North Carolina head coach Rob Koll joins us to talk about his team for the 2026-27 season. The Tar Heels start the year ranked 12th in InterMat's national dual rankings. Coach Koll talks about some of the competition in the room, key parts of the schedule, the much-improved ACC, his coaching tree and much more!

With under two months until the college regular season starts, we’ll turn most of our focus to the collegiate wrestling world. We'll share plenty of previews and content to get fans ready for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Today, we’ll focus on a North Carolina team that has the potential to be the best team of the Rob Koll-era and one of the best dual teams for the program in quite some time. UNC’s roster will feature seven wrestlers with NCAA experience; however, not all of them are projected to be in the lineup at once.

Not only does this year’s team have some star power, but it has plenty of depth. There will be some intense roster battles, which could leave past national qualifiers on the bench. The Tar Heels return one All-American (Bryce Hepner); however, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see two or three others join him on the podium in 2027.

North Carolina is coming off a 9-5 dual record in 2025-26 and ended up fourth in the highly competitive ACC. This will be year number four for alum Rob Koll at the helm of the Tar Heel program. Koll is looking to guide UNC back into the top 20 at the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023. They certainly have the firepower and depth to make it a reality.

Here’s a look at a projected lineup for North Carolina along with additional information needed for the 2026-27 season.

125 lbs - Brendan McCrone

The transfer portal continues to be kind to the Tar Heels at 125 lbs. For the second straight season, their probable starter comes over a senior in his final year of eligibility. Last year it was Kysen Terukina; this one it’s Brendan McCrone. McCrone was a two-time national qualifier for Ohio State at this weight. He finished ninth in the Big Ten in 2025 and qualified with an at-large berth in 2024. In each appearance, he went 1-2. Last season, McCrone went 9-1 with a victory over Ohio State’s starter (Nic Bouzakis) and his only loss coming to defending national champion Vince Robinson (NC State).

There isn’t a ton of depth nationally at this weight, so McCrone and his track record will start the year around the top ten and could establish himself as an All-American contender quickly.

133 lbs - Matt Botello/Derek Guanajuato

However, things shake out at 133 lbs; either Matt Botello or Derek Guanajuato will have the opportunity to establish themselves as the starter for an extended period of time. Botello was UNC’s highest-ranked recruit (#56) in the Class of 2025. He redshirted last season and put together a 16-5 record with a win via fall over Wyoming’s national qualifier Luke Willochell. Guanajuato did not see the mat in 2025-26, but went 15-5 in open competition in 2024-25. That year, at the Southeast Open, Guanajuato took the Tar Heels starter, Ethan Oakley, into sudden victory.

141 lbs - Luke Simcox

Luke Simcox returns after making the ACC finals and earning the #12 seed at the NCAA Tournament as a redshirt freshman. During the dual season and at the conference tournament, Simcox picked up wins over returning All-American Ryan Jack. In Cleveland, Simcox was upset in the opening round, but picked up a consolation win over Pierson Manville (Arizona State) before his elimination.

After the top couple of contenders, 141 should be pretty wide open nationally. There isn’t any reason that Simcox can’t solidify himself as an All-American frontrunner in the early going.

149 lbs - Nick O’Neill/Mitchell Younger

We have a bit of a competition at 149 lbs for the starting spot. One would guess that Nick O’Neill might have the early edge - but, perhaps that’s just because we have more information and data points available. O’Neill went 16-5 last season and appeared in four duals at 141 lbs. Over the course of the year, O’Neill picked up wins over three past or future national qualifiers and captured titles at three open tournaments.

Mitchell Younger is a redshirt freshman who went 1-2 at the season-opening Southeast Open, but did not compete again for the rest of the season. Both were top-100 recruits coming out of high school, Younger #80 in the Class of 2025 and O’Neill was #45 in the Class of 2024.

157 lbs - Laird Root/Nate Askew

The incumbent is Laird Root, who made the national tournament last season as a freshman. He finished fourth in the ACC and went 1-2 at the national tournament. In Cleveland, Root downed Bellarmine’s Jeb Prechtel to grab his first NCAA win. Root came to Chapel Hill from Poway, California, where he was the #52 overall recruit in the Class of 2024.

Pushing Root for the starting position will be Nate Askew, who comes up from 149 lbs. Askew was the Tar Heels starter at that weight in 2025-26 as a true freshman and went 8-12 and missed out on placing at the ACC Tournament. During the regular season, Askew posted wins over past national qualifier Willie McDougald (West Virginia) and eventual qualifier Anderson Heap (Davidson).

165 lbs - Bryce Hepner/Joey Showalter

North Carolina’s lone returning All-American is Bryce Hepner, who won an ACC title in 2026 and ended up finishing seventh at the NCAA Championships. Hepner suffered three regular-season conference dual losses and ended up avenging two of those at the conference meet. He has the distinction of being the only wrestler who did not surrender bonus points to Hodge Trophy winner Mitchell Mesenbrink. Tar Heel fans will have to wait to see Hepner on the mat this year, as he will not be available until the second semester.

While Hepner is unavailable, it looks like Joey Showalter should see the bulk of the action. Last year, Showalter went 20-5 with wins in all three of the duals where he took the mat. Showalter competed primarily at 157 lbs, but did move up to 165 for the Duke dual. While he doesn’t possess the upside of Hepner, Showalter should fill in nicely for him during the first half.

174 lbs - Josh Ogunsanya/Collin Carrigan/Sabino Portella

There will be some of those “good problems” to have at 174 lbs, as UNC has multiple good options on the table for this weight. Josh Ogunsanya qualified for nationals on three occasions for Columbia and transferred to UNC before the 2025-26 campaign. Unfortunately, he only saw action in one dual before being lost for the year due to injury. Ogunsanya is a former EIWA finalist and has earned top-20 seeds at nationals twice.

With Ogunsanya unavailable, Collin Carrigan stepped up last season and qualified for nationals after taking third in the ACC. Carrigan came into the ACC tournament as the sixth-seed and knocked off veterans Aiden Wallace (Duke) and Nick Hamilton (Virginia) to lock up his nationals berth. Both defeated him in the regular season.

Sabino Portella will also be available for UNC. Portella is a redshirt junior who is 12-16 during his career. Last season, he picked up a win over Maryland’s former national qualifier Dom Solis (Maryland) at the Southeast Open.

With Ogunsanya being in his seventh year, the UNC staff will probably take it easy with him throughout the season, so the Carrigan/Portella tandem should get to see plenty of mat time, even during some duals.

184 lbs - Christian Hansen/Mikey Calcagno/Lincoln Jipp

Once again, there are lots of options here. The new face is Christian Hansen, who comes over as a graduate transfer from Cornell. Last year marked the first time that Hansen was the starter for Cornell over an extended period of time. He responded well with a 21-7 record, but getting injured in late January and lost for the year. He racked up seven wins over national qualifiers, including victories over All-American Zack Ryder (Oklahoma State) and ACC champion Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech).

Seeing action at either/or 184 and 197 is Mikey Calcagno. Calcagno went 11-7 last season while competing primarily at 197 lbs. Perhaps the best indicator for Calcagno is that he was able to keep things close with some of the better opponents he faced (Joey Novak/Rune Lawrence).

Also in the mix here and/or at 197 lbs is freshman Lincoln Jipp. He was the #61 overall recruit in the Class of 2026 and a two-time Iowa state finalist (one-time champ).

197 lbs - Robert Platt/Calcagno/Jipp

Calcagno and Jipp could figure into the plans at 197 lbs, as well. North Carolina also brings back their starter from a year ago, Robert Platt. Platt finished fourth in the ACC last year, but that was not good enough to qualify for nationals. During the regular season, Platt notched a win over NCAA qualifier Rune Lawrence (West Virginia) and Iowa’s redshirting freshman Harvey Ludington. With the high turnover at 197 lbs nationally, Platt will start the 2026-27 preseason in the national rankings.

285 lbs - Jacob Levy/Nolan Neves/Cristian Alvarez

North Carolina has an abundance of options here at heavyweight. 2026’s starter Jacob Levy is back. He was a true freshman and produced a solid 17-8 record in year one for the Tar Heels. Levy came into Chapel Hill from powerhouse Lake Highland Prep (FL) as the #60 overall recruit in the Class of 2026.

Veteran Nolan Neves is also back in the mix. He was a national qualifier in 2025 after taking third in the ACC. Neves competed sporadically in 2025-26 before suffering a season-ending injury in late January.

True freshman Cristian Alvarez should be available as well. He’ll probably miss the first half of the season, as he’s a member of the North Carolina football team. Alvarez committed to UNC for both sports, relatively late in the game, and has plenty of upside on the mat. Like most that do double duty, Alvarez will likely need to time to knock off the rust, but could be a sneaky-good addition late in the regular season.

New faces: For the third consecutive year, North Carolina inked a recruiting class that made the top 25 in InterMat’s rankings. The 2026 group came in at #21. The class features six Big Boarders, four of which were in the top-100. #59 Nadav Nafshi (PA), #61 Lincoln Jipp (IA), #83 Brody Kelly (IL), #90 Cristian Alvarez (NJ), #126 Dunia Sibomana (NY), #188 Lukas Littleton-Mascaro (PA).

With the years of good recruiting stacking up and some timely transfers, there aren’t too many places where you’ll see one of these 2026 recruits make an immediate impact - barring injury. But that’s a good thing as North Carolina could have their best team in quite some time.

Key Dates: The big addition to the schedule is the National Duals Invitational in mid-December. The event has a great field and UNC will be tested early and often, regardless of how the brackets are constructed.

In non-conference action, North Carolina will face: Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Appalachian State, West Virginia, and Campbell.

Their home slate features: Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Campbell. Additionally, the App State dual will take place at Chapel Hill HS.

With just over two months until the college regular season starts, we’ll turn most of our focus to the collegiate wrestling world. There will be lots of previews and content to get fans ready for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

We’ll start our previews off with one of the teams that will garner the most attention this season, the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Tony Robie’s team put two true freshmen on the NCAA podium in 2026 and has a national champion coming off a redshirt. Plus, an All-American lightweight who was seeded #2 at nationals. If that’s not enough, the Hokies have signed one of the most anticipated recruits in recent history, Bo Bassett. Those, plus a host of others with NCAA experience, have Hokie fans thinking of an NCAA team trophy in 2027.

The Hokie faithful got a glimpse of the future last week as three Virginia Tech wrestlers competed at the U20 World Championships. All three came back to Blacksburg with hardware - two earned gold medals.

Here’s a look at a projected lineup for Virginia Tech along with additional information needed for the 2026-27 season.

Projected 2026-27 Lineup

125 lbs - Eddie Ventresca

The Hokie lineup starts immediately with firepower and that comes from perennial contender Eddie Ventresca. Ventresca is a two-time All-American and two-time ACC champion. Ventresca has a knack for wrestling close matches and generally comes out on top. That stopped at the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland, where he fell in the bloodround. Even so, Ventresca should be considered a title contender. He had regular season wins over the third, fourth, and fifth place finishers at the 2026 tournament.

133 lbs - Aaron Seidel

The 133 lb weight class was a freshman class for the ages in 2026. Freshmen took the four highest steps at the NCAA Championships, and Aaron Seidel was one of them. Seidel finished in third place and defeated current Senior world team member Marcus Blaze for third. Seidel is fresh off a U20 tournament in which he defeated a returning world silver medalist in round one and eventually won gold. At one point this offseason, there were some rumblings that Seidel might need to move up. If he can effectively hold 133 lbs, he should be in store for another high finish and potentially a national title.

141 lbs - Bo Bassett

The second U20 national champion for the Hokies this year is incoming freshman Bo Bassett. Bassett still has a chance to make the Senior World Team and plans on competing at U23 Worlds, as well. Though he’s a freshman, expectations couldn’t be much higher for Bassett. He has passed every test at every age group thus far and now will be expected to compete for a national title during his first year of college.

149 lbs - Caleb Henson

Virginia Tech’s second-ever national champion is back after redshirting during the 2025-26 campaign. Henson has earned All-American honors three times and has made a pair of NCAA finals. Because of redshirts and weight changes, 149 lbs will be extremely nasty this year. Henson is one of three national champions and four national finalists expected to compete at this weight. Despite a tough bracket, Henson is talented enough to emerge as a national champion once again. He only has three losses during his two most recent collegiate seasons.

157 lbs - Collin Gaj

With Henson returning at 149 lbs, Virginia Tech’s second true freshman All-American from a year ago will move up to 157 lbs. That’s probably a good thing, as Gaj won the second of his two Pennsylvania state titles at 160 lbs as a senior in high school. Gaj’s college debut was rough with a 0-4 showing at the National Duals Invitational; however, he got better quickly and was very consistent during the final half of the season. I’d expect that type of consistency throughout the year in 2026-27.

165 lbs - Noah Nininger/Mac Church

This is the first weight where we expect to see a significant battle for the starting role. Mac Church is the incumbent and a junior who has twice qualified for nationals. Last season, Church went 26-10 and 0-2 at the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, for a team that is expected to contend for an NCAA team trophy, that might not be enough. Church will get a challenge from redshirt freshman Noah Nininger. Nininger initially pushed Gaj for the starting role at 149 lbs. He had a great showing at U23 nationals at 74 kg, which proved that he could handle jumping two weight classes. I imagine both the Tech staff will give both wrestlers a shot for the first couple of months, unless one stands out significantly early on.

174 lbs - Ryan Burton

The Virginia Tech staff resisted the urge to unleash Ryan Burton during the 2025-26 campaign and kept him in redshirt. Burton did have a lot of mat time and amassed a 19-6 record. Three of those wins came against eventual national qualifiers. Burton was the third member of the Hokies squad to compete at the recent U20 World Championships, where he battled for a bronze medal. Looking at the national landscape, 174 lbs should be pretty deep and it might be difficult for any freshmen to break through and have an All-American-type run; however, you have to like Burton’s pedigree and changes.

184 lbs - Jaden Bullock/Sergio Desiante/Ben Weader/Lane Foard

This is a mess that the Hokie staff will have to sort out. Fortunately, for them, it is a mess that has good options. Sergio Desiante and Jaden Bullock are both returning national qualifiers; Desiante was an ACC runner-up and Bullock was a conference champion last season. Each won a pair of matches at nationals and Desiante is moving up from 174 lbs.

There is also Ben Weader, who earned 16 wins last season while redshirting. He moves up from 165 lbs. Lane Foard transfers back to his home state after a redshirt year at Wyoming. Foard was the #38 overall recruit in the Class of 2025 and had nine wins (one over a national qualifier) while in Laramie.

With Bullock and Desiante both having plenty of experience and mileage, they might be on pitch counts anyway - requiring others to fill in for them. There will probably be some sort of rotation in which all four get an opportunity at some point.

197 lbs - Sonny Sasso

In his first full year as a starter, Sonny Sasso won an ACC title and earned the #4 seed at the NCAA Championships. Unfortunately, Sasso went 1-2 in Cleveland and fell short of the podium. At the ACC Tournament, Sasso earned wins over a pair of foes who went on to finish as All-Americans. Sasso tended to be up-and-down throughout the year. At his best, he can beat almost anyone in the nation, so he’ll just need to demonstrate a bit more consistency going forward.

285 lbs - Jimmy Mullen

Through his first two years of collegiate competition, Jimmy Mullen has earned two trips to the NCAA Tournament and went 1-2 in both instances. This should be his big breakthrough year. This weight class has cleared out significantly and there doesn’t appear to be an odds-on favorite for the national title. Throughout his career, Mullen has flirted with a top-ten ranking, but this could be the year where he becomes a fixture in that range.

New Faces: #2 Bo Bassett (PA), #38 Nick Garcia (IL), #42 Jonathan Rocha (CA), #49 Alex Rozas (LA), #218 Jake Robie (VA), UR Walker Turley (VA), UR Owen McMullan (PA).

The Hokie recruiting class was tabbed #3 overall in the nation by InterMat. Barring something unforeseen, Bo Bassett is likely the only freshman who is projected to start immediately; however, the Hokies are is great shape for the future with a young nucleus and this talent infusion.

Key Dates: The Virginia Tech schedule has not been released as of yet. We do know that they’ll travel to Tulsa for the National Duals Invitational. The Hokies took sixth at the 2025 tournament, but have their sights set much higher in 2026. As of now, it looks like Virginia Tech could be a second or third seed in a field that includes Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and Iowa State, among others.

Anytime the Hokies and conference foe NC State collide, it’s a must-watch dual. Once their schedule has been released, be sure to circle that date.

Miscellaneous: The Hokies have made two changes to their coaching staff from the 2025-26 season. James Green returns to Blacksburg as an assistant. Alum Ty Walz comes back after a few years on the Brown staff.

Just about a week ago, Brown University officially said goodbye to assistant coach Ty Walz. Now the picture becomes a bit clearer as Walz will return to Blacksburg, Virginia, the town where he starred as a heavyweight for Virginia Tech.

Walz was a three-time All-American for the Hokies, earning a spot on the NCAA podium in each of his final three seasons with the Hokies. He was seventh in the nation as a sophomore and fourth as a junior and senior. In both of those final two seasons, Walz was seeded third at the NCAA Tournament. As a senior, he captured an ACC title. Walz was also an integral piece on the Virginia Tech 2016 team that captured the only NCAA team trophy in program history with their fourth-place finish.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Walz was active on the freestyle circuit and earned a bronze medal in 2017 at the U23 World Championships.

Walz has spent the last three years on the coaching staff at Brown University. In 2026, the Bears sent three wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament, which was their best total since 2019. Two of the three wrestlers, Andrew Reall (197) and Alex Semenenko (285), likely spent a lot of time working with Walz. Reall also became Brown’s first conference champion since 2012. He ended the season in the NCAA Round of 12.

Walz is the second new assistant coach for Virginia Tech this offseason. Earlier this year, the team announced that James Green was returning to Blacksburg, as well.

Virginia Tech will have sky-high expectations for the 2026-27 campaign. The Hokies return a pair of true freshman All-Americans (Aaron Seidel/Collin Gaj), 2024 NCAA champion Caleb Henson returns from a redshirt, and they have a star-studded recruiting class featuring #2 overall Bo Bassett. Looking at the upperweights, Walz has a pair of quality big men in Sonny Sasso (197) and Jimmy Mullen (285) to work with.

This afternoon, NCAA All-American Nico Provo announced that he isn’t leaving! The Stanford 125 lber entered the transfer portal, but used social media today to confirm that he’ll stay in Palo Alto for his final year of eligibility.

It’s another sigh of relief from those close to the Stanford program. It appeared as if the Cardinal team might get hammered by the transfer portal; however, Provo and All-American teammates Tyler Knox and Hunter Garvin have also stated their intentions to return to the program.

Provo missed the entire 2024-25 season with an injury but returned in a big way last season. Provo made his debut at the 2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and finished third in a strong weight class. At the ACC Championships, Provo finished second, losing to Virginia Tech’s Eddie Ventresca in tiebreakers.

In Cleveland, at the NCAA Championships, Provo won his opening round match before running into the eventual national runner-up, Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton). From that point, Provo reeled off six straight wins to finish in third place. To clinch All-America honors, Provo downed returning All-American Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) in the bloodround. For third place, Provo downed the returning NCAAc champion, Vince Robinson (NC State), 11-4. It was the third time in 2025-26 that Provo had beaten Robinson.

Through three years of competition, Provo has qualified for nationals on three occasions and has been a conference runner-up twice. In 2026, he was seeded seventh at the NCAA Tournament.

Provo’s Stanford team set program highs in 2026 with 67.5 team points and a sixth-place finish in Cleveland.

With Provo back in the fold, Chris Ayres’ team will be able to feature a lineup that includes SIX returning All-Americans. We’ll get to see that loaded lineup in Tulsa at the National Duals Invitational. Stanford’s sixth place finish at NCAA’s gave them an automatic invitation to the event, one which they have accepted.

He’s coming back to Blacksburg! Last week, seven-time Senior world team member announced he was stepping down from his position as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Nebraska. Today, Virginia Tech announced that he is has been added to the Hokie coaching staff.

Green was a resident athlete for Virginia Tech’s Southeast Regional Training Center from 2020-22, so he’s familiar with the staff and the program.

After his initial stint with the team, Green retired from competition and joined the USA Wrestling coaching staff as its National Freestyle Development Coach.

In 2024, Green returned to Senior level competition and made his seventh world team. In late April, Green won the US Open at 74 kg, which put him only two matches away from another world team. He has clinched a berth in Final X and is awaiting a challenger to emerge from the World Team Trials next week.

Green’s extensive Senior level career is highlighted by a pair of world medals - a bronze in 2015 and a silver in 2017. Each of Green’s previous Senior world teams has come at 70 kg.

During his collegiate days at Nebraska, Green earned All-American honors four times. He was seventh as a freshman and sophomore and third in his final two seasons in Lincoln. As a junior, Green won a Big Ten title and was given the #1 seed at nationals.

Green joins a Hokie team that finished 11th in the nation after capturing back-to-back ACC titles. The Hokies will be one of the most exciting teams to follow in 2026-27 as they return a pair of true freshman All-Americans and feature a star-laden recruiting class led by blue-chip recruit, Bo Bassett. Also, 2024 NCAA champion Caleb Henson is coming off a redshirt.

Yesterday, Hayden Hidlay announced that he had left the Stanford coaching staff to pursue another opportunity. Today, NC State has announced that Hidlay would return to the program where he made a name for himself as a competitor.

Hidlay will return to the Wolfpack as an assistant coach after spending the last two seasons out west coaching at Stanford. Over the weekend, one of the storylines from the 2026 NCAA Championships was the emergence of the Cardinal program. Stanford finished sixth in the nation and head coach Chris Ayres was named Coach of the Year by the NWCA. The sixth-place finish was a school record, as were Stanford’s four individual All-Americans. One of those All-Americans, Aden Valencia, captured a national title at 149 lbs. He became the program’s first freshman champion. As a middleweight, he certainly spent time working with Hidlay.

Hidlay started his coaching career at North Dakota State University in 2023-24. After his collegiate career at NC State wrapped up, Hidlay spent a year around the team as its Student-Athlete Development Coordinator.

As a competitor, Hidlay put together one of the best careers in NC State wrestling history. He earned NCAA All-American honors on four occasions with NCAA finishes of 3rd, 5th, 4th, and 2nd. Hidlay was also named a first-team All-American after the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. He was also a four-time ACC champion and earned the #1 seed at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Hidlay’s younger brother, 2025 world champion Trent, is still in Raleigh training with NC State’s Wolfpack RTC.

With Hidlay leaving Stanford, they’ll have an opening on the Cardinal coaching staff. With a team full of young talent, fresh off a sixth-place finish in Cleveland, Stanford and Coach Ayres should have no shortage of quality candidates to choose from. 

2026 ACC Championships Final Results

Final Team Scores

1. Virginia Tech  106

2. Stanford  84

3. NC State  57

4. North Carolina  53

5. Pittsburgh  37

6. Virginia  21.5

7. Duke  2

 

125 lbs

Championship Finals: Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Nico Provo (Stanford)  2-1TB

Third Place Match: Vince Robinson (NC State) dec Kysen Terukina (North Carolina)  5-4

Fifth Place Match: Tyler Chappell (Pittsburgh) InjDef Keyveon Roller (Virginia)

133 lbs

Championship Finals: Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech) tech Tyler Knox (Stanford)  18-3

Third Place Match: Zach Redding (NC State) dec Evan Tallmadge (Pittsburgh)  5-4

141 lbs

Championship Finals: Jack Consiglio (Stanford) dec Luke Simcox (North Carolina)  4-3

Third Place Match: Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Gable Porter (Virginia)  4-1SV

Fifth Place Match: Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) dec Briar Priest (Pittsburgh)  4-1

149 lbs

Championship Finals: Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) dec Koy Buesgens (NC State)  2-1TB

Third Place Match: Aden Valencia (Stanford) maj Kade Brown (Pittsburgh)  11-0

157 lbs

Championship Finals: Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) dec Ethen Miller (Virginia Tech)  5-2

Third Place Match: Colton Washleski (Virginia) dec Laird Root (North Carolina)  4-2

165 lbs

Championship Finals: Bryce Hepner (North Carolina) dec Mac Church (Virginia Tech)  2-0

Third Place Match: EJ Parco (Stanford) dec Will Denny (NC State)  5-1

174 lbs

Championship Finals: Matty Singleton (NC State) dec Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech)  5-3TB

Third Place Match: Collin Carrigan (North Carolina) dec Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh)  4-3

184 lbs

Championship Finals: Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech) dec Jake Dailey (North Carolina)  4-1SV

Third Place Match: Abe Wojcikiewicz (Stanford) fall Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh)  4:41

197 lbs

Championship Finals: Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech) maj Angelo Posada (Stanford)  12-2

Third Place Match: Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) dec Robert Platt (North Carolina)  5=2

285 lbs

Championship Finals: Isaac Trumble (NC State) maj Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh)  9-0

Third Place Match: Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) tech Brenan Morgan (Virginia)  18-3
 

NCAA Qualifiers

NC State: (7) Robinson (125), Redding (133), Jack (141), Buesgens (149), Denny (165), Singleton (174), Trumble (285)

North Carolina: (6) Terukina (125), Simcox (141), Root (157), Hepner (165), Carrigan (174), Dailey (184)

Pittsburgh: (5) Chappell (125), Brown (149), Kranitz (184), Stout (197), Pitzer (285)

Stanford: (8) Provo (125), Knox (133), Consiglio (141), Valencia (149), Cardenas (157), Parco (165), Wojcikiewicz (184), Posada (197)

Virginia: (3) Porter (141), Washleski (157), Morgan (285)

Virginia Tech: (10) Ventresca (125), Seidel (133), Crook (141), Gaj (149), Miller (157), Church (165), Desiante (174), Bullock (184), Sasso (197), Mullen (285)

It all goes down on Sunday in Blacksburg. Team bragging rights and 39 automatic bids to Cleveland are on the line. Virginia Tech will look to defend its tournament title from last season, but there are six other teams ready to battle for that trophy. The 39 allocations tied a conference record for the most automatic qualifiers, but there were also several guys just below the cut line for allotments, so we will have some potential wild card spots to consider as well.

