninth place Hokies were the highest finishing ACC program, with 49 team points, just ahead of NC State which had 48 team points. Iowa (82.5) and Cornell (76.5) rounded out the top three team performances.

For the first time in program history the Hokies qualified all of their starters for the NCAA Championships. While there wasn’t a repeat of Mekhi Lewis’ 2019 individual National Championship effort, the Hokies had a good showing against elite talent and athleticism, qualifying five for All-American honors. Your Virginia Tech Hokies All-American wrestlers are Eddie Ventresca (125 lbs.), Sam Latona (133 lbs.), Caleb Henson (149 lbs.), Bryce Andonian (157 lbs.), and Mekhi Lewis (174 lbs.).

Lewis finished in fourth place after losing a close match against Cornell’s Chris Foca. Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech’s surprising true freshmen, became VT’s second-ever freshmen All-American when he placed fifth after defeating Iowa’s Max Murin during consolation rounds. Eddie Ventresca, who entered the championship as a 27-seed, went on an upset spree, defeating the No. 6, No. 9, and No. 11 seeds on his way to a seventh-place finish. Sam Latona and Bryce Andonian also finished in seventh place, for their respective weight classes.

Congratulations on a fantastic season, gentlemen!

GO HOKIES!!!