North Carolina's two-time national champion Austin O'Connor (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Over the next week, InterMat will unveil its annual, year-end conference awards. Each day will feature a new conference. Award winners have been selected by InterMat's editor and respective conference correspondent(s).
2022-23 InterMat ACC Wrestler of the Year: Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)
Choosing a recipient for the conference wrestler of the year was one of the more difficult choices across all conferences. Finishing as the runner-up was Nino Bonaccorsi of Pittsburgh, the undefeated national champion at 197 lbs. In past years, this would have been an automatic win for Bonaccorsi, but the ACC had multiple national champions for the first time since 1994.
The winner of the ACC Wrestler of the Year award is North Carolina's two-time national champion Austin O'Connor. O'Connor defeated Penn State true freshman Levi Haines to put the finishing touches on his second career undefeated campaign. He was 23-0 in 2022-23 and 13-0 during the Covid-shortened 2021 season.
The first national title for O'Connor came at 149 lbs and this one was at 157. O'Connor moved up in the 2021-22 season and suffered a knee injury trying to go back-to-back. He gutted through the injury and ended up finishing eight at nationals. That knee injury lingered into this season; however, once O'Connor took the mat for the first time in mid-December he looked as good as ever. With all the talk about limited match counts, O'Connor managed to wrestle in and win 16 regular-season bouts, despite not starting until December 15th.
O'Connor saved his best for last with a senior season that saw him post a 69.6% bonus point percentage. That surpassed his previous high by about 12%. When the dust cleared, there were two other All-Americans from O'Connor's 157 lbs weight class in the ACC. That didn't seem to matter as neither really had O'Connor in any significant danger, even the walking highlight Bryce Andonian. O'Connor beat the Hokie by a major decision in a dual and by a point in the ACC finals, though the margin didn't seem that close (and there may have been a questionable call or two).
O'Connor's most recent national tournament saw him score wins over the eventual third (Josh Humphreys) and eighth-place (Will Lewan) finishers. He also looked like the grizzled veteran who was rock-solid in a 6-2 win over Haines.
With his NCAA finals win, O'Connor finished his Tar Heel career with a 116-10 record, three ACC titles, four NCAA All-American honors and one from the NWCA in 2020. His 2023 title made O'Connor the first multi-time national champion for UNC since TJ Jaworsky in 1993-95.
Virginia Tech freshman All-American Caleb Henson (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)2022-23 InterMat ACC Freshman of the Year: Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
For most blue-chip true freshmen, there's a "will they, won't they" aspect to their initial season. Will the coaching staff turn their highly sought-after recruit loose or will they give him a year of experience competing unattached? Speaking with the Hokie staff in the summer of 2022 and into the fall, there seemed to be little doubt surrounding their starter at 149 lbs. It would be true freshman Caleb Henson.
It didn't take long for Henson to show the nation he was ready for the bright lights. In his dual debut, Henson knocked off top-contender and former (and future) NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso of Ohio State 5-3 in sudden victory and on Sasso's home mat. Over the next month and a half, Henson saw some of the best in the nation at his weight class and took three losses, but never looked outclassed.
An early-January loss to top-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) proved to be his final setback before the NCAA Tournament. Coming into Tulsa, Henson already notched wins over four returning All-Americans, a huge feat for a true freshman (or almost anyone else).
At his first national tournament, #4 Henson was an upset victim in the second round after losing to #20 Graham Rooks (Indiana) in the second round. Unphased, Henson strung together four straight wins to lock up a place in the top six. Along the way, he avenged two of his regular season losses (Doug Zapf - Penn and Brock Mauller - Missouri). In the bloodround, Henson scored a 7-2 decision over 2021 NCAA third-place finisher Yahya Thomas (Northwestern). Henson concluded his year with an impressive 12-3 major decision over the typically stingy Max Murin (Iowa).
Henson was one of three freshmen from the ACC to get on the podium; teammate Eddie Ventresca was another. Of the three, Henson was the lone true freshman. He finished his initial year in Blacksburg with a 27-5 record.
Virginia Tech head coach Tony Robie (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)2022-23 InterMat ACC Coach of the Year: Tony Robie (Virginia Tech)
Like Wrestler of the Year, this was a difficult decision as there was a case to be made for multiple coaches. Virginia Tech's Tony Robie gets the nod because of his team's consistent performance during the regular season and into the NCAA Tournament.
The Hokie finished the dual season 10-3 with their only losses coming to #6 Ohio State, #7 Cornell, and conference foe Pittsburgh. Since Pitt, NC State and the Hokies all finished with one conference dual loss, all three teams earned a share of the regular season title. Virginia Tech kicked off ACC dual competition with a thrilling 16-14 win over then-unbeaten NC State.
Although the Hokies were in second place to NC State at the ACC Championships, Virginia Tech was one of only four teams nationally that saw their entire lineup qualify for nationals. Henson and Mekhi Lewis (174) were Hokie wrestlers that claimed ACC titles in 2023.
In Tulsa, the Hokies saw five of their ten entrants make the NCAA podium. This was possible after an impressive 4-1 showing in the bloodround. That session started with freshman #27 Eddie Ventresca knocking off two-time All-American Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) at 125 and Sam Latona reversing a result from the ACC tournament against conference champ #5 Kai Orine (NC State).
The Hokies five All-Americans were good enough for 49 points and ninth place at the NCAA Tournament. That was one point and one spot ahead of NC State, making Virginia Tech the highest-placing ACC team. That marked the eighth time in the last ten national tournaments that the Hokies finished in the top ten. Virginia Tech also kept its streak with at least three All-Americans alive. It started at the 2013 tournament.
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