We know that in a small bracket, the semifinals and finals are always top-tier matchups. Let’s look through the brackets and highlight some key early matches to keep your eye on Sunday.

Brackets

125 Pounds (5 Allocations)

1. Eddie Ventresca VT 17-2 (5-0)

2. Nico Provo STAN 11-4 (4-1)

3. Vincent Robinson NCST 12-3 (2-3)

4. Kysen Terukina UNC 12-4 (1-3)

5. Tyler Chappell PITT 12-11 (2-5)

6. Keyveon Roller UVA 13-5 (1-2)

7. Spencer von Savoye DUKE 3-14 (0-1)

125 is a very top-heavy weight in the ACC, with three ranked in the top 10, including the returning NCAA Champion Vincent Robinson. He comes in at the 3 seed with losses to Eddie Ventresca and Nico Provo; Ventresca is the reigning ACC Champion and is undefeated in conference this year. With 5 AQs on the line, there will be some important backside matches at this weight.

First round matches to watch:

Keyveon Roller v Vincent Robinson: We all have seen what Vincent Robinson is capable of…but he will need to be in his best form to navigate this weight. Roller is dangerous, but was out most of the second semester (including the NCST dual) due to an injury at Southern Scuffle. This will be the first match of the day and could set the tone for a wild day if Roller can make some noise.

Kysen Terukina v Tyler Chappell: Terukina had a solid year for the Tar Heels, finishing at 13-4 overall. Three of those losses were in conference to Ventresca, Provo and Robinson; his lone dual win in conference was over Chappell. Chappell had an up-and-down season, but the Panthers will need him if they want to make any sort of a team run.

133 Pounds (3 Allocations)

1. Aaron Seidel VT 15-1 (3-0)

2. Tyler Knox STAN 12-4 (5-1)

3. Zach Redding NCST 9-7 (3-2)

4. Evan Tallmadge PITT 11-10 (2-2)

5. Ethan Oakley UNC 14-7 (2-3)

6. Marion Yarbrough II UVA 3-5 (0-3)

7. Riley Rowan DUKE 3-19 (0-4)

133 will be a chaotic weight on Sunday. With only 3 AQs at a weight that has six guys who could legitimately qualify. True freshman Aaron Seidel got the 1-seed going undefeated in conference, including a win over returning All-American Tyler Knox, who is the 2-seed; these two have separated themselves from the next four seeds. Redding earned the 3-seed with a good run to end the year in conference duals, after a slow start. Tallmadge had a couple of good wins in conference in an otherwise up-and-down year. Oakley struggled in conference duals, but had an otherwise really strong season. Yarbrough had a very limited season after only being active in the second semester and still dealing with injuries and illnesses throughout conference duals.

All that to say, the 3 through 6 seeds could all very well make a run to the medal matches. Another thing to consider here is that there is now an additional Wild Card thrown into the mix with Evan Frost withdrawing from the Big12 Championships.

First round matches to watch:

Evan Tallmadge v Ethan Oakley: Oakley had a great start to the season, but struggled in ACC duals, he will need to be in his best form to get through to the semifinals and be in a position to earn a bid. Tallmadge is scrappy and will be looking to knock off Oakley for the second time this season.

Zach Redding v Marlon Yarbrough: Redding came in with high expectations as a transfer and had an up-and-down year. Yarbrough was an NCAA qualifier in 2024 and was out with an injury all year last year. He came into the season with high expectations and has struggled to have the year he hoped. Both of these guys will be looking to build momentum to get to the semifinals and have the hope of getting another upset to get through to NCAAs.

141 Pounds (5 Allocations)

1. Jack Consiglio STAN 12-5 (5-1)

2. Luke Simcox UNC 14-5 (3-1)

3. Ryan Jack NCST 12-6 (5-2)

4. Tom Crook VT 18-10 (2-4)

5. Briar Priest PITT 10-9 (2-2)

6. Gable Porter UVA 18-6 (2-4)

7. Raymond Adams 8-18 (0-5)

141 was an interesting weight in the ACC - and one that didn’t go at all the way it was projected to preseason. In the national rankings the top three are just outside the All-American rankings, but all three could make a run. Ryan Jack (10), Jack Consiglio (11) and Luke Simcox (12) have led the charge at this weight, but no one ran the table in conference duals. Consiglio got the 1-seed on the strength of a 5-1 record (loss to Jack) and was rewarded for his win over Simcox. Simcox had an abbreviated conference dual season, which had a win over Jack and a loss to Consiglio. The veteran, a previous ACC champ, and All-American Ryan Jack is the 3-seed; he has shown that he can win in March and will be looking to make a run. The Wolfpack will need him to score some big points for them to stay in the team title hunt. Don’t overlook the 4, 5, or 6 seed here either; Crook, Priest and Porter all have some big wins on the year and could make noise on Sunday.

First Round matches to watch:

Gable Porter v Ryan Jack: Porter beat Jack in the dual and will be looking to replicate that performance. Jack is a consistent force, but Porter can score in bunches. This could be a fun one.

Briar Priest v Tom Crook: The Hokies need Tom Crook to be on his game on Sunday. Briar Priest has gained steam throughout the ACC dual season and will be looking to pull off the upset early to put himself in a better position to earn the allocation.

149 Pounds (4 Allocations)

1. Koy Buesgens NCST 19-2 (6-1)

2. Aden Valencia STAN 12-6 (4-2)

3. Collin Gaj VT 17-8 (3-3)

4. Kade Brown PITT 12-6 (2-3)

5. Wynton Denkins UVA 18-10 (4-4)

6. Dylan Ross DUKE 15-10 (2-3)

7. Nate Askew UNC 8-10 (1-4)

149 has some serious talent in the ACC with the top three seeds being ranked in the top 11 nationally; Gaj (7), Buesgens (8) and Valencia (11) are all serious All-American threats and have great out-of-conference wins. Buesgens earned the 1 seed, his only loss is to Gaj, who he split with on the year. Valencia gets the 2 seed, also splitting with Gaj on the year; Gaj is the 3 after losing to Denkins when he got injured in the UVA dual, limiting him the last few weeks of conference duals. Kade Brown and Wynton Denkins both had up and down years, but had some solid wins; Dylan Ross is starting to figure things out at the right time and picked up some steam in ACC duals. With 4 allocations here, there will be some important matches early on the backside of the bracket to get to the consolation finals.

First round matches to watch:

Dylan Ross v Collin Gaj: Gaj should be heavily favored in this match, but he hasn’t wrestled since injuring his ankle in the UVA dual. This match will give us a look to see how healthy he is and if he is back to full strength (and speed).

Wynton Denkins v Kade Brown: This one went to tie breakers in the dual with Brown getting back points to put it away late. This match will be critical in determining allocations and potential positioning for a wild card.

157 Pounds (4 Allocations)

1. Daniel Cardenas STAN 15-3 (4-0)

2. Ethen Miller VT 14-4 (5-1)

3. Dylan Evans PITT 19-6 (4-2)

4. Laird Root UNC 13-9 (3-3)

5. Colton Washleski UVA 17-9 (1-4)

6. Luca Felix NCST 8-11 (1-5)

7. Mikey Boulanger DUKE 8-11 (0-5)

This was a weight that got one more allocation than I expected - I thought Root and Washleski would both be on the bubble, Washleski just happened to get on the good side. Cardenas has been the clear favorite in the weight, going undefeated in conference duals (wins over Brogan Tucker-NCST and Logan Fite-Duke) and comes into the tournament ranked #10 in the country.

Miller only wrestled in the second semester and his record also reflects two losses at 149, where he wrestled at Midlands. He has looked great since starting ACC duals with his only loss to Cardenas and a close non-conference loss to #5 Landon Robideau. I think Cardenas and Miller are heavy favorites to make the finals and there will be a battle between Evans, Root and Washleski to get the last two slots. Root and Washleski both have a brawler feel, while Evans presents a different style matchup, especially with his length. Felix was a late-season addition to the lineup after Jackson Arrington lost his season to injury and Boulanger struggled in ACC competition.

First round match to watch:

Laird Root v Colton Washleski: This match was a physical 15-14 win for Root in the dual and got a little chippy. This should be a great opening round matchup and could be critical in determining the last allocation spot.  

165 Pounds (4 Allocations)

1. Will Denny NCST 15-2 (5-0)

2. EJ Parco STAN 9-6 (2-1)

3. Mac Church VT 22-8 (3-1)

4. Bryce Hepner UNC 12-4 (2-3)

5. Jared Keslar PITT 13-11 (3-3)

6. Michael Murphy UVA 9-11 (1-4)

7. Aurelius Dunbar DUKE 5-8 (0-4)

We knew that this weight was going to be pretty wide open, but it shaped up in a very different way than most expected. Will Denny had an incredible true freshman season for the Wolfpack, undefeated in conference duals and his only two losses were both at the National Duals Invitational, meaning he has not lost since November. EJ Parco made a huge jump for the team, when All-American Hunter Garvin went down for the year. Parco told the coaches that he would make the move from 149 to 165. It was a rough adjustment to start, but he has grown into the weight and had a solid conference dual record and has put himself in a position to get to Cleveland. Mac Church quietly had a solid year, especially in the second semester, winning a couple of tight ACC matches, which helped his seed. Bryce Hepner started off his season strong, including winning the Soldier Salute, before having a tough run in the ACC, dropping three of his last four dual matches. Keslar had an up and down year, including a .500 record in conference duals, with all three wins in one takedown matches.

First round match to watch:

Jared Keslar v Bryce Hepner: With four allocations on the line, this first-round bout will put the winner in a much better position to punch their ticket to Cleveland. Hepner won their match in the dual 4-2 and I would expect this one to be close as well, as both of these guys tend to have low scoring matches. The winner of this bout will face Will Denny and will need some momentum from this match to put them in a good spot against the top seed.

174 Pounds (3 Allocations)

1. Luca Augustine PITT 11-4 (6-0)

2. Matty Singleton NCST 13-3 (5-1)

3. Aidan Wallace DUKE 25-4 (2-1)

4. Sergio Desiante VT 18-12 (2-4)

5. Nick Hamilton UVA 7-6 (2-3)

6. Collin Carrigan UNC 13-10 (2-4)

7. Collin Guffey STAN 6-16 (0-6)

This was the most surprising weight for allocations in my mind. I knew that Desiante would be on the bubble, but I thought he would sneak in a 4th slot, but no luck. Now this weight that features two reigning ACC Champions (Singleton at 174 and Hamilton at 165) and two other NCAA qualifiers will have only 3 tickets to Cleveland. Luca Augustine earned the top seed going undefeated in conference, including a sudden-victory win over Singleton. The returning All-American will come in at the two seed, looking to repeat his performance from last year and end the night on top of the podium. Aiden Wallace put together a solid season for the Blue Devils, going 5-1 in ACC duals--though he did not face Singleton, Desiante or Hamilton.

Desiante had a frustrating roller coaster of a season for the Hokies - he started the year 4-6 in November and had ups and downs throughout the year. He showed flashes of his potential but struggled to finish in big matches--the Hokies will need him to figure that out if they are hoping to win the conference and make a run for a trophy in Cleveland. The semifinals of this weight will be the critical round to watch and an upset anywhere could cause a lot of chaos.

First round match to watch:

Sergio Desiante v Nick Hamilton: The dual win for Desiante was probably his best in-conference performance this year. Hamilton has struggled to adjust from 165, where he was an ACC Champion and bloodround finisher last season. Hamilton has shown some growth throughout the year and seems to be in a good place coming into the tournament, so I’m hopeful that he is in his best form and able to make a run. Desiante has some decent wins, some really bad losses and some losses to good guys that probably should have been wins for him. The Hokies will need him to get over that hump and win some big matches if they want to make noise this March.

184 Pounds (4 Allocations)

1. Chase Kranitz PITT 14-7 (6-1)

2. Abraham Wojcikiewicz STAN 14-10 (4-2)

3. Jaden Bullock VT 17-10 (6-2)

4. Jake Dailey UNC 17-3 (3-2)

5. Don Cates NCST 6-10 (2-5)

6. Griffin Gammell UVA 11-11 (0-4)

7. David Hussey 3-16 (0-5)

184 is arguably the most wide open weight in the conference. Chase Kranitz had an incredible run in conference duals to earn the top seed; Wojcikiewicz has two losses in the ACC but both are to Kranitz. Bullock had a very slow start to the season - he was 4-6 in November, but seemed to figure some things out in the second semester; he is on an eight-match winning streak going into the ACC tournament. Jake Dailey had an incredible redshirt freshman season, putting together 17-3 record and coming into the tournament ranked #15. Dailey has 3 losses on the year, one to #3 Aeoden Sinclair and two to Jaden Bullock. The four allocations seem pretty cut and dried at this weight, barring an incredible run from Cates, Gammell or Hussey.

First round match to watch:

Jake Dailey v Donald Cates: I don’t expect an upset here, Dailey won in the dual 15-5. I’m watching to see what form Dailey is in to start the day. He did not wrestle in the Tar Heels final dual against Stanford, so he should be rested and ready to go.

197 Pounds (3 Allocations)

1. Angelo Posada STAN 15-4 (6-0)

2. Mac Stout PITT 16-3 (5-1)

3. Sonny Sasso VT 22-5 (4-2)

4. Patrick Brophy NCST 10-5 (2-4)

5. Robert Platt UNC 13-10 (2-4)

6. Steven Burrell Jr. UVA 9-10 (2-4)

7. Owen McGrory DUKE 5-18 (0-6)

197 only got 3 allocations. There is a clear separation between the top three seeds on the bottom four, but the top 3 seeds are all separated by razor-thin margins and this bracket should shake out in many ways. All-American and returning ACC Champion Mac Stout was a heavy favorite coming into this season, but true freshman Angelo Posada put together an incredible season, including a win over Stout, to take the top seed. Posada is 15-4 on the year and comes in ranked #8 in the country; his losses on the year are to #1 Josh Barr, #5 Justin Rademacher, #6 Bennett Berge and #7 Cody Merrill. Stout had another impressive year but has one loss that stands out - a sudden victory loss to Dillon Bechtold. Sasso shook off a slow start to put together an impressive season, including wins over #3 Joey Novak and #7 Cody Merrill. Brophy has looked better at the end of the year and has the ability to cause some havoc in this bracket.

First round matches to watch:

Patrick Brophy v Robert Platt: Brophy was an NCAA qualifier for The Citadel last year and will have to pull off at least one upset to make that happen again. He will have to be in top form and it will start in the opening round against Platt.

Sonny Sasso v Stephen Burrell: Sasso is the heavy favorite here and the Hokies will be looking for bonus points at every opportunity. Burrell is dangerous, though. He is explosive and can catch anyone at the right opportunity.

285 Pounds (4 Allocations)

1. Isaac Trumble NCST 13-0 (5-0)

2. Dayton Pitzer PITT 14-5 (5-1)

3. Jimmy Mullen VT 19-6 (3-2)

4. Connor Barket DUKE 19-5 (3-3)

5. Brenan Morgan UVA 11-8 (1-4)

6. Jacob Levy UNC 17-6 (0-3)

7. Luke Duthie STAN 9-12 (0-4)

The four allocations at 285 seem cut and dry for the top four seeds, but Brennan Morgan and Jacob Levy are both dangerous and could cause some problems. Returning All-American Isaac Trumble earned the top seed, going undefeated on the year and in conference and will be looking to take out reigning ACC Champion Dayton Pitzer to take the title. Pitzer was a bloodround finisher last year, he has had a solid season, but doesn’t have any marquee wins; his losses aren’t bad, his worst being to #16 Spencer Lanosga. Jimmy Mullen had a good year for the Hokies and seems to be coming into his own this season. He had a couple questionable losses to start the year but has gotten better and more consistent as the season went on. Connor Barket has been one of the highlights for Duke this year, coming in at the fourth seed, he will need to show that consistency he has this year to make it through to Cleveland. Jacob Levy was a late-season addition when Nolan Neves went down for the Tar Heels and Brennan Morgan has been on the edge of breaking through this year--both have a shot to make a name this weekend.

First round matches to watch:

Connor Barket v Brennan Morgan: Barket is the clear favorite here, but Morgan is scrappy and can create flurries that end up in a pin for him. Barket will have to be ready to go from the first whistle.

Jimmy Mullen v Jacob Levy: Similar to the other match - Mullen is a heavy favorite, but he will need to be ready to go to avoid a potential upset bid from Levy.

With only two weeks left of regular season duals, every match is becoming more important for seeding at the ACC Championships. We have two ranked versus ranked duals in the ACC this week with the Tar Heels traveling north to face the Hokies and the Panthers making the West Coast trip to face the Cardinal. The final ACC dual of the week completes the Triangle duals with NC State facing Duke in Durham. 

#13 North Carolina at #6 Virginia Tech

Last season, North Carolina pulled off a major upset over Virginia Tech that helped secure them a share of the ACC dual title. The Hokies will look to keep that from happening tonight and maintain sole possession of first place in the ACC. This is the first match of a busy weekend for the Hokies, who will also host #3 Oklahoma State on Sunday--I will break that matchup down in full this weekend. 

There are some excellent individual matchups to watch in this one, and it is the ACC dual of the week on ACCNetwork. There are six ranked versus ranked matchups in this one and several of them can have major seeding implications. At 125, Eddie Ventresca will look to keep his record unblemished in the ACC against a dangerous Kysen Terukina, with true freshman Aaron Seidel looking to do the same at 133 against veteran Ethan Oakley. 141 could be a big match if Luke Simcox returns to the lineup; he has made his way into the top-10, but has been out of the lineup the last two duals. He would face a gritty Tom Crook. 157 is a sneaky good matchup to keep an eye on and both 165 and 184 will be big matches for seeding. 

125 #13 Kysen Terukina v #3 Eddie Ventresca

133 #27 Ethan Oakley or Matthew Botello v #6 Aaron Seidel

141 #10 Luke Simcox or Nick O'Neill v #22 Tom Crook

149 Nate Askew v Noah Nininger or Drew Gorman

157 #25 Laird Root v #16 Ethen Miller

165 #12 Bryce Hepner v #33 Mac Church

174 Collin Carrigan v #30 Sergio Desiante

184 #13 Jake Dailey v #32 Jaden Bullock

197 Robert Platt v #14 Sonny Sasso

285 Jacob Levy v #17 Jimmy Mullen

#12 Pittsburgh at #22 Stanford

Stanford has had a two-week break from ACC competition after their double weekend in Virginia; they won a lopsided dual against Cal Poly last week 43-3. Pittsburgh is coming off a close loss to NC State at home and is hoping to rebound against Stanford. This dual is very lopsided with Stanford having the strength of their lineup in the lightweights with Pittsburgh holding the advantage at the upperweights. There are some solid individual matchups in this one, but three of them really stand out to me. At 149, Kade Brown has been seeming to find his groove lately, despite a tight 4-1 loss to Koy Buesgens last week; he will face Aden Valencia who has shown that he can hang with (and beat) almost anyone in the country. Dylan Evans has shown some flashes this year--including winning the Midlands--and will face the very dangerous All-American Daniel Cardenas; this match will be big for seeing. The match of the dual is at 197 featuring All-American Mac Stout and one of the national leaders in pins, Angelo Posada. They have wildly different styles and if they both open up, this could be a very, very fun match. 

125 Tyler Chappell v #10 Nico Provo

133 #26 Evan Tallmadge v #7 Tyler Knox

141 Briar Priest or #29 Anthony Santaniello v #17 Jack Consiglio or Adam Mattin

149 #23 Kade Brown v #13 Aden Valencia

157 #17 Dylan Evans v #10 Daniel Cardenas

165 #32 Jared Keslar v EJ Parco

174 #15 Luca Augustine v Collin Guffey

184 #27 Chase Kranitz v #29 Abe Wojcikiewicz

197 #8 Mac Stout v #13 Angelo Posada

285 #15 Dayton Pitzer v Luke Duthie

#8 NC State at Duke

NC State has dominated the cross-Triangle matchup in recent years, and I wouldn’t expect any different tonight. From the lineup they put out, we will see several non-starters for the Pack - due to rest and/or injury--they are hoping to be back at full strength when they host Cornell next week. There are a couple things to watch in this one, starting at 149. Dylan Ross has been on a run for the Blue Devils but will face one of the top wrestlers in the country in Koy Buesgens. Aiden Wallace is looking to continue his solid run in the conference and gain some seeding momentum, though we won’t see him face All-American Matty Singleton tonight. The only ranked versus ranked matchup will be at 285 with #2 Isaac Trumble looking to maintain his undefeated status and lock up the top seed in the ACC against #23 Conner Barket. 

125  Brad Yokum v Spencer von Savoye

133  Zach Redding v Riley Rowan

141 #13 Ryan Jack v Raymond Adams

149 #8 Koy Buesgens v Dylan Ross

157 Luca Felix v Mikey Boulanger

165 #10 Will Denny v Aurelius Dunbar OR Logan Fite

174 Latrell Schafer v #23 Aidan Wallace

184  Don Cates v David Hussey

197  Patrick Brophy v Owen McGrory

285  #2 Isaac Trumble v #23 Connor Barket

We have made it to the back half of the ACC dual season and with a win in Raleigh last weekend, Virginia Tech is atop the standings as the lone unbeaten team, with NC State and Pittsburgh within striking distance with one loss each. The Wolfpack and Panthers will square off tonight in Pittsburgh to see who can keep their dual title hopes alive in what should be a great matchup. North Carolina hosts Duke after a tough loss to Pittsburgh last week; UNC announced that Nolan Neves is done for the season and they will rely on freshman Jacob Levy at 285. Virginia will host the Hokies in the Commonwealth Clash and will look to build some momentum and pick up some important wins for seeding at the ACC tournament. The dual to watch this weekend is in Pittsburgh, but there are some great individual matches to watch in each dual.

#9 North Carolina State at #12 Pittsburgh

The marquee matchup of the week goes down in Pittsburgh and will feature six ranked-versus-ranked matchups. There are some big ones here with ACC seeding implications.

Vince Robinson has dropped two straight to Nico Provo and Eddie Ventresca and will look to rebound against Tyler Chappell, who has a couple of sneaky good wins on the year. If Santaniello is back from injury, he has a style that could challenge Ryan Jack at 141. Koy Buesgens is coming off his second loss of the year and will be looking to send a message against a dangerous Kade Brown. The upper weights have some great matches to watch. Denny and Keslar could be fun if they both open up. Matty Singleton and Luca Augustine have a history of tight bouts and I expect no difference here. Patrick Brophy wrestled one of his best matches of the year last week against Sonny Sasso and will try for an upset over Mac Stout, who seems to be finding a good rhythm. On paper, Isaac Trumble and Dayton Pitzer should be a tight bout, but Trumble has been on a different level this year, and though he has looked great lately, Pitzer has some questionable losses this year.

125 #5 Vincent Robinson v Tyler Chappell

133 Zach Redding v #23 Evan Tallmadge

141 #13 Ryan Jack v #29 Anthony Santaniello

149 #8 Koy Buesgens v #21 Kade Brown

157 Luca Felix/Brogan Tucker v #17 Dylan Evans

165 #10 Will Denny v #33 Jared Keslar

174 #6 Matty Singleton v #18 Luca Augustine

184 Don Cates v #27 Chase Kranitz

197 #24 Patrick Brophy v #8 Mac Stout

285 #2 Isaac Trumble v #15 Dayton Pitzer

Duke at #14 North Carolina

There aren’t a lot of great matchups here as the top guys from Duke don’t match up well with Tar Heels. Dylan Ross has been wrestling very well lately for the Blue Devils and is notching some good ACC wins. Aidan Wallace will look to continue a good conference run against Collin Carrigan and Jacob Levy will get another tough test as he takes the starting spot at 285 against Conner Barket.

125 Spencer Von Savoy v #14 Kysen Terukina

133 Riley Rowan v #24 Ethan Oakley

141 Raymond Adams v #10 Luke Simcox

149 Dylan Ross v Nate Askew

157 Mikey Boulanger v #28 Laird Root

165 Aurelis Dunbar v #13 Bryce Hepner

174 #23 Aidan Wallace v Collin Carrigan

184 David Hussey v  #13 Jake Dailey

197 Owen McGrory v Robert Platt

285 #23 Conner Barket v Jacob Levy

#8 Virginia Tech at Virginia

The Commonwealth Clash goes down tonight in Charlottesville. The Hokies have been on top of this rivalry for the better part of the last two decades and certainly have the edge tonight. There are some fun matches to keep an eye on tonight, though. The depth of 125 in the conference will be on display with Eddie Ventresca trying to keep his conference undefeated streak alive against a tough Keyveon Roller. Marlon Yarbrough presents a very different body type and style than most 133s in the conference, facing Aaron Seidel, who is coming in with a 100% bonus rate. 157 should be scrappy with Ethen Miller and Wynton Denkins. The match of the night should be at 174 with Sergio Desiante and Nick Hamilton. This weight is wide open in the conference and this will be big for seeding. 

125 #3 Eddie Ventresca v #25 Keyveon Roller
133 #6 Aaron Seidel v Marlon Yarbrough
141 #22 Tom Crook/Drew Gorman v Gable Porter
149 #6 Collin Gaj v Colton Washleski
157 #16 Ethen Miller v #30 Wynton Denkins
165 Mac Church/#12 Ryan Burton v Michael Murphy
174 #31 Sergio Desiante v #27 Nick Hamilton
184 #32 Jaden Bullock v Dylan Newsome/Griff Gammell
197 #14 Sonny Sasso v Stephen Burrell
285 #17 Jimmy Mullen v Brenan Morgan

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 3 Scores

Pittsburgh 22 North Carolina 9

125 - Kysen Terukina (North Carolina) dec Tyler Chappell (Pittsburgh)  8-6
133 - Evan Tallmadge (Pittsburgh) dec Ethan Oakley (North Carolina)  8-2
141 - Briar Priest (Pittsburgh) dec Matt Botello (North Carolina)  2-0
149 - Kade Brown (Pittsburgh) dec Nick O’Neill (North Carolina)  10-3
157 - Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) dec Laird Root (North Carolina)  4-1
165 - Bryce Hepner (North Carolina) dec Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh)  4-2
174 - Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) dec Collin Carrigan (North Carolina)  3-1
184 - Jake Dailey (North Carolina) dec Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh)  7-3
197 - Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) dec Robert Platt (North Carolina)  4-1
285 - Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) maj Jacob Levy (North Carolina)  15-2

Virginia Tech 21 NC State 12

125 - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Vincent Robinson (NC State)  2-2RTTB
133 - Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech) tech Zach Redding (NC State)  16-0
141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) dec Tom Crook (Virginia Tech)  7-2
149 - Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) dec Koy Buesgens (NC State)  6-0
157 - Ethen Miller (Virginia Tech) maj Luca Felix (NC State)  12-1
165 - Will Denny (NC State) dec Ryan Burton (Virginia Tech)  8-5
174 - Matthew Singleton (NC State) dec Sergio DeSiante (Virginia Tech)  5-4
184 - Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech) dec Donald Cates (NC State)  2-0
197 - Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech) dec Patrick Brophy (NC State)  11-10
285 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) dec Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech)  7-0

Virginia 28 Duke 9

125 - Rocco Hayes (Virginia) maj Spencer Von Savoye (Duke)  12-1
133 - Kyle Montaperto (Virginia) tech Riley Rowan (Duke)  17-1
141 - Gable Porter (Virginia) tech Raymond Adams (Duke)  15-0
149 - Dylan Ross (Duke) dec Wynton Denkins (Virginia)  2-1
157 - Colton Washleski (Virginia) maj Michael Boulanger (Duke)  12-3
165 - Michael Murphy (Virginia) dec Aurelius Dunbar (Duke)  8-4
174 - Aidan Wallace (Duke) dec Mason Stefanelli (Virginia)  7-5
184 - Dylan Newsome (Virginia) dec David Hussey (Duke)  5-0
197 - Steven Burrell (Virginia) maj Owen McGrory (Duke)  12-4
285 - Connor Barket (Duke) dec Brenan Morgan (Virginia)  4-2

NC State 24 North Carolina 10

The Pack maintained its grip on the in-state rivalry, beating the Tar Heels for the 13th straight year. There were some tight matches and a few upsets, but the Pack won the last four bouts to put the dual away. The biggest stories here were the upsets; freshman Luke Simcox took out former All-American Ryan Jack in a 2-1 bout,and freshman Will Denny earned a major decision over Bryce Hepner and Zach Redding ended the dual with an upset over Ethan Oakley.

125 - Vincent Robinson (NC State) dec Kysen Terukina (North Carolina)  4-2

133 - Zach Redding (NC State) dec Ethan Oakley (North Carolina)  8-2

141 - Luke Simcox (North Carolina) dec Ryan Jack (NC State)  2-1

149 - Koy Buesgens (NC State) maj Nate Askew (North Carolina)  15-3

157 - Lair Root (North Carolina) dec Luca Felix (NC State)  7-2

165 - Will Denny (NC State) maj Bryce Hepner (North Carolina)  10-2

174 - Matty Singleton (NC State) dec Collin Carrigan (North Carolina)  8-3

184 - Jake Dailey (North Carolina) maj Donald Cates (NC State)  15-5

197 - Patrick Brophy (NC State) dec Robert Platt (North Carolina)  8-1

285 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) maj Nolan Neves (North Carolina)  8-0

Virginia Tech 22 Stanford 14

We expected a good dual in Blacksburg, and the Hokies and Cardinal delivered. Eddie Ventresca opened the dual with a controlling win over Nico Provo, who was coming off an upset of NCAA Champion Vince Robinson. True freshman Aaron Seidel made his Cassell Coliseum debut with a dominating major decision over returning All-American Tyler Knox - Seidel is now 11-0 on the year and this was his first match to go a full seven minutes. Jack Consiglio continued his run with an upset win over Tom Crook, followed by another true freshman, Collin Gaj, with an upset win over Aden Valencia in the top-10 battle. Angelo Posada looked fantastic in a major decision win over Sonny Sasso and Jimmy Mullen put the dual away for the Hokies with a first-period pin.

125 - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec Nico Provo (Stanford)  6-1

133 - Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech) maj Tyler Knox (Stanford)  12-0

141 - Jack Consiglio (Stanford) dec Tom Crook (Virginia Tech)  6-5

149 - Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) dec Aden Valencia (Stanford)  2-1

157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) maj Ethen Miller (Virginia Tech)  11-2

165 - Ryan Burton (Virginia Tech) dec EJ Parco (Stanford)  8-2

174 - Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech) dec Collin Guffey (Stanford)  8-6

184 - Abe Wojcikiewicz (Stanford) dec Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech)  6-4

197 - Angelo Posada (Stanford) maj Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech)  12-4

285 - Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) fall Jackson Mankowski (Stanford)  2:58

Stanford 31 Virginia 9

In the second leg of their Virginia swing, the Cardinal had a statement win over Virginia, though the dual felt a lot closer than the score would suggest. Nico Provo used a late takedown and rideout for the decision win over Keyveon Roller. Tyler Knox and Marlon Yarbrough was a scramble-fest, Jack Consiglio went 2-0 on the weekend with a dominant win over Gable Porter, as did Daniel Cardenas, who picked up bonus-point wins in both duals. Angelo Posada added to his pin tally to climb higher up the national leader board, followed by a Brenan Morgan pin for the Hoos.

125 - Nico Provo (Stanford) dec Keyveon Roller (Virginia)  5-2

133 - Tyler Knox (Stanford) dec Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia)  9-4

141 - Jack Consiglio (Stanford) maj Gable Porter (Virginia)  9-1

149 - Aden Valencia (Stanford) dec Wynton Denkins (Virginia)  6-2

157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) tech Colton Washleski (Virginia)  21-6

165 - Nick Sanko (Virginia) dec EJ Parco (Stanford)  8-3

174 - Collin Guffey (Stanford) dec Nick Hamilton (Virginia)  7-3

184 - Abe Wojcikiewicz (Stanford) maj Griffin Gammell (Virginia)  9-1

197 - Angelo Posada (Stanford) fall Stephen Burrell (Virginia)  2:13

285 - Brenan Morgan (Virginia) fall Luke Duthie (Stanford)  1:42

Virginia Tech at North Carolina State

This dual has determined at least a share of the ACC dual title the past 11 years - and there is a high likelihood it will again tonight as well. The atmosphere will be electric in Reynolds for what has become a must-see annual dual.

There are multiple must-see matches in this one. 125 pits reigning NCAA Champ against two time All-American Eddie Ventresca; Ventresca is undefeated in their three previous matches. 149 is another top-10 matchup featuring true freshman Collin Gaj and Koy Buesgens, who has been a dominant force all season. We will see other top-10 guys in Aaron Seidel, Matty Singleton, and Isaac Trumble - both teams will need others to step up, as well.

The “swing” matches are at 141, 157, 165, 184 and 197. This will be the first national broadcast of ACC Friday Night Duals on ACCNetwork with Rock and Shawn on the call. I’m heading to Raleigh as soon as I hit send on this preview. I’ve learned in my time covering the ACC that this is a dual where I always want a front-row seat.

125: #3 Eddie Ventresca v #5 Vince Robinson

133: #7 Aaron Seidel v #33 Zach Redding/Troy Hohman

141: #22 Tom Crook v #13 Ryan Jack

149: #9 Collin Gaj v #5 Koy Buesgens

157: #16 Ethen Miller v Luca Felix/Brogan Tucker

165: Mac Church/#12 Ryan Burton v #13 Will Denny

174: #31 Sergio Desiante v #6 Matty Singleton

184: #32 Jaden Bullock v Donald Cates

197: #16 Sonny Sasso v #25 Patrick Brophy

285: #16 Jimmy Mullen v #2 Isaac Trumble

Pittsburgh at North Carolina

This is one of those sneaky good duals in the ACC this season. Both teams have some great wins on the year and have ranked guys throughout the lineup--they also both have one dual loss in the ACC and need the win here to keep hope alive for a share of the dual title. This will be an interesting matchup with UNC being stronger at the lower weights and Pitt being favored in the upper weights. Some great matches to keep an eye on - 157 with Dylan Evans and Laird Root could be a fun one, different styles and two guys who will go after points. I’m interested in 184 - Jake Dailey has been strong for the Tar Heels all year and Chase Kranitz seems to be finding his groove for the Panthers. The other one I’m looking at is 165, Keslar has looked better every week and Hepner is coming off a tough loss - this will be an important match for both teams.

125: Tyler Chappel v #15 Kysen Terukina

133: #30 Evan Tallmadge v #19 Ethan Oakley

141: #29 Anthony Santaniello/Briar Priest v #10 Luke Simcox

149: #20 Kade Brown v Nate Askew

157: #17 Dylan Evans v #28 Laird Root

165: #33 Jared Keslar v #14 Bryce Hepner

174: #19 Luca Augustine v Collin Carrigan

184: #28 Chase Kranitz v #13 Jake Dailey

197: #8 Mac Stout v Robert Platt

285: #15 Dayton Pitzer v Jacob Levy

Virginia at Duke

This will be an important dual for both teams to try to get some momentum going into the back half of the ACC duals. Duke seems to have settled into their lineup and has been led by Aidan Wallace and Connor Barket. The Hoos have had different guys stand out throughout the year and are seeking more consistency going into the postseason; Keyveon Roller and Gable Porter have been solid all year, while transfers Wynton Denkins and Colton Washleski have provided some veteran presence and some grittiness in the middle of the lineup. I’m pleased that we are seeing Nick Hamilton seeming to find his stride after a rocky start at a new weight. The biggest matchup of the dual is at 174 with Nick Hamilton and Aidan Wallace both coming in ranked and looking for an important win for ACC seeding.

125: #25 Keyveon Roller v Riley Rowan

133: Marlon Yarbrough v John King

141: Gable Porter v Raymond Adams

149: Wynton Denkins v  Dylan Ross

157: #32 Colton Washleski v Mikey Boulanger

165: Nick Sanko/Michael Murphy v Aurelis Dunbar

174: #27 Nick Hamilton v #23 Aidan Wallace

184: Dylan Newsom/Griff Gammell/Jack Lesher v David Hussey

197: Stephen Burrell v Owen McGrory

285: Brenan Morgan v #23 Connor Barket

All eyes have been on the 133 lb weight class since 2025 Senior World Team member Jax Forrest graduated early and enrolled at Oklahoma State University. The weight class was already an intriguing mix of young and old. Both NCAA finalists (Lucas Byrd/Drake Ayala) returned, along with All-Americans Evan Frost, Tyler Knox, and Jacob Van Dee. 2024 All-American Ryan Crookham just made his season debut and reminded the wrestling world that he’s a serious national title contender. And the freshmen. Marcus Blaze was one of the top recruits in the Class of 2025. Redshirt freshman Ben Davino had an impressive redshirt year and was already making an impact. Kyler Larkin has emerged as a podium threat and one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch at this weight.

And then some news emerged from Blacksburg, Virginia, that made fans anticipate this weight just a little bit more. Virginia Tech redshirt freshman Dillon Campbell (also ranked #11 in the country) was lost for the season, which meant Tony Robie’s team would have to turn to true freshman Aaron Seidel, the #15 overall recruit from 2025.

Seidel had turned heads with his performance at the Midlands. He pinned or teched his way to a title, defeating Big Ten champion and NCAA All-American Dylan Shawver, as well as Cuban international star Reineri Andreu Ortega in along the way.

A few weeks later, Seidel won the F&M Open with six straight tech falls.

The announcement that Seidel would be pulled from redshirt and “the guy” for the remainder of the season coincided with the Hokies' duel against Stanford. The Cardinal features one of those returning All-Americans, Knox, at 133 lbs.

Right away, Seidel would have the best test of his young collegiate career with the #7 Knox. Unfortunately for Seidel, his streak of ending matches before the seven-minute mark did not continue. That was the only negative; however, as Seidel dominated the returning All-American. Knox is known for his scrambling ability and mat wrestling and Seidel surpassed him in both areas, while posting a 12-0 major decision. Seidel tried to use every bit of his seven minutes to work, adding back points in the final seconds of the match.

Now, we have to factor in Seidel to this already loaded weight class.

Seidel was a three-time Pennsylvania state champion, as well as a two-time Fargo Junior freestyle finalist (1x champion) and a three-time top-three placewinner (1x champion) at the Super 32. 

If the season ended today and InterMat’s rankings were used as NCAA seeds, a quarterfinals could look like this:

#1 Lucas Byrd vs. #8 Jacob Van Dee, #2 Ben Davino vs. #7 Tyler Knox, #3 Evan Frost vs. #6 Kyler Larkin, and #4 Marcus Blaze vs. #5 Ryan Crookham.

Of course, the rankings will change, and this doesn’t even factor in Forrest or Seidel. The NCAA quarterfinals/semifinals will be an ice cream headache of greatness for our fans, no matter who is seeded where.

Being an older guy, I’m always partial to the 2008 NCAA 149 lb bracket as being the toughest of all time. Give it four or five years to see how the rest of these careers play out, I think we might have one that could rival that great 2008 crew.

A busy week two will lead to a pretty light week three, but we will see some great ACC action this weekend. Looking back at week two and looking ahead to week three in the ACC.

Pittsburgh 17 West Virginia 15

We didn’t see the full starting contingent for the Panthers, but they came away with a ranked win. Dylan Evans had a tight match with Ty Watters and looked solid in a loss. Chase Kranitz had a huge upset win and Mac Stout continued his recent run with a ranked win over Rune Lawrence.

125 - Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia) dec Matt Marlow (Pittsburgh)  9-3

133 - Gunner Andrick (West Virginia) dec Evan Tallmadge (Pittsburgh)  4-1SV

141 - Jordan Titus (West Virginia) dec Briar Priest (Pittsburgh)  2-0

149 - Kade Brown (Pittsburgh) maj TJ Langley (West Virginia)  12-3

157 - Ty Watters (Pittsburgh) dec Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh)  5-1

165 - Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) dec Leo Contino (West Virginia)  3-2

174 - Brody Conley (West Virginia) dec Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh)  4-1

184 - Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh) dec Ian Bush (West Virginia)  4-2

197 - Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) dec Rune Lawrence (West Virginia)  4-1

285 - Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) maj Brock Kehler (West Virginia)  12-1

North Carolina 25 Virginia 10

North Carolina continued their quietly strong run through this season. Most matches went according to rankings, but UNC came away with an upset win from Luke Simcox - who hit a beautiful Jonesy to open the match up and a solid win to cap the dual from Ethan Oakely over a very tough Marlon Yarbrough, who returned to the lineup last week. The Hoos had good wins from Wynton Denkins and Nick Hamilton.

125 - Keyveon Roller (Virginia) maj Cam Stinson (North Carolina)  11-2

133 - Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) dec Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia)  8-1

141 - Luke Simcox (North Carolina) dec Gable Porter (Virginia)  8-3

149 - Wynton Denkins (Virginia) dec Nate Askew (North Carolina)  4-1

157 - Laird Root (North Carolina) dec Colton Washleski (Virginia)  15-14

165 - Bryce Hepner (North Carolina) dec Michael Murphy (Virginia)  6-0

174 - Nick Hamilton (Virginia) dec Collin Carrigan (North Carolina)  4-2

184 - Jake Dailey (North Carolina) tech Dylan Newsome (Virginia)  21-5

197 - Robert Platt (North Carolina) tech Stephen Burrell (Virginia)  20-4

285 - Nolan Neves (North Carolina) dec Brenan Morgan (Virginia)  7-2

Virginia Tech 39 Appalachian State 0

Not much to write about here. The Hokies took care of business. Drew Gorman stepped in to give Tom Crook a match off and looked solid. Jaden Bullock avenged a loss and picked up a ranked win over Tomas Brooker.

125 - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) tech Colby McBride (Appalachian State)  21-5

133 - Dillon Campbell (Virginia Tech) dec Jarvis Little (Appalachian State)  4-0

141 - Drew Gorman (Virginia Tech) tech Aldo Hernandez (Appalachian State)  16-0

149 - Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) maj Kaden Keiser (Appalachian State)  10-2

157 - Ethen Miller (Virginia Tech) dec Jeremiah Price (Appalachian State)  6-3

165 - Mac Church (Virginia Tech) maj Anthony Conetta (Appalachian State)  9-0

174 - Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech) tech Joe Zovitoski (Appalachian State)  19-2

184 - Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech) dec Tomas Brooker (Appalachian State)  8-6

197 - Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech) maj Logan Eller (Appalachian State)  8-0

285 - Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) dec Stephan Monchery (Appalachian State)  12-6

NC State 21 Stanford 20

The Wolfpack picked up another close ACC win on their trip to the West Coast. Ryan Jack came back off an upset loss to get a pin over Jack Consiglio and Koy Buesgens had a dominating win over a very good Aden Valencia for the Pack. Two big notes for the Cardinal - a huge upset win at 125 for Nico Provo over NCAA Champion Vince Robinson in sudden victory and Angelo Posada with another pin for the Trees over a ranked Patrick Brophy.

125 - Nico Provo (Stanford) dec Vincent Robinson (NC State)  4-1SV

133 - Tyler Knox (Stanford) dec Troy Hohman (NC State)  5-3

141 - Ryan Jack (NC State) fall Jack Consiglio (Stanford)  2:50

149 - Koy Buesgens (NC State) maj Aden Valencia (Stanford)  14-5

157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) tech Brogan Tucker (NC State)  21-5

165 - Will Denny (NC State) dec EJ Parco (Stanford)  6-5

174 - Matthew Singleton (NC State) dec Collin Guffey (Stanford)  8-2

184 - Abe Wojcikiewicz (Stanford) dec Donald Cates (NC State)  8-5

197 - Angelo Posada (Stanford) fall Patrick Brophy (NC State)  1:36

285 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) tech Luke Duthie (Stanford)  22-6

Pittsburgh 40 Duke 0

The Panthers capped off a double this weekend with a shutout of the Blue Devils. Not a lot of surprises here. Luca Augustine had a good win over Aidan Wallace, who has been on a run lately and Dayton Pitzer picked up a sudden victory win over a gritty Connor Barket.

125 - Tyler Chappell (Pittsburgh) maj Spencer Von Savoye (Duke)  9-1

133 - Evan Tallmadge (Pittsburgh) tech Riley Rowan (Duke)  17-1

141 - Briar Priest (Pittsburgh) tech Raymond Adams (Duke)  16-0

149 - Kade Brown (Pittsburgh) dec Dylan Ross (Duke)  5-3

157 - Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) tech Mikey Boulanger (Duke)  20-4

165 - Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) dec Aurelius Dunbar (Duke)  4-1

174 - Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) dec Aidan Wallace (Duke)  5-1

184 - Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh) maj David Hussey (Duke)  15-2

197 - Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) tech Owen McGrory (Duke)  20-3

285 - Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) dec Connor Barket (Duke)  8-5SV

Moving into week three of ACC duals, we will have an in-state rivalry between North Carolina and NC State and a Virginia swing for Stanford, hitting Virginia Tech Friday, and Virginia Saturday, before trying to escape the impending winter storm. There are some great individual matchups with significant ACC implications, as well as dual title implications, with both North Carolina teams coming in undefeated in conference duals.

#11 North Carolina at #9 North Carolina State

UNC is looking for a major upset in Raleigh tonight and will rely on the youth in their lineup to make it happen. I see several toss-up matches here and three big ones to watch that will determine how this dual shakes out. At 125, Kysen Terukina comes in with only one loss on the year against the reigning NCAA Champion Vince Robinson, who just lost his second match of the year to an ACC opponent. Luke Simcox has put together a great freshman season, but will have to battle veteran and All-American Ryan Jack at 141. The other big match I’m keeping an eye on is at 165. Bryce Hepner has made the most of his transfer to Chapel Hill and will face a dangerous and young Will Denny, who has some big wins, and some tough losses already on the season. NC State has won its first two ACC duals by a total of three points - there is potential for another close one tonight.

125: #15 Kysen Terukina v #5 Vince Robinson

133: #18 Ethan Oakley v Troy Hohman

141: #17 Luke Simcox v #12 Ryan Jack

149: Nate Askew v #5 Koy Buesgens

157: #28 Laird Root v Brogan Tucker

165: #10 Bryce Hepner v #15 Will Denny

174: Collin Carrigan v #5 Matty Singleton

184: #13 Jake Dailey v Donald Cates

197: #33 Robert Platt v #26 Patrick Brophy

285: #28 Nolan Neves v #2 Isaac Trumble

#24 Stanford at #8 Virginia Tech

There are some heavy hitting individual matches in this dual that will have major implications on ACC tournament seeding. We learned last week that the Cardinal lost two starters - Hunter Garvin and Lorenzo Norman - for the year with injuries, and we learned this week that the Hokies have lost Dillon Campbell for the year. We will see the dual debut of Aaron Seidel, a highly touted prospect who is 11-0 on the year with a Midlands title. None of his matches have gone the distance; he has a fall or a tech fall in every match he has wrestled this season.

The key matches we will see are at 125 with the two wrestlers who hold wins over the reigning NCAA champ this year in Nico Provo and Eddie Ventresca. This will be followed by All-American Tyler Knox facing Aaron Seidel in his dual debut. 149 and 157 are also both big-ranked matches with Aden Valencia hitting Collin Gaj and Daniel Cardenas facing Ethen Miller. And for a matchup with potential fireworks, look no further than 197 where we see two wide-open pinners in Angelo Posada and Sonny Sasso. I’m heading down to Blacksburg shortly. This should be a fun dual.

125: #12 Nico Provo v #3 Eddie Ventresca

133: #7 Tyler Knox v Aaron Seidel

141: #18 Jack Consiglio v #22 Tom Crook

149: #9 Aden Valencia v #10 Collin Gaj

157: #10 Daniel Cardenas v #16 Ethen Miller

165: EJ Parco v Mac Church

174: Collin Guffey v #33 Sergio Desiante

184: #33 Abe Wojcikiewicz v #31 Jaden Bullock

197: #17 Angelo Posada v #15 Sonny Sasso

285: Luke Duthie v #16 Jimmy Mullen

#24 Stanford at Virginia

Stanford will finish their Virginia swing with a short turnaround. This dual was moved up a few hours due to the winter storm bearing down on the East Coast--I’m hopeful the California crew is able to make it back home quickly.

Big matches to watch out for here are again at the lower weights. Nico Provo wraps up a tough weekend with a dangerous Keyveon Roller and Tyler Knox will get a very hungry Marlon Yarbrough. Gable Porter will look to get back on the winning side against Jack Consiglio, who has been solid for the Cardinal all year. The matches at 149 and 157 could be fun, as all four of these guys are willing to let it fly. Virginia will have a battle to be able to come away with the win, but they have a path; Stanford will have a short time to reset after a tough Friday night dual and a long road trip.

125: #12 Nico Provo v#23 Keyveon Roller

133: #7 Tyler Knox v #33 Marlon Yarbrough

141: #18 Jack Consiglio v Gable Porter

149: #9 Aden Valencia v Wynton Denkins

157: #10 Daniel Cardenas v Colton Washleski

165: EJ Parco v Michael Murphy

174: Collin Guffey v #27 Nick Hamilton

184: #33 Abe Wojcikiewicz v Dylan Newsom/Griff Gammell/Jack Lesher

197: #17 Angelo Posada v Stephen Burrell

285: Luke Duthie v Brenan Morgan

The opening week of ACC duals did not disappoint. We had two very close duals (and near upsets) on the East Coast and a dominant victory from Stanford on the West Coast. Let's take a look at the results from week one and preview what we will see in ACC action in week two.

NC State 19 Virginia 17

UVA jumped out to an early lead and nearly pulled off a major upset. The biggest notes of the match were the return of Marlon Yarbrough for the Hoos, the biggest upset (so far) of ACC duals with Gable Porter knocking off Ryan Jack, Matty Singleton with a controlling win over Nick Hamilton and a clutch pin from Isaac Trumble to win the dual for the Pack.

125 - Rocco Hayes (Virginia) maj Bradley Yokum (NC State)  13-3

133 - Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia) dec Troy Hohman (NC State)  6-5

141 - Gable Porter (Virginia) dec Ryan Jack (NC State)  4-2

149 - Koy Buesgens (NC State) dec Wynton Denkins (Virginia)  11-5

157 - Colton Washleski (Virginia) maj Brogan Tucker (NC State)  13-4

165 - Will Denny (NC State) maj Michael Murphy (Virginia)  9-1

174 - Matthew Singleton (NC State) dec Nick Hamilton (Virginia)  7-1

184 - Donald Cates (NC State) dec Griffin Gammell (Virginia)  17-12

197 - Steven Burrell (Virginia) dec Patrick Brophy (NC State)  11-8

285 - Isaac Trumble (NC State) fall Brenan Morgan (Virginia)  7:00

Virginia Tech 18 Pittsburgh 15

This dual was a tale of two halves. VT dominated the opening half of the dual, winning the first five matches, followed by Pittsburgh storming back after intermission to win the final five bouts. Eddie Ventresca continued his dominant run, Collin Gaj earned a close win over a tough Kade Brown, and Ethan Miller got his first dual win at 157 for the Hokies. Luca Augustine won in tie breakers over Sergio Desiante in what could be an ACC semifinal preview. Mac Stout looked better than he has all year in a dominating win over a scrappy Sonny Sasso and Dayton Pitzer won 1-0 over Jimmy Mullen in an ACC Finals rematch.

125 - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) tech Tyler Chappell (Pittsburgh)  19-4

133 - Dillon Campbell (Virginia Tech) dec Evan Tallmadge (Pittsburgh)  5-1

141 - Tom Crook (Virginia Tech) maj Anthony Santaniello (Pittsburgh)  8-0

149 - Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) dec Kade Brown (Pittsburgh)  5-4

157 - Ethen Miller (Virginia Tech) dec Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh)  4-2

165 - Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) dec Mac Church (Virginia Tech)  4-2

174 - Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) dec Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech)  2-1TB

184 - Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh) dec Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech)  9-6

197 - Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) dec Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech)  11-4

285 - Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) dec Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech)  1-0

Stanford 35 Duke 10

Stanford won in a dominating fashion, earning bonus points in six of seven matches despite missing several starters. Duke continued to see success from Dylan Ross, Aidan Wallace, and Connor Barket, who have been their stalwarts all year.

125 - Edwin Sierra (Stanford) tech Spencer Von Savoye (Duke)  19-4

133 - Tyler Knox (Stanford) fall Riley Rowan (Duke)  4:55

141 - Jack Consiglio (Stanford) dec Raymond Adams (Duke)  5-0

149 - Dylan Ross (Duke) maj Lain Yapoujian (Stanford)  14-1

157 - Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) tech Logan Fite (Duke)  17-2

165 - EJ Parco (Stanford) FFT

174 - Aidan Wallace (Duke) dec Colin Guffey (Stanford)  5-1

184 - Abe Wojcikiewicz (Stanford) tech David Hussey (Duke)  17-2

197 - Angelo Posada (Stanford) tech Owen McGrory (Duke)  21-5

285 - Connor Barket (Duke) dec Luke Duthie (Stanford)  5-3

____________________________________________________________________________

Looking forward to week two of ACC duals, we should have a couple more doozies. Virginia Tech is on their off week and will host Appalachian State in their annual dual at the Moss Arts Center - if you’ve never seen this dual in person, I highly recommend making a trip to Blacksburg. Pittsburgh will double up this weekend with a Friday dual against West Virginia before an ACC dual against Duke on Sunday. NC State will make the most of its West Coast trip to Stanford with a second dual against Cal State Bakersfield.

Coach Ayers announced on Wednesday that both Hunter Garvin and Lorenzo Norman would not return to the Stanford lineup this year and will have surgery to address their injuries - both had only wrestled in two matches this season. This announcement could be a major factor in how the ACC standings end up, as both were expected to contend for an ACC title at their weights going into this season.

Appalachian State at #8 Virginia Tech

There is a possibility we don’t see the full starting slate for the Hokies while some younger guys get matches. There will be a couple of ranked matchups here with Collin Gaj hitting Kaden Keiser at 149 and Jaden Bullock looking to rebound against Tomas Brooker who he lost to at the Southern Scuffle. Jimmy Mullen will have a tough matchup in Stephan Monchery, even if he isn’t ranked. Look for the Hokies to also send some starters to an open this weekend to get some matches toward RPI.

125: #4 Eddie Ventresca v Cooper Foster

133: #11 Dillon Campbell v Jarvis Little

141: #23 Tom Crook v Aldo Hernandez

149: #10 Collin Gaj v #33 Kaden Keiser

157: #16 Ethen Miller v Kai O’Dell

165: #15 Ryan Burton or Mac Church v Anthony Conetta

174: Sergio Desiante v Colt Campbell

184: Jaden Bullock v #25 Tomas Brooker

197: Sonny Sasso v Hunter Adams

285: Jimmy Mullen v Stephan Monchery

#22 West Virginia at #21 Pittsburgh

The Backyard Brawl has a few solid matchups this year and both teams always want to win this rivalry dual, so we should see some good battles. Evan Tallmadge has a chance for a big win over Andrick, who has looked impressive lately. Midland champ Dylan Evans will be looking for an even bigger upset over #4 Ty Watters, who was the top-ranked 157 until a loss to Larkin last week. Chase Kranitz can climb the rankings against Ian Bush and Mac Stout will face a game Rune Lawrence.

125: #8 Jett Strickenberger v Tyler Chappell

133: #20 Gunner Andrick v #30 Evan Tallmadge

141: Jordan Titus v #30 Anthony Santaniello

149: Willie McDougald v #23 Kade Brown

157: #4 Ty Waters v #17 Dylan Evans

165: Shawn Taylor v Jared Keslar

174: Brody Conley v #23 Luca Augustine

184: #19 Ian Bush v #33 Chase Kranitz

197: #21 Rune Lawrence v #11 Mac Stout

285: Brock Kehler v #15 Dayton Pitzer

#11 North Carolina at Virginia

This might be the sneakiest good dual of the week. UNC has climbed the rankings after a 6-0 start and is 7-1 entering ACC duals; UVA comes in at 8-4 after a busy dual schedule first semester and will be hosting its first home match of the season. I see this dual as a toss-up at nearly every weight. The opening five weights are going to be fun; all of them are pretty evenly matched and could help establish momentum for either team. The matches I have circled in this dual are Terukina/Roller, Oakley/Yarbrough, Simcox/Porter and Platt/Burrell. I’ll be there matside for this one and expect a great match.

125: #16 Kysen Terukina v #23 Keyveon Roller

133: #19 Ethan Oakley v Marlon Yarbrough

141: #20 Luke Simcox v Gable Porter

149: Nate Askew v Wynton Denkins

157: #31 Laird Root v #30 Colton Washleski

165: #13 Bryce Hepner v Michael Murphy

174: Marcus Murabito v #28 Nick Hamilton

184: #14 Jake Dailey v Jack Lesher OR Griffin Gammell

197: Robert Platt v Stephen Burrell

285: #28 Nolan Neves v Brenan Morgan

#9 North Carolina State at #20 Stanford

I was very pumped for this dual and had a little wind taken out of my sails with the Garvin and Norman announcement - but there are still some excellent matchups and this should be a great dual. Vince Robinson will look for his first ACC dual win over a dangerous Nico Provo. NC State is still solidifying starters at 133 and 157, so tonight will be important for that choice. Ryan Jack is looking to bounce back after a loss to Gable Porter last week. The match of the night should be Koy Buesgens and Aden Valencia at 149; both are firmly on the All-American tier and are trying to get in the NCAA finals conversation. Angelo Posada and Patrick Brophy could be a sneaky good match as well.

125: #1 Vince Robinson v #13 Nico Provo

133: #33 Troy Hohman OR Zach Redding v #7 Tyler Knox

141: #12 Ryan Jack v #17 Jack Consiglio

149: #5 Koy Buesgens v #9 Aden Valencia

157: Brogan Tucker OR Daniel Zepeda v #10 Daniel Cardenas

165: #16 Will Denny v EJ Parco

174: #5 Matty Singleton v Collin Guffey

184: Donald Cates v Abe Wojcikiewicz

197: #27 Patrick Brophy v #19 Angelo Posada

285: #2 Isaac Trumble v Jackson Mankowski

#21 Pittsburgh at Duke

Pitt will have a busy weekend heading to Durham Sunday after a home match against WVU Friday night. They are heavy favorites on paper, but there are three big matches to keep an eye on. Dylan Ross has been gaining steam for the Blue Devils and is currently 1-0 in duals, he will face a dangerous Kade Brown, who is looking for his first ACC dual win. Duke is favored at 174, where Aidan Wallace has been on a great run; he will face a stingy Luca Augustine, who won last week in sudden victory over Sergio Desiante. There should be a solid match at 285 with Dayton Pitzer coming off a good win over Jimmy Mullen and Conner Barket holding an ACC win over Luke Duthie.

125: Tyler Chappell v Riley Rowan

133:#30 Evan Tallmadge v John King

141: #30 Anthony Santaniello v Raymond Adams

149: #17 Kade Brown v Dylan Ross

157: #17 Dylan Evans v Mikey Boulanger

165: Jared Keslar v Aurelis Dunbar OR Colin Lutz

174: #23 Luca Augustine v #20 Aidan Wallace

184: #33 Chase Kranitz v David Hussey

197: #11 Mac Stout v Owen McGrory

285: #15 Dayton Pitzer v #24 Connor Barket

This afternoon, Stanford head coach Chris Ayres clarified the status of two of his most prominent wrestlers. 165 lber Hunter Garvin and 174 lber Lorenzo Norman will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season with injuries and both are set to undergo surgeries.

Gavin is currently ranked sixth in the nation with a 1-1 record and has not been in action since November 15th. He also participated in the NWCA All-Star Match, an event that he’s been selected for before each of the last two seasons. In his first two years of official competition at Stanford, Garvin has finished sixth in the nation both seasons. He claimed an ACC title in 2025.

Norman did not see the mat this season until the Collegiate Duals in late December. He went 1-1 at that event. As a redshirt freshman in the 2024-25 season, Norman won 18 of his first 19 matches and was ranked in the top ten for most of the year. At the ACC Championships, he went 1-2 and needed an at-large berth to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In Philly, Norman also went 1-2.

Over the weekend, Stanford hosted Duke and used EJ Parco at 165 lbs and Colin Guffey at 174 lbs. Parco is now 5-4 on the season, while Guffey is 6-10.

Stanford is currently ranked #13 in the nation in tournament strength, which, unfortunately, will take a hit with the loss of these two wrestlers.

As we turn the calendar to 2026, we enter the first week of ACC Conference duals. It was a busy first half of the season that has seen standout performances from wrestlers and teams across the conference. We will take a look back today at what we have seen from the ACC teams in the opening half of the season and our best guess at what the lineups will be moving into conference competition. We are entering Friday Night Duals with five of the seven teams ranked in the top 20 and you could make a legitimate argument for all five to be in contention for the ACC dual title as well. It is going to be a wild six weeks, so strap in, turn on ACC Network and enjoy the show. 

Duke: 6-6

The Blue Devils have had an up and down start to the year; they have wins over Hofstra, Sacred Heart, Mercyhurst, Morgan State, Gardner Webb and Tarleton State, but their losses have been pretty lopsided. They have been led by Aiden Wallace and Conner Barket who are both ranked in the top 25 this week. Barket finished in fifth at the Southern Scuffle while Wallace made an impressive run to finish in third. Duke will look to solidify their lineup as they move into conference competition - they have had multiple starters in duals at several weights, so I’m interested in what the final lineup looks like moving forward. Aurelius Dunbar has been a solid addition after a transfer from Penn State; he defaulted after being headbutted in the Southern Scuffle so I’m hopeful he is cleared for ACC duals. 

125 Riley Rowan 4-12

133 John King 3-8

141 Raymond Adams 5-12

149 Dylan Ross 8-7

       SP O’Donnell 5-5

157 Mikey Boulanger 8-5

165 Aurelius Dunbar 5-4

174 #20 Aiden Wallace 19-2

184 David Hussey 2-8

       Gaetano Console 2-0

197 Owen McGrory 5-10

285 #25 Connor Barket 14-3

#15 North Carolina: 7-1

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Tar Heels coming into this season; between transfers and young starters they turned over a large part of their lineup that won a share of the ACC dual title last year. They have been very impressive all year, jumping out to a 6-0 dual start before dropping their only dual to a tough Nebraska squad. They have wins over Northern Iowa, West Virginia, Navy, Northern Colorado and Davidson in addition to in-state colleges UNC Pembroke and Greensboro. 
They have been led by strong starts from transfers Kysen Terukina and Bryce Hepner who are both 10-1 on the year. Terukina lost in the Soldier Salute finals to Mack Mauger, while Hepner fell in the dual to LJ Araujo. They have also had strong starts from freshmen Luke Simcox, Laird Root, Jake Dailey and Robert Platt. They have proven to be a gritty dual team and will certainly be in the fight for the ACC dual title again this season. 

125 #16 Kysen Terukina 10-1

133 #17 Ethan Oakley 9-4

141 #20 Luke Simcox 9-4

149 Nate Askew 7-5

157 #30 Laird Root 11-6

165 #13 Bryce Hepner 10-1

174 Marcus Murabito 5-2

184 #18 Jake Dailey 12-2

197 Robert Platt 10-5

285 #29 Nolan Neves 3-3

#9 North Carolina State 8-3 (#6 Tournament) 

The Wolfpack squad is off to a solid start even with having had to juggle their lineup throughout the year because of injuries and transfer eligibility. They are one of the teams in the ACC that is still sorting out their starting lineup. At 133, they are deciding between Troy Hohman and Zach Redding and at 157 there will be movement due to Jackson Arrington being done for the season; true freshman Daniel Zepeda had a great Southern Scuffle but was also dinged up in the finals there, so 157 is very much up in the air. 

NC State has not shied away from challenging competition this season. They were one of the two ACC teams at the National Dual Invitational in November where they started the season with three tough duals. They opened with a win over Northern Iowa but dropped duals to Oklahoma State and conference rival Virginia Tech. They followed that up with a road win over Rutgers and a tough loss to another Big 10 team, Ohio State.

As they approach conference duals, the Pack has a lot of their firepower back in the lineup. All-American Isaac Trumble is off to a 6-0 start after a slow, measured return to competition after knee surgery. They also have Patrick Brophy in the lineup full time after not being able to compete during the first semester due to a late transfer. They have been buoyed throughout the start of the season by national champion Vince Robinson as well as All-Americans Ryan Jack and Matty Singleton. Koy Buesgens has been a force so far this year and has climbed into the top five of the rankings with a 13-1 record. The Wolfpack will very much be in contention to add another conference dual title, but with the strength of the conference this year, it may be a harder road for them. 

125 #1 Vincent Robinson 9-1

133 #32 Troy Hohman 8-5

       Zach Redding 4-5

141 #8 Ryan Jack 7-3

149 #5 Koy Buesgens 13-1

157 #11 Jackson Arrington** 5-3 (Announced this week he is out for the year)

       Daniel Zepada 4-1

165 #16 Will Denny 8-2

174 #5 Matty Singleton 8-1

184 Donald Cates 4-5

197 #25 Patrick Brophy 3-0

285 #2 Isaac Trumble 6-0

#20 Pittsburgh 7-1

The Panthers have started the year with strong dual and tournament showings and have multiple guys climbing the rankings. As a team they had a great showing at the Midlands finishing in second with Dylan Evans bringing home a title and Anthony Santaniello making the finals as well - extra impressive that they did this without their full lineup. Their dual season has seen wins over Lehigh, Maryland, Navy, Princeton, Bucknell, Edinboro and Buffalo with their lone loss to Iowa. 

They have been led by All-American Mac Stout at 10-2 and Dylan Evans at 11-3. Evans started the year at 165 where all three of his losses are to top-12 opponents; since dropping to 157 he is 6-0 and has entered the rankings at #18. At the lower weights, after a slower start, they have seen improved performances across the board. Dayton Pitzer will look for a stronger back half of the season after a tough slate to start the season--his losses are to #5 Kueter, #6 Taylor and two losses to #16 Lanosga. We have seen what Pitzer can do and I expect a strong run from him in the conference season. The Panthers will open ACC competition with a tough dual against Virginia Tech, this dual could set the tone for how the conference will shake out. 

125 Tyler Chappell 10-7

133 #29 Evan Tallmadge 9-4

141 #29 Anthony Santaniello 8-4

       Briar Priest 8-6

149 #24 Kade Brown 8-3

157 #18 Dylan Evans 11-3

165 Jared Keslar 9-7

174 #23 Luca Augustine 5-3

184 Chase Kranitz 8-6

197 #11 Mac Stout 10-2

285 #17 Dayton Pitzer 8-4

#19 Stanford 2-4 (#14 Tournament)

It’s hard to know what to make of Stanford at this point in the season. I had very high expectations of the Cardinal with the power they had returning in their lineup - but we are yet to see their full lineup in a dual together. They started the season without Provo and Norman, who both returned after an injury that sidelined All-American Hunter Garvin. Between injuries and a schedule that pitted them against three top-5 teams, their record isn’t a great reflection of where they are at as a team. I still see them as a threat for the ACC dual title. 

They have been led by All-Americans Tyler Knox and Daniel Cardenas as well as Nico Provo, who like Cardenas, is coming off of redshirt - while they all have losses, I wouldn’t consider any of them bad losses as the majority are to top 10 ranked guys. Aden Valencia made a late move to bump up to 149 before the season started and he has looked great at the higher weight; his losses are to #1, #3, #6 and #12 and he avenged his loss to #6 Jacob Frost. I’ve been very impressed by Jack Consiglio stepping in at 141 and Angelo Posada has been a pinning machine with five of his eight wins by fall. A lot of the team success for the ACC slate will depend on the health of Garvin and Norman - if they are healthy they are both All-American threats and Stanford could be in the thick of the ACC title hunt. 

125 #13 Nico Provo 6-3

133 #7 Tyler Knox 6-3

141 #17 Jack Consiglio 7-4

149 #13 Aden Valencia 8-4

157 #9 Daniel Cardenas 8-3

165 #6 Hunter Garvin 1-1

174 #24 Lorenzo Norman 1-1

184 Abe Wojcikiewicz 8-9

197 #19 Angelo Posada 8-4

285 Jackson Mankowski 1-6

Virginia 8-3

Virginia has quietly put together a strong start to the year--most of their eight wins have been dominant and two of their three losses, Lehigh and Penn, were both close. They and a rough go in Ann Arbor. 

In this run, they saw Head Coach Steve Garland earn his 200th dual victory at the helm. They are still working out the final lineup at several weights and we can expect to see some shuffling through ACC season as they stabilize into their postseason run. 

The Cavs have been led by a great start from Keyveon Roller; at 12-3 one of his losses was by medical forfeit after getting dinged up at the Scuffle with the other two to Sheldon Seymour and Diego Stotelo. Roller has provided a great pop to start the lineup, this will be bolstered by the return of Marlon Yarbrough who has been out since getting injured and having season ending surgery last year. He will make his return tonight in Raleigh and will be an important factor in how UVA fares in conference duals. Gable Porter has also had a solid start after moving up a weight, he has been in and out of the rankings all season. Transfers Wynton Denkins and Colton Washleski have been excellent additions for the Hoos and have provided a veteran presence in a younger lineup. 

The biggest surprise for UVA has been Nick Hamilton; he finished in the round of 12 last year at 165 and has not seemed to return to form with the move to 174. There have some been some lingering injury concerns but I am hopeful that last year’s ACC finalist is able to regain his mojo and make a run in a loaded weight in the ACC. 

125 #23 Keyveon Roller 12-3

133 Marlon Yarbrough 0-0

       Kyle Montaperto 3-5

141 Gable Porter 14-5

       Kyren Butler 10-2

149 Wynton Denkins 13-6

157 #29 Colton Washleski 13-6

165 Michael Murphy 6-6

       Nick Sanko 2-3

       Mason Stefanelli 3-5

174 #27 Nick Hamilton 5-3

184 Jack Lesher 3-7

       Dylan Newsome 5-6

       Griffin Gammel 6-5

197 Stephen Burrell 7-6

       Max Shulaw 4-3

285 Brennan Morgan 8-3

       Ryan Catka 1-0

#8 Virginia Tech 4-2 (#17 Tournament) 

The Hokies have had a wide open first half of the season. Coming into a season with NCAA champion Caleb Henson redshirting and losing an additional five starters from their ACC Championship team last season, the thought was that the Hokies may be down a bit this year. But the strength of their last two recruiting classes has started a youth movement in Blacksburg. 

The Hokies also made the trek to the National Duals Invitational, finishing in sixth place and bringing home a giant cardboard check in the first edition of this tournament. They went 3-2 on the weekend with wins over Wyoming, Illinois and NC State and two losses to Minnesota. On the individual tournament side they earned titles at each of the three tournaments they attended. Sonny Sasso took the honors at the CKLV while true freshmen Aaron Siedel and Collin Gaj captured Midlands titles and veterans Eddie Ventresca and Jimmy Mullen were on top of the podium at the Southern Scuffle. 

Two-time All-American Eddie Ventresca has stepped into a leadership role this year, pacing the team with a 10-2 record, including another win over reigning NCAA Champion Vince Robinson. Tom Crook is coming off a redshirt year and has been a consistent presence at 141, while sophomores Sonny Sasso and Jimmy Mullen have been strong bookends at the top of the lineup. They have had inconsistent results from transfers Sergio Desiante and Jaden Bullock but will need them to be in top form for conference duals.

The biggest story for the Hokies, though, is the explosion onto the scene of Aaron Seidel, Dillon Campbell, Collin Gaj, Noah Nininger and Ryan Burton. The Hokies will have some tough decisions to make to balance redshirts with optimizing their lineup. 

Seidel and Campbell are in a battle at 133 while Gaj, Nininger and senior transfer Ethen Miller are contending for 149 and 157 and Ryan Burton has been back and forth with Mac Church at 165. As I write this, it appears that the Hokies are going Campbell (133), Gaj (149), Miller (157) and Burton (165). It will certainly be worth watching how this plays out over the next six weeks while the Hokies are in the thick of the conference dual battle. 

125 #4 Eddie Ventresca 10-2

133 #11 Dillon Campbell 15-5

       Aaron Seidel 4-0

141 #23 Tom Crook 15-5

149 Collin Gaj 13-7

       Noah Nininger 9-3

157 #28 (149) Ethen Miller 3-2

165 #15 Ryan Burton 13-5

       Mac Church 10-6

174 Sergio Desiante 10-8

184 #32 Jaden Bullock 8-8

197 #17 Sonny Sasso 14-3

285 #12 Jimmy Mullen 15-3

Our preseason conference previews move to the ACC. It’s a conference that continues to improve and in 2025-26 is loaded with quality squads. Our preseason rankings had five ACC teams in the top 21 in dual competition.

In 2025, the ACC had two wrestlers in the national finals (with one champion). The conference has produced an individual national champion in each of the last three seasons. The National Duals Invitational will feature a pair of teams from the ACC.

In addition, six of the ACC teams finished in the top 20 in InterMat’s recruiting rankings in 2025. That means there’s lots of young talent in the conference this year and for years to come.

Here’s our look at the ACC for 2025-26

InterMat’s Preseason First-Team All-ACC

125 lbs: #1 Vincent Robinson (NC State)

133 lbs: #7 Tyler Knox (Stanford)

141 lbs: #7 Ryan Jack (NC State)

149 lbs: #15 Koy Buesgens (NC State)

157 lbs: #4 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford)

165 lbs: #4 Hunter Garvin (Stanford)

174 lbs: #4 Matthew Singleton (NC State)

184 lbs: #22 Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech)

197 lbs: #5 Mac Stout (Pittsburgh)

285 lbs: #3 Isaac Trumble (NC State)

Stars in Motion

This category was intended for wrestlers moving up or down in weight and there really are that many in the ACC this year. At least frontline starters. We do know that Aden Valencia will go up to 149 lbs. That could present an interesting situation for Stanford, which also has another good redshirt freshman in EJ Parco at the weight.

On a different note, we announced earlier today that 2024 NCAA champion Caleb Henson will be taking a redshirt for the 2025-26 season. The Hokies are loading up with a potentially star-studded lineup in 2026-27. In his place, we could see freshmen Noah Nininger or Collin Gaj.

Weight Class to Watch

The ACC has a number of deep weights. 157 has some excellent potential matchups and 174 was full of parity last season. I would expect more of the same in 2025-26. The weight class we’ll single out is 125 lbs. This group includes the returning NCAA champion Vince Robinson. His title gives him the top spot in the conference and in the national rankings. But Eddie Ventresca has beaten him  in each of their last two meetings. Don’t forget the return of Nico Provo. Provo was a 2023 CKLV champion and was ranked near the top of the weight for the majority of that season.

The national rankings also include #20 Kysen Terukina and #23 Keyveon Roller at this weight.

Freshman Phenoms

However things shake out at 133 lbs, Virginia Tech should have a freshman starter. It could be Dillon Campbell, who had a solid redshirt season, going 7-3 in 2024-25. The other option is true freshman Aaron Seidel, the #15 overall recruit in the Class of 2025. Initial indications suggest that Seidel is ready to contribute in year one.

With Henson slated to redshirt, true freshmen Noah Nininger and/or Collin Gaj could step in at 149 lbs for Virginia Tech. Both were highly regarded, Gaj the #27 recruit last year and Nininger the #51.

We’ve already mentioned the tandem for Stanford at 149 lbs - Valencia and Parco. Either is expected to be good right away for the Trees. With Valencia moving up, it looks like Jack Consiglio could be the guy for Stanford at 141 lbs. He’s a redshirt freshman and was 6-2 last season.

North Carolina might start a trio of redshirt freshmen. Perhaps Luke Simcox at 141, with Jake Dailey at 184, and Robert Platt at 197 lbs. Platt starts the year ranked nationally. Coming out of high school, Simcox was the highest rated of the three.

Pittsburgh might have a pair of freshmen back-to-back in the middle of the Panther lineup. Kade Brown was very good last season, while redshirting, and was given the start in some big matches for the Panthers. True freshman Vince Bouzakis scored a win over NCAA qualifier in Pitt’s intersquad earlier this week. He might be too good to keep out of the lineup.

Virginia could start their top-30 recruit Emmitt Sherlock at 174 lbs. There’s no clear-cut starter at that weight. At 197 lbs, they have their highest-ranked signee from a year ago in Max Shulaw. Shulaw was 16-7 while competing primarily in open tournaments last year.

Portal Pickups

The Hokies picked up a trio of veterans from the portal to start, rather than having to turn towards true freshmen. Ethen Miller, Sergio DeSiante, and Jaden Bullock all have prior NCAA experience and help Virginia Tech move on without any down years.

NC State received a late transfer in Patrick Brophy, a national qualifier for The Citadel in 2024-25. It looks like we may have to wait until the second semester to see Brophy in a Wolfpack singlet.

North Carolina added two probable starters through the portal. Kysen Terukina at 125 lbs and Bryce Hepner at 165. Terukina has dealt with a variety of injuries in recent years, so there’s no telling where his ceiling is. Hepner saw plenty of action with Ohio State, but was often the odd man out in some tough middleweight lineups.

Duke, Pitt, and Virginia all got potential starters in the offseason. Duke picked up Aurelius Dunbar from Penn State, Pitt got Chase Kranitz, and Virginia netted Colton Washleski  and Dom Baker - though Baker is expected to redshirt.

Mark it on the Calendar

November 2nd: Navy Classic (Pittsburgh, Virginia)

November 7th: Stanford @ Oklahoma State

November 9th: Journeymen Collegiate Classic (Duke, Virginia)

November 15/16th: National Duals Invitational (NC State, Virginia Tech)

November 21st: Duke @ Oklahoma

November 21st: Pittsburgh @ Iowa

November 23rd: Virginia @ Michigan

December 5th: Pittsburgh @ Lehigh

December 5/6th: Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Stanford, Virginia Tech)

December 7th: Rutgers vs. NC State

December 12nd: West Virginia @ North Carolina

December 19th: North Carolina @ Nebraska

December 20th: Penn State @ Stanford

December 21st: North Carolina @ Northern Iowa

December 22nd: Virginia @ Penn

December 29/30th: Midlands Championships (Pittsburgh)

January 3/4th: Soldier Salute (North Carolina)

January 3/4th: Southern Scuffle (Duke, Virginia)

January 4th: Iowa State @ Stanford

January 16th: West Virginia @ Pittsburgh

February 15th: Oklahoma State @ Virginia Tech

February 20th: Cornell @ NC State

February 22nd: Cornell @ Duke

Duke

Head Coach: Glen Lanham

2024-25 Record: 4-14

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (1)

285 lbs: #21 Connor Barket

It’s hard to keep up with the rest of the conference, but Duke is slowly trying to compete. They’ll return a national qualifier at heavyweight, one that has two years of eligibility remaining, along with two years' worth of recruiting classes that have steadily improved. 165 lber Aiden Wallace has shown flashes of getting to NCAA qualifying status. He might make a leap in 2025-26.

The backhalf of the Duke lineup has a lot of veterans and should be the strength of the team. Should they get increased production from their lightweights, they might be able to surprise some people - in conference and out.

NC State

Head Coach: Pat Popolizio

2024-25 Record: 11-2

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (8)

125 lbs: #1 Vince Robinson, 133 lbs: #20 Zach Redding, 141 lbs: #7 Ryan Jack, 149 lbs: #15 Koy Buesgens, #7 Jackson Arrington, 174 lbs: #4 Matty Singleton, 197 lbs: #18 Patrick Brophy (while at The Citadel), 285 lbs: #3 Isaac Trumble

It’s been a great six-plus months for the NC State program. Vince Robinson became the third wrestler to win a national title during the Pat Popolizio era. About a month ago, alum Trent Hidlay became the darling of USA Wrestling with a remarkable win in the world finals. Both titles have given the NC State program a lot of positive exposure.

Along with Robinson, the Wolfpack returns three other All-Americans in Ryan Jack, Matty Singleton, and Isaac Trumble. Jack, along with two-time bloodround finisher, Jackson Arrington, return from a redshirt year.

This NC State team will likely be the favorite in the conference in a dual format and in a large tournament setting. They’ll need to solidify 184/197 lbs to really be one of the elite dual teams. Individually, they should have multiple wrestlers vying for national titles.

North Carolina

Head Coach: Rob Koll

2024-25 Record: 9-6

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (7)

125 lbs: #20 Kysen Terukina, 133 lbs: #15 Ethan Oakley, 141 lbs: #23 Jayden Scott, 165 lbs: #19 Bryce Hepner, 174 lbs: #14 Josh Ogunsanya, 197 lbs: #30 Robert Platt, 285 lbs: #22 Nolan Neves

This North Carolina team should be a good mix of veterans and young kids. Terukina, Oakley, and Ogunsanya are fifth or sixth-year seniors who have been multiple-time NCAA qualifiers. At times, each has pushed for a top-ten ranking nationally. Additionally, the Tar Heels could end up with four redshirt freshmen in the lineup. These are freshmen from a high school Class of 2024 that was ranked eighth in the nation, so there’s plenty of talent in the room. They just need to show it on the collegiate mats.

Should a couple of the freshmen develop into studs, this could be a very imposing lineup. Of the bunch, Robert Platt starts the preseason in the national rankings. North Carolina’s depth will be a necessity this year with veterans like Terukina and Ogunsanya, who have battled multiple injuries over long collegiate careers. It would be a surprise to see both of them take the mat in every single event.

Pittsburgh

Head Coach: Keith Gavin

2024-25 Record: 10-6

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (6)

141 lbs: #32 Briar Priest, 149 lbs: #18 Kade Brown, 157 lbs: #22 Dylan Evans, 174 lbs: #13 Luca Augustine, 197 lbs: #5 Mac Stout, 285 lbs: #7 Dayton Pitzer

The Pitt Panthers will be an interesting squad in 2025-26. They likely have the best 1-2 punch to end a lineup as any team in the conference. It’s very possible that Mac Stout and Dayton Pitzer both end the year on the NCAA podium. They also have a 174 lber who was a match shy of earning All-American honors in 2025 (Luca Augustine).

Like 2024-25, the back half of their lineup is very stout (pardon the pun); however, they’ll need to get more from the first couple of weights. Helping in that effort is redshirt freshman Kade Brown. He had four wins over NCAA qualifiers during his redshirt campaign. 141 lber Briar Priest got hot at the right time of year and earned his first NCAA berth. That experience could help him be a force during the regular season.

Stanford

Head Coach: Chris Ayres

2024-25 Record: 10-5

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (6)

125 lbs: #11 Nico Provo, 133 lbs: #7 Tyler Knox, 149 lbs: #19 EJ Parco, 157 lbs: #4 Daniel Cardenas, 165 lbs: #5 Hunter Garvin, 174 lbs: #15 Lorenzo Norman

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to think that this lineup could be one of the best in Stanford history. They have three All-Americans returning - Knox, Cardenas, and Garvin. The team finished in a tie for 18th place at nationals and that was without the services of national title threat Daniel Cardenas. Also missing was 2023 CKLV champion  Nico Provo.

Whoever ends up starting at 149 lbs (Parco/Valencia) could end up as a podium threat. 174 lber Lorenzo Norman spent a portion of the year ranked in the top ten. He tailed off towards the end of the season, but he’s certainly capable of returning to that form.

Stanford has also turned into a force on the recruiting trail. Each of their last four recruiting classes has been ranked in the top 15 nationally. Twice the top five. The fruits of the coaching staff’s labor on the recruiting trail are starting to show on the mat. The Cardinal definitely has what it takes to challenge for an ACC title in 2026.

Virginia

Head Coach: Steve Garland

2024-25 Record: 6-6

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (5)

125 lbs: #23 Keyveon Roller, 133 lbs: #25 Marlon Yarbrough, 149 lbs: #25 Wynton Denkins, 165 lbs: #10 Nick Hamilton, 285 lbs: #30 Ryan Catka

This will be a bit of a new-looking UVA team. They have two new faces in the middle of the lineup with transfers Wynton Denkins and Colton Washleski. Heavyweight Ryan Catka is coming off redshirt. A highly touted true freshman could start at 174 lbs (Emmitt Sherlock). Redshirt freshman could see lots of time at 184 and 197 lbs, with Jack Lesher and Max Shulaw, respectively.

Another addition, but not necessarily new, is the return of Marlon Yarbrough. With his performance late in the 2023-24 season, Yarbrough looked like a potential outside AA threat heading into last season. Unfortunately, he missed the entire year with an injury.  Should he return to his 2024 form, it will be a huge boost for Steve Garland’s team.

We’ve gotten this far without mentioning UVA’s top returner, Nick Hamilton. The 2024 ACC champion was just a match away from the NCAA podium in 2025. He’s capable of breaking through this season.

Virginia Tech

Head Coach: Tony Robie

2024-25 Record: 9-2

Preseason Ranked Wrestlers: (9)

125 lbs: #4 Eddie Ventresca, 133 lbs: #28 Dillon Campbell, 141 lbs: #20 Tom Crook, 157 lbs: #14 Ethen Miller, 165 lbs: #25 Mac Church, 174 lbs: #18 Sergio DeSiante, 184 lbs: #22 Jaden Bullock, 197 lbs: #19 Sonny Sasso, 285 lbs: #14 Jimmy Mullen

Yesterday’s news that Caleb Henson will redshirt certainly changes expectations for Virginia Tech in 2025-26. They’ll still be a high-quality team, but not necessarily a team trophy threat like they could be with Henson in 2026-27.

The Hokies will be led by 125 lber Eddie Ventresca, a two-time All-American and a wrestler with multiple wins over the returning national champion. Since that champion (Robinson), is in-conference, they’ll likely have a few matches together before nationals.

We’ll see if 2025-26 is the year where some of Virginia Tech’s highly touted recruits end up taking the next step. Tom Crook, Mac Church, Sonny Sasso, and Jimmy Mullen are ranked in a similar area. All have shown flashes, now they’ll need to up their game to potential AA status.

The Hokies also could receive a boost from true freshmen. Aaron Seidel could end up being the guy at 133 lbs and the Nininger/Gaj tandem at 149 lbs will work to replace Henson in 2025-26.

Big news out of Blacksburg today! The Virginia Tech sports information department announced via social media that 2024 NCAA champion Caleb Henson will redshirt during the 2025-26 campaign.

Henson was in the Hokie lineup for the 2022-23 season, as a true freshman, and immediately earned All-American honors with a fifth-place finish at the 149 lb weight class. A year later, Henson went 30-2 and became only the second Virginia Tech wrestler to capture an NCAA title after his 15-7 major decision victory over Austin Gomez (Michigan).

In 2024-25, Henson captured his second ACC title and went into the national tournament unbeaten. He later became just the second Virginia Tech wrestler to make multiple NCAA finals appearances. Henson was stopped from title number two in a 1-0 loss to Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett.

Before this news, Henson started the preseason ranked #1 in the nation at 149 lbs.

With the recent commitment of the #2 overall wrestler in the Class of 2026, Bo Bassett, the Hokies now have the opportunity to have Bassett and Henson back-to-back in the lineup during the 2026-27 season. Bassett could be tabbed to handle the 141 lb weight class right away for Virginia Tech.

Blue chip recruits Collin Gaj or Noah Nininger, along with returner Chris Bacchioni, will vie for the starting role at 149 lbs with Henson in redshirt.

Earlier this week, our All-Quarter Century feature highlighted a Missouri program that really came into its own over the last 25 years. The same can be said for NC State. For the first decade-plus in the 2000’s NC State was a highly competitive team in an ACC that was not at the level that we’ve grown accustomed to. 

All of that changed in 2013 with the hiring of Pat Popolizio. Shortly after Popolizio’s hiring, NC State became a perennial conference championship favorite and, in many cases, a top ten team. 

Since NC State doesn’t have the long, storied history like other teams we’ve featured thus far, their All-Quarter Century teams don’t have quite the depth like others. At the same time, they have seen some superstars and their first team generally matches up with most other programs. 

One big decision here was how to handle the logjam at 133-149. Kevin Jack and Tariq Wilson had relatively similar accomplishments and it was difficult to pick between the two. Since Wilson had two years at 133 lbs, we put him there. The other option for Wilson was at 149 lbs and with NCAA champion Darrion Caldwell in the mix, he probably should get that spot. 

Wrestlers considered for the three teams had to compete from 2001-25. For the wrestlers early in this timeframe, their entire collegiate body of work was considered. Only collegiate results were taken into consideration. Even if a wrestler was successful at multiple weights, they were only selected for one weight - typically it was based on the strongest possible first team.

After the three All-Century teams, there are some fun facts about NC State’s results over the past 25 years.

Here are the programs we’ve already covered

Lehigh

Minnesota

Missouri

NC State

First Team

125 lbs - Vince Robinson*: Chicago, Illinois - 1x AA (1), 2025 NCAA champion, ACC runner-up

133 lbs - Tariq Wilson: Steubenville, Ohio - 3x AA (7,3,3), 2x ACC champion, NCAA #2 seed

141 lbs - Kevin Jack: Danbury, Connecticut: 3x AA (6,3,5), 2x ACC champion, 3x ACC finalist, NCAA #2 seed

149 lbs - Darrion Caldwell: Rahway, New Jersey: 2x AA (1,5), 2009 NCAA champion, 4x ACC champion

157 lbs - Hayden Hidlay: Lewistown, Pennsylvania: 4x AA (3,5,4,2), 4x ACC champion, 2020 NWCA 1st Team AA, NCAA #1 seed

165 lbs - Thomas Bullard: Lawrenceville, Georgia: 5x NCAA qualifier, 2019 ACC runner-up

174 lbs - Peter Renda: Topton, Pennsylvania: 1x AA (3), 2018 ACC champion, NCAA Round of 12 finisher, NCAA #4 seed

184 lbs - Trent Hidlay: Lewistown, Pennsylvania: 4x AA (2,4,5,2), 4x ACC champion, 20201 NWCA 1st Team AA, 3x NCAA #2 seed

197 lbs - Mike Macchiavello: Monroe, North Carolina: 1x AA (1), 2018 NCAA champion, 2x ACC runner-up, NCAA Round of 12 finisher

285 lbs - Nick Gwiazdowski: Delanson, New York: 4x AA (2,1,1,8), 2x NCAA champion, 3x ACC champion/1x CAA champion

Second Team

125 lbs - Sean Fausz: Alexandria, Kentucky - 4x NCAA qualifier, 2018 ACC champion, 4x ACC finalist, 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher

133 lbs - Kai Orine: Imperial, Missouri:  2x AA (8,8), 2x ACC champion, 3x ACC finalist, NCAA #3 seed

141 lbs - Ryan Jack*: Danbury, Connecticut - 1x AA (7), 2024 ACC champion, 3x ACC finalist, NCAA #4 seed

149 lbs - Jackson Arrington*: Sidman, Pennsylvania - 2x NCAA qualifier, 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 2024 ACC champion

157 lbs - Ed Scott: Dubois, Pennsylvania - 1x AA (5), 2x ACC champion, 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 2x NCAA #4 seed

165 lbs - Max Rohskopf: Killbuck, Ohio - 2x NCAA qualifier, 2016 ACC champion, NCAA #5 seed

174 lbs - Daniel Bullard: Lawrenceville, Georgia - 1x AA (7), 2021 ACC champion

184 lbs - Dylan Fishback*: Aurora, Ohio - 2x NCAA qualifier, 2x ACC runner-up, 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher

197 lbs - Ryan Goodman: Cape May, New Jersey - 3x NCAA qualifier, 2x ACC champion

285 lbs - Isaac Trumble*: Springfield, Nebraska - 1x AA (4), 2x ACC runner-up, NCAA #6 seed

Third Team

125 lbs - Jakob Camacho: Danbury, Connecticut - 4x NCAA qualifier, 2020 NWCA 2nd Team All-American, 3x ACC champion, NCAA Round of 12 finisher

133 lbs - Jamal Morris: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - 2x NCAA qualifier, 2017 ACC runner-up

141 lbs - Darrius Little: Thomasville, North Carolina - 1x AA (8), 2x ACC runner-up

149 lbs - Jake Giamoni: Easton, Pennsylvania - 3x NCAA qualifier, NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 3x ACC champion

157 lbs - Tommy Gantt: Cahokia, Illinois - 1x AA (8), 2016 ACC champion, NCAA #2 seed

165 lbs - Dustin Kawa: Lithonia, Georgia - 4x NCAA qualifier, 2x ACC champion

174 lbs - Matthew Singleton*: Moreland, Georgia - 1x AA (7), 2025 ACC champion

184 lbs - Nick Reenan: Dallas, Texas - 3x NCAA qualifier

197 lbs - Malik McDonald: Hope Mills, North Carolina - 2x NCAA qualifier, 2019 ACC champion

285 lbs - Owen Trephan: Summerville, South Carolina - 1x AA (5), 2x ACC champion/1x EIWA Champion, NCAA #4 seed

* - denotes still active

Fun Facts:

• Since 2009, NC State has produced five individual national champions. Previously, they only had four throughout their entire wrestling history. 
• Nick Gwiazdowski’s second national title in 2015 made him NC State’s only two-time national champion
• Vince Robinson’s 2025 NCAA championship was the first by a Wolfpack wrestler under 149 lbs
• NC State wrestlers have made the national finals 10 times during this quarter century
• The Wolfpack have 12 top 20 NCAA finishes during the last 25 years
• In 2018, NC State tied for fourth place at the national tournament. It was worthy of a team trophy and the best finish in school history. 
• Speaking of NCAA team finishes, the Wolfpack have five top-ten showings at the NCAA Tournament this quarter-century. All have come since 2018 and under Pat Popolizio. 
• On the topic of coaches, NC State has had three during this time. The legendary Bob Guzzo, Carter Jordan, and Popolizio. 
• The Wolfpack have captured an impressive 11 ACC titles during the last 25 years. They actually had a streak of six straight that was snapped in 2025. 
• Individually, NC State wrestlers have combined to claim 62 ACC crowns since 2001. 
• There have been three four-time ACC champions for NC State during this time (Caldwell, H. Hidlay, T. Hidlay)
• Three times during this quarter century has NC State sent its entire lineup to nationals (2017, 2022, 2024)
• NC State wrestlers have claimed 31 NCAA All-American honors. Additionally, in 2020 two were named First Team All-Americans in 2020 and two were Second Teamers. All of the All-Americans have come from 2008-present
• Three NC State wrestlers have combined to earn the #1 seed at the NCAA Championships on four occasions since 2001 (Caldwell, H. Hidlay, Gwiazdowski x2)
• Darrion Caldwell was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2009 NCAA Championships
• Eight of the top ten wrestlers on NC State’s all-time wins list competed during this quarter century

The NC State Wolfpack welcomed back a familiar face today as they announced that Malik McDonald was returning to Raleigh to join the coaching staff. McDonald is an NC State alum who just finished his fourth year on the Kent State coaching staff. 

While at NC State, McDonald was a two-time NCAA qualifier competing at 197 lbs. As a senior, McDonald captured an ACC title and was seeded 13th at the 2019 NCAA Championships. The previous season, he was a member of the NC State team that tied for fourth place in the nation and brought home a team trophy from Cleveland. 

On the freestyle scene, McDonald finished fourth at the U23 World Team Trials in 2018. 

McDonald will join former teammate and Wolfpack alum Kevin Jack on the NC State staff. Each wrestled under Pat Popolizio. 

There was an opening on the NC State staff as former All-American Tommy Gantt stepped down to pursue a career in MMA. 

Before coming to Kent State, McDonald also served on the coaching staff at Clarion and Long Island. During his first year at Kent State, McDonald worked with 184 lber Colin McCracken who was a MAC finalist. 

McDonald is a North Carolina native having graduated from South View High School in Hope Mills. 

This morning, we learned that the University of North Carolina has denied admission to 2021 NCAA champion AJ Ferrari. Last month, an article in the Daily Tar Heel mentioned some of Ferrari’s past legal troubles and this reportedly led the UNC athletic department to reconsider his case. 

Ferrari spent the 2024-25 campaign at CSU Bakersfield and finished the year with a 22-1 record and was third in the nation. 

Shortly after the NCAA Tournament, Ferrari entered the transfer portal and selected North Carolina as his next destination. Since Ferrari was in the portal this year, there is the thought that he’ll be able to transfer again. The question arises as the portal closed for the year on May 2nd and the only loopholes are if there’s a head coaching change or for a graduate student. 

We’ll have more information about this situation and Ferrari’s status as it develops. 

One of the most notable names in the transfer portal is on the move as AJ Ferrari announced that he will transfer to North Carolina for the 2025-26 season. 

Ferrari is a two-time NCAA All-American and two-time conference champion. He won a national title in 2021 as a true freshman for Oklahoma State and amassed a 19-1 record. Since then, Ferrari had a long road back to the NCAA Tournament. He was injured in a car accident in January of 2022 and unable to compete in the postseason. Later that year, Ferrari was dismissed from the Cowboy team and did not compete in college until the 2024-25 season. 

Ferrari returned to the collegiate wrestling world this past season for CSU Bakersfield. He entered the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 17-0 record after defeating returning All-American Stephen Little (Little Rock) to claim a Pac-12 title. 

At the 2025 NCAA Championships, Ferrari showed off his stingy defense and low-risk offensive strategy in defeating his first three opponents by a 15-2 margin. That set the stage for a semifinal contest with Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan. Ferrari spent some time during the 2023-24 season training with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club at the University of Iowa, but never enrolled at the school. His younger brother, Angelo, is a freshman 184 lber at Iowa. 

Buchanan was able to give Ferrari a dose of his own medicine in a 3-0 win. After the Buchanan loss, Ferrari responded with back-to-back wins over Joey Novak (Wyoming) and Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) to claim third place. Cardenas entered the tournament as the top seed and was the Big Ten champion. He and Ferrari were briefly high school teammates at New Jersey’s Bergen Catholic High School. 

The win over Cardenas and the third-place finish gave Ferrari a 22-1 season record and ran his collegiate record to 51-2. 

Ferrari fits in well with the Tar Heels who did not have a national qualifier at 197 lbs in the 2024-25 season. UNC has six returning national qualifiers; however, two (Spencer Moore/125 and Lachlan McNeil/149) are currently in the transfer portal. 

Most observers thought that Ferrari would use the 2024-25 campaign to demonstrate that he is a changed person and not the lightning rod for controversy that he was earlier in his collegiate career, then perhaps transfer to a bigger program. That appears to be the case from everything Ferrari has said at the NCAA Tournament and a move to a North Carolina program that finished in the top 20 in every national tournament from 2018-23 represents a step up in competition. 

With Buchanan out of eligibility, Ferrari is the second-highest returning placewinner at 197 lbs (runner-up Josh Barr is the highest) and he should be one of the top contenders for a national title.

The biggest story for the ACC is the two NCAA finalists with Vince Robinson winning in dominant fashion at 125 to make his first NCAA title match. This was side-by-side with Eddie Ventresca dropping a heartbreaker in a match where he was the clear aggressor, though there were no stall calls until TB1. Caleb Henson makes his second straight NCAA final to defend his crown where will see familiar foe Ridge Lovett in what is guaranteed to be one of the most entertaining matches of the night. 

Chaos is always the theme on Friday at the NCAA tournament and yesterday didn’t disappoint--though it wasn’t a friendly day for the ACC and is a reminder how brutal this tournament truly is. Seven ACC wrestlers pushed through to the podium in the bloodround with five others ending up one win short of the podium; an additional two falling in the consolation round of 16. 

Eddie Ventresca and Connor McGonagle will both start in the consolation semifinals today with a shot at the third place match for the Hokies. Joining them in that round is Hunter Garvin for the Fightin’ Trees who has been on an absolute tear after a tough top side loss and has been smiling all the way through. The final ACC wrestler in the consolation semis is Isaac Trumble for the Wolfpack. I could go on for hours about the performance from Trumble this weekend. After reaggravating a serious knee injury he fought through a brutal Blood Round match with Nick Feldman and will face his former teammate--and roommate--Owen Trephan for a spot in the third place match. The ACC will end the tournament with 10 All-Americans, which, though short of what we hoped for, is still pretty damn impressive. 

NCAA Finalists

125

Vince Robinson (North Carolina State) v Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State)

149

Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) v Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)

Consolation Semifinals--winners go to 3rd/4th losers to 5th/6th place match

125

Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) v Luke Lilledahl (Penn State)

133

Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) v Zeth Romney (Cal Poly)

149

Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) v Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State)

165

Hunter Garvin (Stanford) v Christopher Minto (Nebraska)

285

Isaac Trumble (NC State) v Owen Trephan (Lehigh)

7th/8th Place

133

Tyler Knox (Stanford) v Jacob VanDee (Nebraska)

174

Matty Singleton (NC State) v Danny Wask (Navy)

197 

Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) v Camden McDanel (Nebraska)

125

#4 Vince Robinson (NC State) v #13 Marc Anthony McGowan (Princeton)

#3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) v #14 Spencer Moore (North Carolina)

Consi - #26 Keyveon Roller (Virginia) v #23 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State)

133

#13 Tyler Knox (Stanford) v #4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly)

#6 Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) v #11 Evan Frost (Iowa State)

Consi - #26 Kai Orine (NC State) v #10 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)

Consi - #12 Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) v #28 Colton Camacho (Edinboro)

141

#11 Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) v #6 Vance VomBaur (Minnesota)

Consi - #12 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) v #28 Danny Pucino (Illinois)

Consi - #24 Jason Miranda (Stanford) v #25 AJ Rallo (Bellarmine)

Consi - #29 Jayden Scott (North Carolina) v #13 Todd Carter (Gardner-Webb)

149

#1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) v #17 Jaden Abas (Stanford)

#29 Jack Gioffre (Virginia) v #13 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State)

#6 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) v #11 Sammy Alvarez (Rider)

Consi - #20 Koy Buesgens (NC State) v #4 Paniro Johnson (Iowa State)

157

#4 Rafael Hipolito (Virginia Tech) v #20 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern)
 

Consi - #22 Ed Scott (NC State) v #27 Grigor Cholakyan (Stanford)

Consi - #24 Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) v #25 Sonny Santiago (North Carolina)

165

#7 Hunter Garvin (Stanford) v #10 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota)

Consi - #25 Nick Hamilton (Virginia) v #24 Cesar Alvan (Columbia)

Consi - #28 Mac Church (Virginia Tech) v #21 Joey Bianchi (Little Rock)

Consi - #29 Derek Fields (NC State) v #20 Gunner Filipowicz (Army)

174

#16 Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) v #1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)

#24 Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech) v #25 Dalton Harkins (Army)

#12 Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina) v #5 Simon Ruiz (Cornell)

#14 Matty Singleton (NC State) v #3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State)

Consi - #15 Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh) v #31 Branson John (Maryland)

184

#9 Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) v #8 Jaxon Smith (Maryland)

#15 Dylan Fishback (NC State) v #2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

Consi - #17 Gavin Kane (North Carolina) v #31 Caden Rogers (Lehigh)

197

#19 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) v #3 AJ Ferrari (CSUB)

#6 Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) v #11 Luke Stout (Princeton)

Consi - #17 Nick Stemmet (Stanford) v #32 Wolfgang Frable (Army)

285

#7 Isaac Trumble (NC State) v #10 Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh)

Consi - #24 Nolan Neves (North Carolina) v #25 Luke Rasmussen (South Dakota State)

Consi - #11 Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech) v #27 Connor Barket (Duke)

Consi - #26 Peter Ming (Stanford) v #23 Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State)

Finals Team Scores: 

1. Virginia Tech  91.5

2. Pittsburgh 63.5

3. NC State  62.5

4. North Carolina  45.5

5. Stanford  45

6. Virginia  38.5

7. Duke  1.5

Championship Finals

125 lbs - Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) DEC Vincent Robinson (NC State), 4-1

133 lbs - Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech) DEC Kai Orine (NC State), 5-2SV

141 lbs - Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) DEC Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), 8-6

149 lbs - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) DEC Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina), 4-1SV

157 lbs - Rafael Hipolito (Virginia Tech) DEC Ed Scott (NC State), 7-3

165 lbs - Hunter Garvin (Stanford) DEC Nick Hamilton (Virginia), 5-1

174 lbs - Matthew Singleton (NC State) DEC Luca Augustine (Pittsburgh), 5-2

184 lbs - Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) DEC Dylan Fishback (NC State), 4-1SV

197 lbs - Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) MAJ Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 10-2

285 lbs - Dayton Pitzer (Pittsburgh) DEC Jimmy Mullen (Virginia Tech), 4-1SV

Third Place Bouts

125 lbs - Keyveon Roller (Virginia) DEC Nick Babin (Pittsburgh), 7-5

133 lbs - Ethan Oakley (North Carolina) DEC Tyler Knox (Stanford), 3-1

141 lbs - Jason Miranda (Stanford) DEC Briar Priest (Pittsburgh), 6-3

149 lbs - Koy Buesgens (NC State) DEC Jack Gioffre (Virginia), 4-1SV

157 lbs - Sonny Santiago (North Carolina) DEC Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh), 4-1SV

165 lbs - Mac Church (Virginia Tech) DEC Derek Fields (NC State), 4-1SV

174 lbs - Josh Ogunsanya (North Carolina) DEC Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech), 4-2TB

184 lbs - Gavin Kane (North Carolina) DEC TJ Stewart (Virginia Tech), 4-1

197 lbs - Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) DEC Stephen Burrell Jr. (Virginia), 4-2

285 lbs - Nolan Neves (North Carolina) MAJ Peter Ming (Stanford), 16-5

Fifth Place Bouts

141 lbs - Jayden Scott (North Carolina) DEC Troy Hohman (NC State), 4-1

149 lbs - Jaden Abas (Stanford) DEC Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh),  8-6

165 lbs - Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh) MAJ Charlie Darracott (North Carolina), 13-5

174 lbs - Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) FALL Rocco Contino (Virginia), 5:50

285 lbs - Connor Barket (Duke) MEDFFT Isaac Trumble (NC State)
 

Automatic Qualifiers

Duke: Connor Barket (285)

NC State: Vincent Robinson (125), Kai Orine (133), Koy Buesgens (149), Ed Scott (157), Derek Fields (165), Matthew Singleton (174), Dylan Fishback (184)

North Carolina: Ethan Oakley (133), Lachlan McNeil (149), Sonny Santiago (157), Josh Ogunsanya (174), Gavin Kane (184), Nolan Neves (285)

Pittsburgh: Nick Babin (125), Briar Priest (141), Jared Keslar (165),  Luca Augustine (174), Reece Heller (184), Mac Stout (197), Dayton Pitzer (285)

Stanford: Jason Miranda (141), Hunter Garvin (165), Nick Stemmet (197), Peter Ming (285)

Virginia: Keyveon Roller (125), Dylan Cedeno (141), Jack Gioffre (149), Nick Hamilton (165)

Virginia Tech: Eddie Ventresca (125), Connor McGonagle (133), Sam Latona (141), Caleb Henson (149), Rafael Hipolito (157), Mac Church (165), Lennox Wolak (174), Andy Smith (197), Jimmy Mullen (285)

It has been a busy day in Durham and the ACC Championships have been wild as usual. The team race has separated a bit but isn’t out of reach with Virginia Tech holding a 18 point lead over NC State. We will start the matches at 157 and end the night with the returning NCAA Champ Caleb Henson facing two-time All-American Lachlan McNeil.

Team Scores:

Virginia Tech: 75.5

NC State: 57.5

Pittsburgh: 53.5

Stanford: 40

North Carolina: 34.5

Virginia: 33.5

Duke: 1.5

157

Finalists:Rafael Hipolito, Virginia Tech v Ed Scott, North Carolina State

3rd/4th:Sonny Santiago, North Carolina v Dylan Evans, Pittsburgh

Hipolito won their dual matchup in an uncommonly low scoring bout for both wrestlers, 3-2. Scott and Hipolito both have dynamic offenses and this could be an incredible way to kick off the finals. 

165

Finalists:Nick Hamilton, Virginia v Hunter Garvin, Stanford

3rd/4th:Derek Fields, North Carolina State v Mac Church, Virginia Tech

The final will feature the reigning ACC Champion in Nick Hamilton against All-American Hunter Garvin who is looking for the first ACC title for Stanford. They are both very technically sound wrestlers and this should be a tight bout.

174

Finalists: Matty Singleton, North Carolina State v Luca Augustine, Pittsburgh

3rd/4th: Lennox Wolak, Virginia Tech v Josh Ogunsanya, North Carolina

Not only do we have one surprise finalist here, we have two! Matty Singleton entered as the 4 seed, taking out returning All-American Lennox Wolak and 1-seed Josh Ogunsanya to reach his first ACC finals. Luca Augustine came from the 3 seed and took out 2 seed Lorenzo Norman for his first finals appearance. 

184

Finalists: Reece Heller, Pittsburgh v Dylan Fishback, North Carolina State

3rd/4th: Gavin Kane, North Carolina v TJ Stewart, Virginia Tech

Heller won a close decision in the dual, but Fishback has been wrestling his best the past few weeks. This should be a good one. 

197

Finalists: Mac Stout, Pittsburgh v Nick Stemmet, Stanford

3rd/4th: Andy Smith, Virginia Tech v Stephen Burrell, Jr. Virginia 

Mac Stout has been on an absolute tear since mid-November and is looking to continue that momentum all the way to an ACC title. Stemmet has looked tough all day and this match should be an absolute scrap. 

285

Finalists: Jimmy Mullen, Virginia Tech v Dayton Pitzer, Pittsburgh

3rd/4th: Peter Ming, Stanford v Nolan Neves, North Carolina

Mullen has looked fantastic all ACC season, his lone loss was to Isaac Trumble. Most people expected a rematch there but Dayton Pitzer was able to upset Trumble in the semis to get his shot at a title. Not to take anything away from PItzer, he has looked solid all day, but Trumble injury defaulted out of the tournament following that match. 

125

Finalists: Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech v Vince Robinson, North Carolina State

3rd/4th: Nick Babin, Pittsburgh v Keyveon Roller, Virginia

This should be another gem of a match. Round one was won on a late takedown from Ventresca and both of them have looked fantastic today. Both of them are very quick and can attack from anywhere. This has the makings of an NCAA medal match. 

133

Finalists: Conor McGonagle, Virginia Tech v Kai Orine, North Carolina State

3rd/4th: Tyler Knox, Stanford v Ethan Oakley, North Carolina (3 Allocations)

Kai Orine went from a 4 seed and not earning an allocation to his 3rd straight ACC final. McGonagle was the two seed and battled through a couple tight bouts to make his first ACC title bout. McGonagle took a decision win in the dual a couple weeks ago, but it was a battle, and I expect the same tonight. 

141

Finalists: Sam Latona, Virginia Tech v Dylan Cedeno, Virginia

3rd/4th: Briar Priest, Pittsburgh v Jason Miranda, Stanford

Latona has showcased his defense all day but will need to open up his offense to take round two against Dylan Cedeno. Latona is making his fourth ACC final appearance and has one ACC title. Cedeno only has one loss on the year--to Latona--and is looking to avenge it for his first ACC title. 

149

Finalists: Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech v Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina

3rd/4th: Koy Buesgens, North Carolina State v Jack Gioffre, Virginia

They made the right choice putting this match last. These two have been on a collision course for this match all season. We haven’t seen this match this year, Henson was out with an injury during the opening week of ACC competition when they squared off. Both are two-time All-Americans, Henson at 149 and McNeil at 141. Get the popcorn ready for this one. 

ACC Semifinals

125 

Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech vs Nick Babin, Pittsburgh
Spencer Moore, North Carolina vs Vince Robinson, North Carolina State

133

Ethan Oakley, North Carolina vs Kai Orine, North Carolina State

Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech vs Tyler Knox, Stanford

141

Sam Latona, Virginia Tech  vs Jayden Scott, North Carolina
Briar Priest, Pittsburgh vs Dylan Cedeno, Virginia

149

Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech vs Jack Gioffre, Virginia

Jaden Abas, Stanford vs Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina

157

Rafael Hipolito, Virginia Tech vs Grigor Cholakyan, Stanford
Michael Gioffre, Virginia vs Ed Scott, North Carolina State

165

Hunter Garvin, Stanford vs Mac Church, Virginia Tech
Derek Fields, North Carolina State vs Nick Hamilton, Virginia

174

Josh Ogunsanya, North Carolina vs Matty Singleton, North Carolina State
Lorenzo Norman, Stanford vs Luca Augustine, Pittsburgh

184
Reece Heller, Pittsburgh vs TJ Stewart, Virginia Tech
Gavin Kane, North Carolina vs Dylan Fishback, North Carolina State

197

Mac Stout, Pittsburgh vs Cade Luatt, North Carolina
Andy Smith, Virginia Tech vs Nick Stemmet, Stanford

285
Isaac Trumble, North Carolina State vs Dayton Pitzer, Pittsburgh

Connor Barket, Duke vs Jimmy Mullen, Virginia Tech

Semifinalists by School

Duke 1
North Carolina 7
North Carolina State 7
Pittsburgh 6
Stanford 6
Virginia 4
Virginia Tech 9

The ACC Championships kick off Sunday morning in Durham, with Duke serving as the host for the first time since the 1990’s. With three teams sharing the ACC dual title, we know there will be a tightly-contested team race. NC State has held the title for the past six years and is looking to add another trophy to the case. Virginia Tech will attempt to knock them off again, as they did in dual two weeks ago to earn their share of the dual title. North Carolina was the third team to earn a share of the dual title and they will look to their senior leaders to make a push toward an ACC title. The depth of the ACC will be on display with 38 automatic qualifying bids up for grabs; five of the seven teams have a top-seeded wrestler in the brackets and every team has multiple wrestlers in contention for those slots. I expect a very close team race and momentum could play a huge role, as will every upset along the way. The tournament will be broadcast from the opening whistle on ESPN/ACCNetwork with every match shown. 

125 4 Qualifiers

Even though we are missing starters at this weight from Stanford and Duke, this may be one of the most competitive weights in the tournament. There are three guys ranked in the top 10 in Eddie Ventresca, Vince Robinson, and Spencer Moore who had round-robin wins over each other in duals. Ventresca over Robinson, Robinson over Moore, Moore over Ventresca. But the four and five seeds here could make some noise. This bracket will shape up oddly with only 5 wrestlers; the opening round match will feature Keyveon Roller from UVA and Nick Babin from Pitt. 

The winner here will get Ventresca in the semis, with Moore and Robinson meeting on the bottom side. Robinson has been dynamic throughout the season while Moore does a great job slowing matches down and being more methodical, it will be an interesting clash of styles. I would expect a rematch of the final dual with Robinson and Ventresca in the finals, but I’ve long said that Spencer Moore is sneaky good - could we see him pull off a huge upset in the semis? The Tar Heels have an outside shot at the ACC title and Moore getting to the finals could be a catalyst in making that happen. 

133 3 Qualifiers

This weight may have the most top-end talent and guys who you could make an argument that will win the ACC title. Ethan Oakley has had a quietly solid season and went through the ACC unscathed - he had a SV win over Orine and a decision win over Knox, he did not wrestle McGonagle in the dual as he was out with an injury. McGonagle has also had a quietly impressive season, albeit shortened by injuries. He is 12-1 on the year with his only loss to Tyler Wells of Minnesota early in the season. His wins over Orine and Knox are his best of the year. Tyler Knox put together a very impressive freshman season at 22-4, making his way into the top-10 in the rankings before dropping two in conference matches. He has wins over Drake Ayala, Zeth Romney, and Jacob Van Dee out of conference to bolster his resume. Orine has been the odd man out, not earning an allocation this year and having his worst record in the conference throughout his time in Raleigh. Orine started the year at 141 and dropped to 133 mid-year. He was 8-2 at 141 and is 3-3 at 133. If it goes chalk we will have Oakley and Orine on the top side and Knox and McGonagle in the bottom semi; both of these could easily go either direction. I’m very interested in the first-round match with Orine and Gable Porter; Orine is making a big cut to 133 and his match will be one of the first of the tournament against a dangerous Porter. 

141 4 Qualifiers

After two very potentially chaotic weights, I don’t see as much uncertainty at 141. Sam Latona is the top seed, working his way into the top-10 of the national rankings after another solid season. Dylan Cedeno has been fantastic for Virginia, he came back midseason after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and has been nearly unbeatable. He is 11-1 on the year and won the Southern Scuffle. His only loss is the dual to Latona. Jason Miranda had a solid back half of the season and looked good in ACC duals to earn the 3 seed. Troy Hohman bumped up a weight for the team and earned the spot after Orine dropped to 133 and is 1-1 with a win over Miranda and a loss to Latona at 141. I could see Jayden Scott getting a first-round upset to make a semifinal appearance, he will face Hohman for the spot. 

149 4 Qualifiers

This weight features the returning NCAA Champion Caleb Henson and fellow two-time All-American Lachlan McNeil who has made the transition to the higher weight class quite nicely. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see these two square off in the dual as Henson was out with an injury, but I think that is the final we are all expecting to see Sunday night. There is no shortage of talent at this weight and I think there are six wrestlers who can make a case for those four allocations. Jaden Abas is a former All-American and has had a strong season, Koy Buesgens has had a good season and has been very consistent for the Wolfpack. The wildcard here is Jack Gioffre who has been in and out of the rankings this year, mostly because of missing matches due to illness - this kept his match count too low to earn an RPI and likely an allocation. The opening-round matches have very real chances to be upsets; Gioffre will face Buesgens and Finn Solomon, who has also had a solid year, will face Abas. 

157 3 Qualifiers 

I have been talking about the chaos factor at this weight all year. This weight only got 3 allocations, with two wrestlers who were just outside the cutline; but there are more wildcards available at this weight nationally than any other. The top two at 157 are Rafael Hipolito and Ed Scott, who are both wide-open and fun to watch. Hipolito won in a tight battle in the dual but doesn’t have the postseason experience that the former All-American Ed Scott does. The opening-round matches here could be crazy. Sonny Santiago is the 4 seed and will face Grigor Cholakyan to open the day; Santiago is the more seasoned and battle-tested wrestler, but Cholakyan seems to thrive in creating chaos. Dylan Evans earned the three seed and an allocation-after putting in a strong performance for the Panthers throughout the year; he is 19-5 overall and 5-1 in the ACC including a SV win over Hipolito. Evans will face Michael Gioffre who started the year 6-2 before an injury ended his Southern Scuffle, he then missed extended time with an illness and was able to return for the final two ACC duals where he took losses to Evans and Ed Scott. 

165 5 Qualifiers

This weight features the most ranked wrestlers out of any weight in the ACC; in the final Intermat rankings 6 of the 7 wrestlers are ranked. Hunter Garvin had a slow start to the year but has looked great in the back half of the season, including going undefeated in ACC competition. Nick Hamilton is the reigning ACC champ and has a limited season due to injury; he is 9-2 overall and his only loss in conference is to Garvin. It will be interesting to see how the first-round matchups play out as they could have a big impact on team scoring. Aidan Wallace had a big run midseason, including a trip to the Scuffle finals, but struggled in ACC competition; he will face Derek Fields who has had a solid season, including a 3-2 record in the ACC - but he didn’t face Hamilton in their dual. The top half will see Mac Church square off with Jared Keslar. Church has had a very up-and-down season, ending a five-match skid at the end of the year with a TB win over Fields in the dual. Keslar is .500 on the year but has some good wins and can never be counted out of a match. 

174 4 Qualifiers

If anyone had returning All-American Lennox Wolak entering this tournament as the fifth seed, please raise your hand. This is the one weight I really expected an additional allocation to come from and it may result with a good wrestler staying at home and not getting a wildcard. Josh Ogunsanya earned the top seed on the strength of a win over Lorenzo Norman in the final dual; he is 11-4 on the year with his lone ACC loss to Luca Augustine. Norman has had an impressive freshman year. He is currently ranked 5th nationally and is 18-2 on the year with his other loss to Dean Hamiti. Norman was out for a few weeks from injury and the UNC dual was his first match back. 

Luca Augustine had a solid year and has faced some of the toughest competition out of everyone in the weight. Augustine is 15-7 overall and 4-2 in the ACC with losses to Norman and Wolak. Matty Singleton had a good year, finishing 14-7 with quality wins over Wolak, Simon Ruiz, and Jackson Turley, and all of his losses being to ranked opponents. The opening round matches will be huge for both qualifying and for the team race. Augustine will face Rocco Contino from UVA who had an injury-shortened year but has a high-ceiling and is very dangerous. The other big first-round match is a Singleton and Wolak rematch which will have huge team implications. 

184 3 Qualifiers

This is another weight that didn’t go as expected this year. TJ Stewart finished the year at .500 after a difficult start to the season. The freshman All-American finished last year on fire and will be looking to regain that postseason form that led him to an ACC title and podium finish last year. Stewart will enter as the fourth seed and will face Tye Montiero for the chance to meet top-seed Reece Heller in the semifinals. Heller had an excellent season, entering the postseason at 18-3 after earning a Midlands title and going undefeated in the ACC; he hasn’t lost a match since 12/20 and all of his losses are to top 15 ranked wrestlers. The other side of the bracket will feature a likely semifinal pairing of Gavin Kane from UNC and Dylan Fishback from NCST. Kane was an All-American in 2023, he is 16-6 on the year and was a big part of the dual success that helped the Tar Heels earn a share of the ACC dual title. He will face a very tough Dylan Fishback who is 11-5 on the year; two of those losses are to Heller and the other three are to top-15 opponents. Fishback took a 14-5 major in the rivalry dual. 

197 3 Qualifiers

197 has been top-heavy all year with Andy Smith, Mac Stout, and Nick Stemmet all spending the majority of the year in the top 15 of the rankings. Mac Stout has had an incredible run this year; after losing to Zac Braunagel and Michael Beard in November, Stout has won 18 straight matches to finish the year at 21-2 and undefeated in the ACC. Andy Smith was a bloodround finisher last year and had a good, though injury-shortened year for the Hokies. He is 10-6 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. Nick Stemmet started the year slowly but only has one loss since the calendar turned over to end the year at 19-8, his only loss in the conference is to Stout. There is a big match to watch for the team race in the first round between four-seed Christian Knop from NCST and 5 seed Cade Lautt from UNC. Both have had decent seasons and have had wins that helped their team in close duals - a win here could be big for either of them.

285 5 Qualifiers

I didn’t expect the top weight to be as deep as it ended up being this season. We knew there was some top-end talent in Isaac Trumble who made the Olympic Trials finals in his redshirt year and in blue chip recruit Jimmy Mullen, but through the year emerged several other dangerous options in the conference. Nolan Neves earned the three seed on the strength of upset wins over Dayton Pitzer and Peter Ming to go 3-3 in the ACC. 

Dayton Pitzer had a solid year overall, but his unexpected loss to Neves dropped him to the 4 seed. Conner Barket had a good year overall but struggled in the ACC; he is 22-8 on the year but 1-4 in the ACC with his lone win over Nolan Neves. The opening round will see a rematch of the opening ACC dual with Pitzer facing Ming--Pitzer won the first round--and Barket facing Neves who is his only win in the conference this year. I really don’t know how that round is going to play out, but I would expect Mullen to get to the semis off the bottom and Trumble has a bye on the top. Mullen gave Trumble his toughest test in conference and was his only nonbonus point win. It would be a pretty wild scenario for the team title to come down to a rematch of a tight bout at the final weight.

ACC pre-seeds and brackets dropped late Tuesday afternoon; since the seeding is done by the coaches, they are able to take in the entire body of work for the season. The only time there is specific criteria utilized is if there is a tie in the seeding points that two wrestlers get at any specific weight--this can lead to some interesting seeding choices based on only looking at conference results. Let’s take a look at the seeds and some must-watch first-round matchups. 

125 4 Allocations

1 Seed: Eddie Ventresca, VT

2 Seed: Vince Robinson, NCST

3 Seed: Spencer Moore, UNC

4 Seed: Nick Babin, PITT

5 Seed: Keyveon Roller, UVA

6 Seed: FFT Stanford

7 Seed: FFT Duke

Must-watch first-round match: Only one first-round match in this weight, but it’s a good one. Keyveon Roller had a great start to the season but struggled in the conference. He will face a scrappy Nick Babin who had a lot of tight matches in ACC duals. Even the odd man out at this weight could have a good case for an at-large bid. 

133 3 Allocations

1 Seed: Ethan Oakley, UNC

2 Seed: Connor McGonagle, VT

3 Seed: Tyler Knox, STAN

4 Seed: Kai Orine, NCST

5 Seed: Gable Porter, UVA

6 Seed: Tyler Chappell, PITT

7 Seed: Raymond Adams, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match: Kai Orine making the mid-season drop from 141 to 133 left him short of the needed match total to obtain RPI, so he didn’t earn an allocation and will have to steal one to guarantee a trip to Philly. He will face a very gritty Gable Porter, who will be a tough test. Orine’s biggest opponent every day in the postseason will first and foremost be the scale; he has a big pull to get to 133 and a match fresh off the scale against a crafty guy who can throw is intriguing. 

141 4 Allocations

1 Seed: Sam Latona, VT

2 Seed: Dylan Cedeno, UVA

3 Seed: Jason Miranda, STAN

4 Seed: Troy Hohman, NCST

5 Seed: Jayden Scott, UNC

6 Seed: Briar Priest, PITT

7 Seed: Christian Colman, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match:  Troy Hohman has been a team guy this year and when Orine went back down, Hohman chose to go up a weight class to get a chance in the lineup. He made the most of his opportunities in the weight including ACC wins over Jason Miranda and Gable Porter. He will face Jayden Scott who has had an up-and-down season for the Tar Heels but has the potential to make a run in Durham this weekend. 

149 4 Allocations

1 Seed: Caleb Henson, VT

2 Seed: Lachlan McNeil, UNC

3 Seed: Jaden Abas, STAN

4 Seed: Koy Buesgens, NCST

5 Seed: Jack Gioffre, UVA

6 Seed: Finn Solomon, PITT

7 Seed: SP ODonnell, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match: The next two weights will feature twin brothers Jack and Michael Gioffre as must-watch opening-round bouts. They are both incredibly talented and have some big wins this season; both also missed a large chunk of the middle of the season with illness/injuries and are wild cards in this tournament. Jack will face a very game Koy Buesgens for the opportunity to face reigning NCAA champ Caleb Henson. 

157 3 Allocations

1 Seed: Rafael Hipolito, VT

2 Seed: Ed Scott, NCST

3 Seed: Dylan Evans, PITT

4 Seed: Sonny Santiago, UNC

5 Seed: Grigor Cholakyan, STAN

6 Seed: Michael Gioffre, UVA

7 Seed: Nick Tattini, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match: Michael Gioffre will have the chance to make some noise as he is as close to 100% as anyone can really be at this point in the season. He will square off with Dylan Evans who has had a solid season for Pitt. 157 is a wild and wide-open weight in the ACC and there is a second match everyone should have their eyes on with Grigor Cholakyan and Sonny Santiago. Santiago was just outside the cut line to earn an allocation and is looking to steal a spot, so he doesn’t have to hope for a wild card. Cholakyan has shown all year that he is willing to go throw for throw with anyone who steps on the mat and is one of my favorites to watch in the conference. 

165 5 Allocations

1 Seed: Hunter Garvin, STAN

2 Seed: Nick Hamilton, UVA

3 Seed: Derek Fields, NCST

4 Seed: Jared Keslar, PITT

5 Seed: Mac Church, VT

6 Seed: Aidan Wallace, DUKE

7 Seed: Charlie Darracott, UNC

Must-watch first-round match: 165 has been the most wide-open weight in the conference all season, so it’s fitting there are the most allocations on the line here. There is a lot of volatility at this weight and potential for big first-round upsets. Two important matches to keep an eye on in the opening round: Mac Church against Jared Keslar and Derek Fields against Aidan Wallace. 

Church started the year strong and has been on a bit of a slide, but is capable of beating anyone in the field. Keslar has been up and down all year with some good wins and some odd losses - this is very much a toss-up. Aidan Wallace made a huge impression mid-year getting to the Southern Scuffle finals, but hasn’t had the momentum since hitting ACC duals. He will face a very tricky Derek Fields who has shown to be a solid force in the middle of the lineup and consistently good, but doesn’t have any marquee wins on the year. 
 

174 4 Allocations

1 Seed: Josh Ogunsanya, UNC

2 Seed: Lorenzo Norman, STAN

3 Seed: Luca Augustine, PITT

4 Seed: Matty Singleton, NCST

5 Seed: Lennox Wolak, VT

6 Seed: Rocco Contino, UVA

7 Seed: Gaetano Console, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match: I don’t think anyone in the country would have expected this to be how seeding would look at this weight when looking at the lineups at the beginning of the season. Lennox Wolak has been a head-scratcher all year - he has shown flashes of the skill that made him an All-American sprinkled between stretches of bad losses. He will face Matty Singleton in the opening round. Singleton has built a lot of momentum on the back end of the season, including a big win over Wolak in the final dual of the year. This one could have a lot of implications on the team race and both the Hokies and the Wolfpack have this one circled. 

184 3 Allocations

1 Seed: Reece Heller, PITT

2 Seed: Dylan Fishback, NCST

3 Seed: Gavin Kane, UNC

4 Seed: TJ Stewart, VT

5 Seed: Tye Montiero, STAN

6 Seed: Justin Phillips, UVA

7 Seed: David Hussey, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match: This is another one that has a very different feel than we expected to start the year. Like Wolak, TJ Stewart has had some tough stretches of bad losses in between stints of the incredible wrestling that we saw last year when he made the podium. The Hokies will need Stewart to be back in his postseason form to make a run for the team title. He will have an opening match against Tye Montiero of Stanford that he will need to use to build some positive momentum going into a big semifinal against Reece Heller; Stewart had a SV win over Heller in their only meeting last season. 

197 3 Allocations

1 Seed: Mac Stout, PITT

2 Seed: Nick Stemmett, STAN

3 Seed: Andy Smith, VT

4 Seed: Cade Lautt, UNC

5 Seed: Christian Knop, NCST

6 Seed: Steven Burrell Jr., UVA

7 Seed: Kwasi Bonsu, DUKE

Must-watch first-round match: 197 has been a top-heavy weight in the conference all season. Andy Smith was the preseason favorite but Mac Stout has had an incredible season, reeling off an 18-match winning streak after a couple early losses. The one to watch here has potential team race implications. Cade Lautt has had a quietly strong ACC season, even in his losses he was able to slow the matches down and keep them close. He will face senior Christian Knop who is making his ACC tournament debut. The Wolfpack is hoping for some important points from Knop and an opening win could be huge.

285 5 Allocations

1 Seed: Isaac Trumble, NCST

2 Seed: Jimmy Mullen, VT

3 Seed: Nolan Neves, UNC

4 Seed: Dayton Pitzer, PITT

5 Seed: Peter Ming, STAN

6 Seed: Conner Barket, DUKE

7 Seed: Gabe Christensen, UVA

Must-watch first-round match: Isaac Trumble has been atop the conference all season and is a heavy favorite to win the title. But even with a clear leader at the weight, 285 has been a deep weight for the conference and has seen multiple upsets. I would call both the 4-5 matchup with Pitzer and Ming as well as the 3-6 with Neves and Barket toss-up matches. Neves had an awesome ACC run to earn the 3 seed and will face Barket who has had flashes of his potential all season. Dayton Pitzer had a tough back half of his ACC season but opened ACC duals with a win over Ming, who he will see in the opening bout.

Hokies head coach Tony Robie speaks with the media after a huge win over rival NC State. With the win, the Hokies clinch a share of the ACC Dual title. Coach Robie talks about some of the standouts from the duals, the team heading into the postseason and more:

We’ve got a huge weekend on tap to finish out the regular season in the ACC. The ACC Dual Championship is on the line and could shake out a few different ways. Right now, the Wolfpack controls their own destiny; as the only undefeated team in the conference, if they beat the Hokies, the dual title goes back to Raleigh. BUT…like I said after week one of ACC duals, it’s going to be a wild year and there is a very real chance that no team makes it through unscathed. Currently, two other teams have one loss in conference - Virginia Tech lost to North Carolina, and UNC lost to NC State. Based on the system the ACC uses, the dual champion is determined only by the final record in the conference, not head-to-head matches. So there is a possibility that the dual title will be shared by two or three teams. 

Let’s look at the scenarios:

1. NC State beats Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack are the outright dual champs. The result of UNC and Stanford doesn’t matter.
2. Virginia Tech beats NC State and Stanford beats UNC. The Hokies and the Wolfpack share the dual title. 
3. VT wins and UNC beats Stanford - it is a three-way tie for the dual title with UNC, VT, and NCST all ending with a 5-1 record in conference. 

#6 NC State at #9 Virginia Tech

125 - #3 Vincent Robinson v #5 Eddie Ventresca

133 - #14 Kai Orine v #13 Connor McGonagle

141 - Tyler Tracy/Troy Hohman v #10 Sam Latona

149 - #22 Koy Buesgens v #1 Caleb Henson

157 - #15 Ed Scott v #12 Rafael Hipolito

165 - #28 Derek Fields v Mac Church

174 - #22 Matty Singleton v #20 Lennox Wolak

184 - #14 Dylan Fishback v #20 TJ Stewart

197 - #31 Christian Knop v #16 Andy Smith

285 - #4 Isaac Trumble v #13 Jimmy Mullen

This dual has been the highlight of the conference for the past decade and Friday’s edition should be no different. In their past 10 head-to-head meetings, they have an even 5-5 split with most duals being decided by 5 points or fewer. The past five duals have been won by the home team, with the last road upset coming in 2019 with the Wolfpack winning the dual title in Blacksburg, 17-16. Based on InterMat rankings, the Hokies are favored in 6 matches to 4 for the Wolfpack. I can’t even point to a single match that I’m most looking forward to, there are incredible matchups up and down the lineup. I fully expect the atmosphere in Cassell to be rowdy tonight. The way I see it, there are five matches that lean more heavily on paper toward one team or the other--141, 149, and 197 for the Hokies and 165 and 285 for the Wolfpack--these can all very much go either direction, but I would call that an upset if it happens. These are the weights where each team will be hunting for critical bonus points. The remaining weights - 125, 133, 157, 174, and 184 - are very much toss-up matches. Let’s look at these toss-ups:

125 

We have a top-5 battle and these two have never met. Robinson is 18-1 on the year with his lone loss a medical forfeit at the CKLV. He has a big win over #4 Troy Spratley, who has a win over Ventresca; he has, however, never faced an All-American. The Hokie is a 2023 All-American and comes in at 15-3 with losses to Spratley, #1 Matt Ramos, and a sudden victory loss to #11 Spencer Moore. Expect a wide-open match here. Both have an impressive attack rate and put a lot of points on the board. 

133

This will be an important bout. Orine started the season at 141 and dropped back to 133 and he is still adjusting to the weight. He is 11-5 overall, but 3-3 at 133. It has been an adjustment dropping back down, but he has looked better physically every time he’s gone out. McGonagle came into the season with big expectations, but has been limited with injuries. He is 8-1 overall with his lone loss to #19 Tyler Wells and has a big win over #7 Tyler Knox in sudden victory. This match should be pretty wide-open and physical. 

157

Ok, I lied. This is the match I’m looking forward to the most. This match could be absolutely bonkers. Both of these guys are capable of some insane technique and big moves and they both have a very unique feel - but in different ways. Scott took out Hipolito in the dual last season 12-7 but Hipolito has made huge jumps in the past year. Scott is a former All-American and two-time bloodround finisher. He comes in at 11-4 on the year with only one questionable loss early in the season. Hipolito is in his first year starting and has a 12-3 with one loss from a medical forfeit and the other two in sudden victory in low-scoring bouts. 

174

Lennox Wolak entered the season as a returning All-American at his new home in Blacksburg and a preseason top-5 ranking. He struggled early in the year after an injury and had a disastrous Southern Scuffle that dropped him much lower in the rankings. He has looked much better of late, but has been hard to predict this year. Matty Singleton has been on the edge of breaking through all season and is still looking for a signature win. He is 12-7 on the year, but really doesn’t have any bad losses, they are all to opponents ranked above him. This is an odd match stylistically and could be a 1-0 SV match or a 20-second pin in either direction. Should be a fun one. 

184

In the ongoing battles between Virginia Tech and NC State, we have seen some incredible individual rivalries. I think this matchup will go down as another in the long-running series; both are sophomores and are likely to stay at the same weight moving forward. Stewart holds a 2-0 advantage over Fishback, beating him 7-2 in the dual and 8-5 at the ACC Championships last year. Stewart ended the year on the podium with a 7th place finish while Fishback fell in the bloodround. It’s safe to say they are pretty evenly matched. Fishback has had a pretty good year, he is 10-5 with all of his losses coming to top-15 opponents; he has started to look more aggressive offensively lately, which could be helpful or harmful against Stewart. TJ had a very rough start to the year. He was coming off a knee injury and was very tentative early in the year. As he feels more confident, his offense has picked up and he has looked more like the All-American we saw last year. He is 9-7 overall and 4-1 in conference, his lone loss was a pin to Gavin Kane, when he went for a throw that didn’t quite go as planned. I expect a battle here and the dual could very well hinge on this match. 

#15 North Carolina at #18 Stanford

125 #11 Spencer Moore v FFT

133 #11 Ethan Oakley v #7 Tyler Knox

141 #22 Jayden Scott v #21 Jason Miranda

149 #5 Lachlan McNeil v #15 Jaden Abas

157 #23 Sonny Santiago v #28 Grigor Cholakyan

165 Charlie Darracott v #13 Hunter Garvin

174 #18 Josh Ogunsanya v #4 Lorenzo Norman

184 #19 Gavin Kane v Tye Montiero/Cole Han-Lindemyer

197 Cade Lautt v #15 Nick Stemmet

285 Nolan Neves v #29 Peter Ming

Coming into the season we knew that the Tar Heels would have some individual weapons but it didn’t seem like they would have the full lineup strength to contend for the dual title. They proved that wrong in the opening week with an upset win over Virginia Tech. Stanford had a similar vibe, especially giving up a forfeit at 125 every week, but they have shown to be a gritty team as well. This one has the makings of a tight dual and there is a lot on the line for the Tar Heels; they need to win to have a shot at a share of the dual title. Based on rankings, Stanford holds a 6-4 advantage here, but they are giving up 6 to start at 125. There are two key matches I see that can swing this dual in either direction. At 141, both Jayden Scott and Jason Miranda have had flashes of brilliance this season and are coming off of tough losses last week. We should also see the return of Grigor Cholakyan against Sonny Santiago in what could be a very tight match that will have major implications on the overall dual. I am also very interested to see Lachlan McNeil against his toughest test in conference this year in Jaden Abas (McNeil didn’t face Caleb Henson in the opening dual as he was out with an injury). We should also see Lorenzo Norman returning to the lineup after a couple weeks' absence; he has been incredible this year and will have a big match against Josh Ogunsanya. This should be a battle of a dual and will be a fun one to watch. 

#17 Pittsburgh at Virginia

125 #24 Nick Babin v #31 Keyveon Roller

133 Tyler Chappell v #33 Gable Porter

141 Anthony Santaniello v #19 Dylan Cedeno

149 #23 Finn Solomon v Jack Gioffre/Erik Roggie

157 #21 Dylan Evans v Michael Gioffre/Nick Sanko

165 #33 Jared Keslar v #21 Nick Hamilton

174 #21 Luca Augustine v Rocco Contino

184 #13 Reece Heller/Chase Kranitz v Griffin Gammell

197 #10 Mac Stout v Stephen Burrell/Ethan Weatherspoon

285 #14 Dayton Pitzer v Gabe Christensen

Pitt has been consistent and dangerous all season. Their loss to North Carolina on criteria put the Tar Heels in position for a share of the title; that’s how close it has been all conference season. Virginia has been hampered by injuries and illnesses throughout their lineup and are hoping to have a full, healthy lineup for the postseason. I am hopeful that we see a full lineup for the Hoos this week, as they could use some positive momentum and more mat time for the guys who have been out. There are some fun matches to keep your eye on in this dual, starting at 125. Babin and Roller will have major seeding implications for the ACC tournament and both of them want this match. Cedeno is looking to finish the conference season strong for the Hoos, as is Nick Hamilton who will sit toward the top of the seedings at a wide-open 165. The upper weights for the Panthers have been their strength all season, and they are all looking to go out on top. One thing to watch there is whether we see Reece Heller back at 184 - he was out with an injury last week. Also, I think 174 will be a sneaky good match. Augustine has had some huge wins and some tough losses, he is looking to bounce back after getting pinned by Lennox Wolak last week and will have a fresh, and dangerous Rocco Contino who had his first conference match last week since returning from an injury.

Before we look at the final weekend of ACC duals coming up, let's take a quick look back at the results from last weekend and the matches that stood out. Team scores went as expected but there were some interesting individual results. 

#10 Virginia Tech 28 -- #18 Pittsburgh 9

125 #5 Eddie Ventresca Maj #23 Nick Babin 15-1

133 #15 Connor McGonagle Maj Tyler Chappell

141 #10 Sam Latona Dec Anthony Santaniello 10-7

149 #1 Caleb Henson Dec #23 Finn Solomon 4-1 SV

157 #22 Dylan Evans Dec #11 Rafael Hiplolito 4-1 SV

165 Jared Keslar Dec #30 Mac Church 5-1

174 #26 Lennox Wolak Fall #18 Luca Augustine

184 #22 TJ Stewart Maj Chase Kranitz 16-4

197 #10 Mac Stout Dec #12 Andy Smith 7-3

285 #13 Jimmy Mullen Maj #15 Dayton Pitzer

Even though the team score was lopsided, this was a very entertaining dual. Dylan Evans opened the dual with an upset over Rafael Hipolito, who was in his first match back from an injury. The Panthers followed that with a second upset with Jared Keslar taking out Mac Church. Lennox Wolak has been gaining momentum the last few weeks and had a beautiful feet-to-back maneuver to get the pin over Luca Augustine. Mac Stout ran up his 17th straight win in an upset over Andy Smith. In the final match of the dual, we saw #1 Caleb Henson pushed to sudden victory where he got the takedown to seal the victory over a very stingy Finn Solomon. We also saw Henson warned for stalling, which I don’t think I have ever seen… The dual win gives the Hokies a shot at a share of the ACC Dual title in their dual against NC State on Friday. 

#16 North Carolina 26 – Virginia 10

125 #11 Spencer Moore Dec #31 Keyveon Roller 5-0

133 #12 Ethan Oakley Dec #32 Gable Porter 4-2

141 #19 Dylan Cedeno Dec #22 Jayden Scott 5-3

149 #5 Lachlan McNeil Dec Erik Roggie 5-3

157 #23 Sonny Santiago Inj Def Nick Sanko

165 #21 Nick Hamilton Dec Charlie Darracott 4-1 SV

174 Rocco Contino Maj Nick Fea 19-9

184 #21 Gavin Kane TF Griffin Gammell 22-7

197 Cade Lautt Dec Steven Burrell 10-7

285 Nolan Neves Dec Gabe Christensen 4-2

The Tar Heels have been a very interesting team to watch this dual season. They have a solid lineup and have been able to keep almost every individual match close and put themselves in position for several upsets. They kept this momentum going and their hopes for a share of the ACC dual title alive with a win over the Hoos. There were no upsets on paper, but there were some close matches that will have seeding implications and will be interesting to watch at the ACC Championships. Spencer Moore was able to assert control against a very dangerous Keyveon Roller and Ethan Oakley won another one-score match against Gable Porter. Dylan Cedeno continues to be a bright spot for the Hoos, but was tested by a very game Jayden Scott. Lachlan McNeil had his closest match in conference against Erik Roggie, who was in for an injured Jack Gioffre; this is the lone decision in conference for McNeil, his other four wins have been bonus points. It was also great to see the return of Rocco Contino for UVA who picked up a major decision in his first match back from a long injury break. The Tar Heels control their own destiny in a trip west to meet Stanford on Friday. If they win, they are guaranteed a share of the dual title. 

#7 NC State 27 – #17 Stanford 13

125 #3 Vince Robinson FFT

133 #7 Tyler Knox Maj #13 Kai Orine 9-1

141 Troy Hohman Dec #21 Jason Miranda 5-3

149 #10 Jaden Abas Dec #22 Koy Buesgens 5-1

157 #14 Ed Scott Maj Aden Valencia 13-3

165 #13 Hunter Garvin Dec #28 Derek Fields

174 #21 Matty Singleton Maj Lars Michaelson 11-2

184 #14 Dylan Fishback TF Cole Han-Lindemyer 15-0

197 #22 Nick Stemmett Dec #31 Christian Knop 4-0

285 #4 Isaac Trumble TF #31 Peter Ming 19-3

The Cardinal had a long East Coast road trip, with a win over Princeton on Thursday to kick off the weekend. Unfortunately, they had several starters out, so we didn’t get to see some of the matchups that we really wanted. The biggest matchup was a controlling win by RS Freshman Tyler Knox over two-time All-American Kai Orine; I’m very interested in a potential rematch there. Troy Hohman bumped up a weight and got a big upset win over Jason Miranda, who had been on a great run. Aden Valencia bumped up two weights to face Ed Scott and gave a valiant effort, but Scott earned the major decision. 197 was a tight match with Nick Stemmet getting a 4-0 decision and Isaac Trumble made a statement with a dominant tech fall over Peter Ming, who had been on a great run. The Wolfpack will control how the conference dual title shapes up next week. If they beat the Hokies they win the dual title outright, if they lose, it will be a split title. 

#17 Stanford 37 -- Duke 12

125 Evan Coles FFT

133 #7 Tyler Knox TF Raymond Adams 17-0

141 #21 Jason Miranda Maj Christian Colman 15-2

149 #10 Jaden Abas Fall SP O’Donnell

157 Jack Consiglio Fall Logan Ferrero

165 #13 Hunter Garvin Maj #26 Aidan Wallace 10-2

174 Gaetano Console Fall Lars Michaelson

184 Cole Han-Lindemyer Maj David Hussey 11-2

197 #22 Nick Stemmet TF Kwasi Bonsu 20-4

285 #31 Peter Ming Dec #20 Connor Barket 12-5

The Cardinal finished their road trip with a dominating win over Duke. In the two ranked matches, Stanford had statement wins. Hunter Garvin earned a major decision over Aidan Wallace and Peter Ming reversed his loss on Friday, getting a big upset win over Conner Barket who was in his first match back after a couple weeks out. Stanford will host UNC next week and Duke will be off as they have completed their conference slate.

We are nearing the midway point of ACC dual competition and we have Rivalry Week coming in strong. Virginia will travel to Virginia Tech and North Carolina State will cross town to face North Carolina in what could be a very scrappy dual. The conference dual title continues to be very much up for grabs with NC State and North Carolina both undefeated with Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Stanford all fighting to stay in contention with one loss each. 

There will be some fun matchups tonight with Virginia and Virginia Tech getting the Rock and Shawn treatment on ACC Network while the Tar Heels host the Pack and Stanford travels to Oregon State with streaming options on ESPN+ and ACCNx. 

Virginia at #9 Virginia Tech

125: #26 Keyveon Roller v #5 Eddie Ventresca

133: #26 Gable Porter OR Kyle Montaperto v #19 Connor McGonagle

141: #17 Dylan Cedeno v #10 Sam Latona

149: #30 Jack Gioffre v #1 Caleb Henson

157: Nick Sanko v #10 Rafael Hipolito OR Matt Henrich

165: #22 Nick Hamilton v #29 Mac Church

174: Michael Murphy v #24 Lennox Wolak

184: Griffin Gammell OR Hadyn Danals v #24 TJ Stewart

197: Stephen Burrell OR Ethan Weatherspoon v #8 Andy Smith

285: Gabe Christensen v #14 Jimmy Mullen

The battle for Virginia supremacy will be the Friday Night Dual on the ACC Network this week. The Hokies have owned the Commonwealth Clash over the better part of the past decade and will be in the driver's seat to continue that run on Friday in Blacksburg. 

Both teams rested several starters last week with illness and/or injuries; it sounds like the Hokies should be back to nearly full strength while the Hoos continue to deal with illness throughout the lineup. Even with a few starters out, there will be some big matches to keep your eye on in Cassell Coliseum. I have been very impressed with Keyveon Roller since he moved down to 125; he is returning from an injury and will have a big test in former All-American Eddie Ventresca. 133 could be one of the sneaky good matches in this one with either Porter or Montaperto for the Hoos and Connor McGonagle looking to continue some positive momentum for the Hokies. Dylan Cedeno is undefeated at 141 since his second-semester start and will face one of the toughest opponents of the year in two-time All-American Sam Latona. Nick Hamilton is coming off a one-takedown loss to All-American Hunter Garvin against Stanford and will look to get back in the thick of the 165 battle against Mac Church who is coming off a close loss to Aidan Wallace. The biggest story of the dual may be the return of two key Hokies; National Champion Caleb Henson and bloodround finisher Andy Smith are both back for the first time in 2025. 

#8 North Carolina State at #18 North Carolina

125: #3 Vince Robinson or Louie Gill v #13 Spencer Moore

133:  #12 Kai Orine or Troy Hohman v #13 Ethan Oakley

141: Tyler Tracy v #22 Jayden Scott

149: #21 Koy Buesgens v #5 Lachlan McNeil

157: #14 Ed Scott v #19 Sonny Santiago

165: #27 Derek Fields or Luke Ahrberg v Charlie Darracott

174: #20 Matty Singleton v #17 Joshua Ogunsanya

184: #15 Dylan Fishback v #22 Gavin Kane

197: #26 Christian Knop or Andrew Macchiavello v Cade Lautt

285: #4 Isaac Trumble v Nolan Neves

The in-state rivalry will determine which team sits atop the ACC dual standings with both teams coming in undefeated. The Pack has owned the series of late, winning the last 11 straight, but this may be the closest dual in recent years. The Tar Heels opened ACC competition with an upset win over Virginia Tech and they have looked solid up and down the lineup. 

There are some spicy head to head matches in this one to look forward to, starting at 125. Robinson and Moore have both faced multiple top-10 opponents this season with both holding a win in their most recent - Moore topped #5 Eddie Ventresca in sudden victory and Robinson took out #4 Troy Spratley 7-3 in their dual in Stillwater. 125 is a solid weight in the conference and this will be a big match in determining seeding for the ACC tournament. 

133 will be another important match. Orine is coming off a win in the Pittsburgh dual after getting injured in his loss against Oklahoma State and will be looking to gain some momentum. Oakley is 2-0 in conference but is looking for a signature win  - he has a big opportunity against a two-time All-American in Orine. 157 could be a fun one with Scott and Santiago; if they both open up there could be fireworks. Second-semester transfer Charlie Darracott looks like he will get his first shot in the lineup as a Tar Heel against Derek Fields. 174 and 184 are important matches in my eye - both for the dual and for conference tournament seeding; they should also both be tightly contested bouts. Ogunsanya is 2-0 in conference and Singleton is coming off a tough loss in TB2 against Luca Augustine. It is a similar story at 184 with Kane coming in at 2-0 and looking dangerous against Fishback who is coming off a tough loss to Reece Heller and is looking to rebound. I’m hopeful that this is a competitive dual, the conference is better when this rivalry is a fight. 

Duke at #15 Pittsburgh

125: Ethan Grimminger v #23 Nick Babin

133: Raymond Adams v Tyler Chappell

141: Christian Colman v Anthony Santaniello OR Briar Priest

149: SP O’Donnell v #22 Finn Solomon

157: Logan Ferrero v #24 Dylan Evans

165: #28 Aidan Wallace v Jared Keslar

174: Gaetano Console v #19 Luca Augustine

184: David Hussey v #14 Reece Heller

197: Kwasi Bonsu v #10 Mac Stout

285: #29 Connor Barket v #13 Dayton Pitzer

The Blue Devils drew the short straw in scheduling this year and don’t get an off week until the final week of the regular season. They travel to Pittsburgh this week for a Saturday afternoon dual against the Panthers. Duke is 0-3 so far in ACC competition while the Panthers have split their two conference duals with an upset win over Stanford and a 20-13 loss to the Wolfpack last week. Duke picked up a ranked win from Aidan Wallace over Mac Church last week and will look to continue that momentum. Jared Keslar is a scrappy match for Wallace at 165 this weekend. I’m also watching the heavyweight bout to see how each of them responds to taking a loss last week; a win here will be important for seeding. 

#16 Stanford at Oregon State

125: --  vs. #11 Maximo Renteria 

133: #6 Tyler Knox  vs. Damion Elliott

141: #21 Jason Miranda OR Jack Consiglio v Nash Singleton

149: #7 Jaden Abas v #33 Ethan Stiles OR Ayden Garver

157: #28 Grigor Cholakyan v CJ Hamblin

165: #14 Hunter Garvin OR Zach Hanson v Murphy Menke OR Steele Starren

174: #4 Lorenzo Norman OR Collin Guffey v Sean Harman

184: Tye Monteiro v TJ McDonnell

197: #22 Nick Stemmet OR Brook Byers v Trey Munoz OR Vaun Halstead

285: #32 Peter Ming v #17 Brett Mower 

The Cardinal will use their off week from conference duals to face a familiar opponent in Oregon State. Stanford has looked great in their first season in the ACC and in addition to the conference slate, they have taken on an incredibly challenging out-of-conference schedule. They are coming off a dominant performance over a patchwork UVA team last week and are highly favored in this dual, though there will be some tough tests. There are a few matches I’m looking forward to in Corvallis. Jason Miranda has looked fantastic since returning to the lineup and he will have a scrappy Nash Singleton. Jaden Abas will have a ranked matchup against Ethan Stiles which could be fun. It sounds like Trey Munoz may be out with an injury, but if he faces Nick Stemmett, it will be a great opportunity for Stemmett to pick up a big win.

We have a full slate of ACC action this weekend after a smaller conference schedule last week. ACC Friday Night Duals on ESPN also kicks off this week with Duke hosting Virginia Tech. We will also see Pittsburgh traveling to North Carolina State on Friday. In Sunday action, Virginia is making the cross-country trip to face Stanford. North Carolina will be off this weekend. 

#9 Virginia Tech at Duke

125: #5 Eddie Ventresca v Ethan Grimminger OR Riley Rowan

133: #18 Connor McGonagle v Raymond Adams 

141: #10 Sam Latona v  Noah Kochman OR Christian Colman 

149: #1 Caleb Henson OR Chris Bacchioni v  Sean O'Donnell OR Peter Chacon  

157: #10 Rafael Hipolito, Jr. OR Luke Robie v Logan Ferrero 

165: #23 Mac Church v #29 Aidan Wallace OR Nick Tattini  

174: #24 Lennox Wolak v Gaetano Console  

184: #28 TJ Stewart v David Hussey 

197: Sam Fisher v  Kwasi Bonsu 

285: #14 Jimmy Mullen v  #29 Connor Barket 

There are a couple matches I have my eye on here, mostly to see how they bounce back from a loss. The biggest head-to-head match is at 285 where we will see a ranked versus ranked matchup of the dual in #14 Jimmy Mullen against #29 Connor Barket. I think 165 will be one to watch; Wallace had a great run at the Scuffle and showed flashes of his potential, while Church is coming off an overtime loss to #8 Will Miller in a 30-minute, review-plagued match. We have seen Wolak on a slide as of late, he will be looking to right the ship as they continue in ACC competition. Both squads have multiple options listed, so we may see some different starters than usual; I wouldn’t expect to see Henson back until next week, though he is listed as a possibility.

#15 Pittsburgh at #8 NC State

125: #25 Nick Babin v #3 Vince Robinson or Louie Gill

133: Tyler Chappell v #12 Kai Orine or Troy Hohman

141: Anthony Santaniello or Briar Priest v Tyler Tracy

149: #21 Finn Solomon or Kade Brown v #29 Koy Buesgens 

157: #25 Dylan Evans v #14 Ed Scott

165: Jared Keslar v #28 Derek Fields or Luke Ahrberg

174: #20 Luca Augustine v #18 Matty Singleton

184: #15 Reece Heller v #11 Dylan Fishback

197: #11 Mac Stout v #26 Christian Knop or Andrew Macchiavello

285: #13 Dayton Pitzer v #4 Isaac Trumble

This has the makings of a solid dual, especially at the upperweights. The Panthers have relied on their final four weights for comeback wins in their last two duals and all of them will face a tough test tonight. As we saw in their matchup against Stanford, there are a couple wrestlers out and that could make a huge difference in the team score. I think the atmosphere in Reynolds could play a big role in the dual tonight, it’s a tough place to build momentum as a visiting team and the Panthers will need some momentum to make a run through this lineup. 

There are a few big matches to keep an eye on - 149 is a sneaky good match that could be a pivotal win for either team. The run through the upper weights will be excellent. Singleton and Augustine have both put together solid seasons so far and this is very much a toss-up, as is the next match at 184 with Reece Heller and Dylan Fishback. 197 leans to the Panthers and 285 leans to the Pack, but could very possibly be a preview of the ACC title match at heavyweight. I expect a fun dual tonight in Raleigh. 

#16 Stanford vs. Virginia 

125: --  v #31 Keyveon Roller 

133: #6 Tyler Knox v #27 Gable Porter OR Kyle Montaperto

141: #21 Jason Miranda v #20 Dylan Cedeno OR Kyren Butler OR Luke Roberts

149: #7 Jaden Abas v  #30 Jack Gioffre 

157: #29 Grigor Cholakyan v Michael Gioffre OR Nick Sanko

165: #16 Hunter Garvin v #19 Nick Hamilton OR Mason Stefanelli 

174: #4 Lorenzo Norman v Michael Murphy 

184: Tye Monteiro v. Griffin Gammell OR Justin Phillips 

197: #24 Nick Stemmet v Steven Burrell Jr OR Ethan Weatherspoon 

285: #33 Peter Ming v Gabe Christenson 

The Hoos will make the first trip west to Palo Alto to be the first ACC opponent on The Farm in wrestling. Unfortunately, after talking to Coach Garland today, we aren’t going to see UVA at full strength. Several starters will not be making the trip due to an illness making its way through the team - two of the three typical UVA starters from California will not be making the trip. 

The good news is that we will likely see two big matchups that will have major ACC implications. Both Jaden Abas and Hunter Garvin were out last week against Arizona State, but they should both be available on Sunday; Nick Hamilton has been out for the Hoos recovering from an injury but should also be making his return. This means we will have a solid All-California matchup at 149. Jaden Abas will square off with Jack Gioffre--these two have not met in college, but Jack’s twin brother Michael knocked off Abas at the Southern Scuffle in 2023. 165 will pit the reigning ACC champion Nick Hamilton against the highest-ranked ACC wrestler at the weight and returning All-American Hunter Garvin. Garvin holds a 1-0 record against Hamilton, knocking him out of the NCAA tournament last season. This is a very possible ACC title matchup.

If week one of ACC duals showed us anything, it is that we should buckle up because the next six weeks are going to be bonkers. We saw two upsets - based on Intermat Dual Rankings - and a shutout for the six teams in action, while UVA made the most of the off week. 

North Carolina had a statement win at home over a top-10 Hokies team. The Tar Heels were propelled by upset wins from Spencer Moore, Josh Ogunsanya, and a huge Gavin Kane pin over TJ Stewart to notch their first win over Virginia Tech in five years. North Carolina did an impressive job of winning the tight bouts; three of their five wins were within a one-takedown score, with two of those coming in sudden victory. Bonus points from the Kane pin and a Lachlan McNeil tech fall proved huge. The Hokies will look to use this week off of conference competition to heal up and return with a full lineup against Duke in two weeks; they were without #12 Connor McGonagle and #1 Caleb Henson in Chapel Hill. 

Not a lot to say about Duke’s trip to NC State. The Wolfpack took care of business and won nine of 10 bouts by bonus points including six tech falls and one pin. Louie Gill filled in at 125 for Vincent Robinson and put on an impressive display; Tyler Tracy got the start at 141 and looked strong. Robinson made his return to the lineup on Monday against Oklahoma State, getting an upset win over #2 Troy Spratley, in what otherwise was a dual the Wolfpack would like to forget. Though the dual was much closer than the scoreboard indicated, the Cowboys reeled off nine straight wins - several in tight matches, after the opening upset by Robinson. 

The Pittsburgh/Stanford dual is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. It was a back-and-forth match with the Panthers relying on the strength of their upper weights to pull away in the final three matches for the upset win. This was also the case in their dual against West Virginia on Sunday. Stanford initially had Nico Provo listed but gave up a forfeit at 125, so we are still waiting for his season debut. We did see the return to the lineup from Jason Miranda who had a solid weekend. The matches at 157 and 174 were both tight, entertaining bouts. Stanford did finish their weekend on a positive note, winning at Mizzou. 

Since they pushed up the start of the duals in North Carolina, this dual got my full attention in the later time slot. As I watched, it became more and more clear to me how much parity there is within the conference this year, specifically in how teams match up in duals. 

Coming into the season, the general consensus was that NC State and Virginia Tech would again be battling for the top spot in the conference, both in duals and the tournament. But as we get deeper into the season, we are seeing how much matchups are going to matter in each individual dual. Even if a team is stronger on paper, one upset or one wrestler out with an injury can and will completely change the outcome of a dual. 

Going through the lineups for the duals moving forward, there is a definite possibility that no team will make it through the dual season unscathed. After upsets from North Carolina and Pittsburgh in week one, I think we are only at the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t seen Virginia wrestle in conference yet, but outside of Duke who was shut out, there is an argument that can be made for any one of North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Virginia, and/or Virginia Tech to be atop the dual standings on February 22nd. There is no tie-breaking criteria for the dual-title, it is won outright by the team with the best in-conference record, or shared if teams have the same record. I, for one, am here for the chaos. Bring on week two. 

No. 25 North Carolina 20, No. 8 Virginia Tech 17

January 10, 2025 | Carmichael Arena | Attendance: 1,247

125: No. 20 Spencer Moore (UNC) over No. 4 Eddie Ventresca (VT): 4-1 SV Dec

133: No. 15 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Dillon Campbell (VT): 4-1 SV Dec

141: No. 11 Sam Latona (VT) over No. 27 Jayden Scott (UNC): 2-0 Dec

149: No. 6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) over Hunter Mason (VT): 22-6 TF

157: No. 13 Rafael Hipolito (VT) over No. 26 Sonny Santiago (UNC): 14-7 Dec

165: No. 25 Mac Church (VT) over Collin Carrigan (UNC): 14-2 MD

174: No. 20 Joshua Ogunsanya (UNC) over No. 13 Lennox Wolak (VT): 7-5 Dec

184: No. 24 Gavin Kane (UNC) over No. 29 TJ Stewart (VT): Fall (3:29)

197: No. 8 Andy Smith (VT) over Cade Lautt (UNC): 4-1 SV Dec

285: No. 15 Jimmy Mullen (VT) over Nolan Neves (UNC): 20-8 MD

No. 18 Pitt 24, No. 15 Stanford 15

125: No. 17 Nick Babin (Pitt) FFT

133: No. 10 Tyler Knox (Stanford) tech. fall Matt Marlow (Pitt), 17-1 (4:23)

141: Jason Miranda (Stanford) dec. Briar Priest (Pitt), 11-8 SV 

149: No. 26 Finn Solomon (Pitt) tech. fall EJ Parco (Stanford), 15-0 (4:03) 

157: No. 22 Dylan Evans (Pitt) dec. No. 28 Grigor Cholakyan (Stanford), 4-1 SV

165: No. 14 Hunter Garvin (Stanford) maj. dec. Jared Keslar (Pitt), 15-6 

174: No. 4 Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) dec. No. 18 Luca Augustine (Pitt) 8-6 

184: No. 18 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec.  Abraham Wojcikiewicz (Stanford), 8-4 

197: No. 12 Mac Stout (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 24 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 10-1

285: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) dec. Peter Ming (Stanford), 13-6 

Attendance: 724

#5 NC State 47, Duke 0

Attendance: 2,567

133 | #7 Kai Orine (NCSU) major dec. Raymond Adams (Duke), 12-1

141 | Tyler Tracy (NCSU) tech fall Christian Colman (Duke), 21-6 (3:14)

149 | #33 Koy Buesgens (NCSU) major dec. SP O'Donnell (Duke), 14-3

157 | #12 Ed Scott (NCSU) fall Logan Ferrero (Duke), 3:40

165 | #32 Derek Fields (NCSU) dec. #29 Aidan Wallace (Duke), 7-2

174 | #19 Matty Singleton (NCSU) tech fall Gaetano Console (Duke), 19-4 (4:33)

184 | #11 Dylan Fishback (NCSU) tech fall David Hussey (Duke), 20-3 (3:00)

197 | #26 Christian Knop (NCSU) tech fall Kwasi Bonsu (Duke), 20-4 (4:41)

285 | #4 Isaac Trumble (NCSU) tech fall #30 Connor Barket (Duke), 19-2 (5:30)

125 | Louie Gill (NCSU) tech fall Ethan Grimminger (Duke), 18-1 (5:33)

We’ve made it to the New Year and with the addition of Stanford to the ACC wrestling world, the schedule we’ve become accustomed to for Friday Night Duals will look slightly different. There will be some weeks with three Friday night duals with one team off, and others where Stanford makes an East Coast trip that will see them with a Friday and Sunday dual. 

The opening week will see Virginia on a bye week with Stanford traveling to Pittsburgh and two duals in the Triangle with Virginia Tech at North Carolina and Duke traveling up the hypotenuse to Raleigh to face NC State. There is a chance for more than three snowflakes, so out of caution, the latter two duals were moved up to a 5pm start, with Stanford versus Pittsburgh at 7pm. There will be a few key starters coming off of injury over the holiday break, but we still see some solid duals tonight. Let’s look at how these duals stack up and where the must-watch matches fall.

#7 Virginia Tech at #22 North Carolina

125 #4 Eddie Ventresca v #20 Spencer Moore

133 Dillon Campbell/Frankie Medina v #15 Ethan Oakley

141 #11 Sam Latona v #27 Jayden Scott

149 #1 Caleb Henson/Hunter Mason v #6 Lachlan McNeil

157 #13 Rafael Hipolito v #26 Sonny Santiago/Joey Showalter

165 #25 Mac Church v Charlie Darracott/Colin Carrigan

174 #13 Lennox Wolak v #20 Josh Ogunsanya

184 #25 TJ Stewart/Sam Fisher v #24 Gavin Kane/Marcus Murabito

197 #8 Andy Smith/Sammy Sasso v Cade Lautt/Robert Platt

285 #15 Jimmy Mullen v Aydin Guttridge/Nolan Neves

This one has some solid matches up and down the lineup. Kicking off with a good one at 125 with Eddie Ventresca who has rounded back into his All-American form and Spencer Moore who has had a quietly great season and is coming off a runner-up finish at the Southern Scuffle. 

Latona and Scott will be another fun one to keep your eye on, as will Hipolito/Santiago. I’d lean toward not seeing Henson versus McNeil tonight - you don’t often see another option listed behind Henson’s name, and they won’t put him out if he’s not ready to go after a ding in the OkSt dual. The Tar Heels added a transfer this week in Charlie Darracott and he has been ruled eligible for the second semester so we may see his debut tonight at 165. The two most intriguing matches to me are at 174 and 184 tonight. 174 will pit former teammates from Columbia against each other. Wolak had a great start to the Scuffle then dropped 3 straight. Ogunsaya is 5-3 since starting in the second semester. 184 is a battle of former All-Americans who are both looking to find that form again in Stewart and Kane. 

Duke at #9 NC State

125 Ethan Grimminger v #11 Vincent Robinson/Louie Gill

133 Raymond Adams v #7 Kai Orine

141 Christian Colman v Tyler Tracy

149 Sean O’Donnell v #33 Koy Buesgens 

157 Logan Ferrero v #12 Ed Scott

165 #29 Aiden Wallace v #32 Derek Fields

174 Gaetano Console v #19 Matty Singleton

184 David Hussey v #11 Dylan Fishback

197 Kwasi Bonsu v #26 Christian Knop/Andrew Machiavello 

285 #30 Conner Barket v #4 Isaac Trumble 

This one won’t be expected to be very competitive on the scoreboard, but there are a couple interesting matches to watch. I was hoping we would see freshman Vincent Lee for the Blue Devils at 197 but he isn’t listed, so they may still be looking at a potential redshirt. Aiden Wallace had an amazing Scuffle for Duke, making an unexpected run to the finals. He will have a good test in Derek Fields at a competitive weight in the conference. The other ranked matchup is at heavyweight with Conner Barket attempting to knock off Isaac Trumble who has been very impressive this season. The other thing to watch here is whether we see the return of Vincent Robinson after his injury at CKLV or if we see freshman Louie Gill step in for another dual. 

#12 Stanford at #27 Pittsburgh

125 Nico Provo v #17 Nick Babin

133 #10 Tyler Knox v Vincent Santaniello

141 Jason Miranda/Jack Consiglio v #31 Anthony Santaniello

149 EJ Parco v #26 Finn Solomon

157 #28 Grigor Cholakyan v #22 Dylan Evans

165 #14 Hunter Garvin v Jared Keslar

174 #4 Lorenzo Norman v #18 Luca Augustine

184 Abraham Wojcikiewicz/Cole Han-Lindemyer v #18 Reece Heller

197 #24 Nick Stemmett v #12 Mac Stout

285 Peter Ming v #14 Dayton Pitzer 

This one has some potential for fireworks. We get to see the season debut of Nico Provo against Nick Babin who looked solid in his return from the injured list. Knox has looked fantastic this season, but will face a scrappy Vinny Santaniello. Jason Miranda is listed as a probable coming off a great Midlands that could set up a fun match against Anthony Santaniello. Jaden Abas is not making the trip this weekend so we will see EJ Parco against Finn Solomon. 157 is a must-watch for me. Cholakyan has shown all year that he will go full-send every match and he faces a very tough Dylan Evans - this one could be fun. Lorenzo Norman has had an amazing season thus far and will face Luca Augustine who has the potential to go with anyone in the country. Nick Stemmett versus Mac Stout is the final ranked matchup in the dual, I would expect a lower-scoring, gritty match between the two. This one is pretty competitive on paper, I’m interested to see how it plays out on the mat. 

There will be three big duals out of conference duals on Sunday as well. Pittsburgh will face a scrappy West Virginia squad, while Stanford makes a stop in Columbia on their way back west to face Mizzou. Then we will see a top-10 battle as NC State makes the trip to Gallagher-Iba Arena to face #3 Oklahoma State. We will have breakdowns for those duals this weekend. 

It’s never officially the New Year until the Southern Scuffle in college wrestling. The brackets are out and we’ll take a look at who is in (and out) for the ACC. Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech all have partial lineups in the field made up of starters and backups. There are a couple guys making their season debuts, a few returning from injuries in the opening half of the season, and several weights where teams are still trying to decide who is going to get the starting nod for ACC duals starting next week. Here are a few things to keep an eye on this weekend in Chattanooga. 

125

#21 Spencer Moore UNC

#28 Keyveon Roller UVA

Ethan Grimminger Duke

Cam Stinson UNC

Riley Rowan Duke

This will be a great opportunity for both Spencer Moore and Keyveon Roller to get some momentum going into conference duals. Moore is 7-3 on the year with two losses to top-20 wrestlers and Roller is off to a great start after dropping to 125, opening the year with a 4-1 record. Stinson is a huge recruit for the Tar Heels--a four-time NC State Champion who amassed a perfect 205-0 record, he is definitely one to keep your eyes on for the future. 

133

Kyle Montaperto UVA

Derek Guanajuato UNC

Raymond Adams Duke

Durbin Carpenter VT

#13 Ethan Oakley UNC

Gable Porter UVA

Spencer VonSavoye Duke 

Ethan Oakley enters as the lone ranked ACC wrestler at this weight and has a great path in his bracket; he sets up for a likely quarterfinal matchup with the winner of Gable Porter and Ethan Berginc (Army). Porter has gotten the majority of the starts for the Hoos this year, but Kyle Montaperto is mounting a challenge for the weight after a strong showing at the Sheridan Invitational; Porter was injured at that tournament and is looking to add another ranked win to his 4-2 start. 

141

Jayden Scott UNC

#27 Kyren Butler UVA

Luke Simcox UNC

Dylan Cedeno UVA

This is a big weight for Virginia. Kyren Butler has impressed so far this year and is coming off a title at the Sheridan Invite, but he is still looking for a signature win. This bracket will give him that opportunity, with multiple ranked wrestlers. Dylan Cedeno is making his season debut for the Hoos and is a previous NCAA qualifier. He is dropping from 157 where he had a strong, though injury-shortened season last year. Virginia has two strong options at this weight and this weekend could go a long way in determining the starter for conference duals. 

149

Cullen Kane UNC

Sean O’Donnell Duke

This is the fewest entries at any weight for the ACC. Kane is making his season debut and O’Donnell is off to a 6-6 start, looking to gain momentum moving into ACC competition. 

157

Logan Fite Duke

Gavin Cagle UVA

Michael Gioffre UVA

Matt Henrich VT

Nick Sanko UVA

Nick Tattini Duke

Frank Dibella VT

Luke Ferrero Duke

This is a weight where we see several guys trying to make their case to be in the starting lineup. Michael Gioffre is the 5-seed and is in search of a ranked win to bolster a strong 4-1 start to his year. Duke has seen Ferrero as the starter for the majority of the season; Fite and Tattini are looking to make the statement that they should get that spot. 

165

Connor Brady VT

Jackson Spires VT

Nick Fea UNC

Mason Stefanelli UVA

Aiden Wallace Duke

Omaury Alvarez UNC

Kylan Montgomery VT

Another interesting weight here, in my opinion. Connor Brady was expected to be the starter for the Hokies and entered the season ranked. However, he has been out with an injury and Mac Church has made the most of his time at the spot, working up to a #25 ranking and a 10-6 record. Brady is a four-time NCAA qualifier and wants another crack at earning All-American status. Aiden Wallace is quietly off to a great start for the Blue Devils. He enters with a 15-4 record and is looking to make some noise. Nick Fea has been the starter for the Tar Heels, Omaury Alvarez is trying to make his case for an opportunity in the starting lineup. 

174

#4 Lennox Wolak VT

Sabino Portella UNC

Rocco Contino UVA

Marcus Murabito UNC

Gaetano Console Duke

Michael Murphy UVA

Isaias Estrada UNC

Gage Wright VT

Nolan O’Boyle UNC

Ty Finn VT

Wolak has had one of the tougher early-season schedules in the country. He is 3-2 to start his time in Blacksburg; all three wins by pin, including against #22 Jackson Turley and #23 Clayton Whiting. His losses are to #1 Keegan O’Toole and #3 Dean Hamiti. His dual schedule doesn’t get much easier with the ACC having the #5, #18, #19 and #20 ranked wrestlers. I’ve been impressed by Rocco Contino this year, he is wide open and a lot of fun to watch. He will have an opportunity to win some big matches this weekend. 

184 

#16 Gavin Kane UNC

Griffin Gammel UVA

Sam Fisher VT

David Hussey Duke

#25 TJ Stewart VT

Justin Phillips UVA

Aiden Schlett UNC

Hadyn Danals UVA

Gavin Kane earned All-American status in 2023 and is a three-time NCAA qualifier. He is off to a great start so far this year with a big win over #11 Edmond Ruth and a close loss to #5 Silas Allred. He is looking to return to the podium in Philly and will have to navigate a tough bracket from the 1-seed. The other big story here, of course, is TJ Stewart. Stewart is coming off an All-American finish as a freshman, but has had the worst possible start to his season. He enters at 0-4 and just hasn’t looked himself all year. We know he is returning from a knee injury and this could be a great opportunity to show the country that he is back. Haydn Danals is also returning from an early season injury and will be back on the mat for the first time since their opening dual against NDSU. 

197

Cade Lautt UNC

Max Shulaw UVA

Sonny Sasso VT

Ethan Weatherspoon UVA

Max Shulaw has shown a ton of potential as a true freshman, he has made several starts for the Hoos but will be competing unattached as they decide whether they want to keep him in redshirt. Sonny Sasso will be back on the mat for the Hokies after an injury slowed a fast start; he is 5-0 on the season with 5 pins. He is looking for some statement wins as he tries to pry the starting spot from #8 Andy Smith--this is one of a couple weights where the Hokies have two dangerous options for the starting lineup. 

285

Parker Ferrell VT

Gabe Christensen UVA

Nolan Neves UNC

Hunter Catka VT

#29 Conner Barket Duke

Barket is the latest in the line of talented upper-weights for the Blue Devils under the tutelage of Tom Erikson. He is off to a solid 15-2 start and is looking for some signature wins to pad his resume. Gabe Christensen has looked great for the Hoos in his first year being healthy; he is 4-0 to start the year and will have an opportunity for some big matches in this bracket. Just like 197, the Hokies have two stellar options at 285. #15 Jimmy Mullen has gotten the bulk of the starts, but Hunter Catka will be looking to make his case for the spot. Catka is a three-time NCAA qualifier and lost in the blood round last year; he is 5-2 to start this season and won the Keystone Classic.

Two of the three major holiday tournaments have concluded and the ACC had some stellar performances. Stanford kicked off their first Midlands in the ACC by bringing home the team title and three individual titles. Pittsburgh also had a strong showing at the Midlands, finishing fourth as a team and earning two individual titles. North Carolina sent a small contingent of starters to the Soldier Salute, finishing with one finalist and four placers. 

#22 Stanford 

Stanford used their time in Hoffman Estates to put the conference on notice that they are a legitimate threat to win the ACC in their inaugural season. The Cardinal will be loading a lot of hardware on the plane back to Palo Alto. They crowned three individual champions in #10 Tyler Knox (133), #8 Jaden Abas (149), and #7 Lorenzo Norman (174) On top of their gold medals, Knox was named the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler and Norman was the Jack Leese Champion of Champions. 

Knox has been fantastic this season and looked strong throughout the tournament, notching two bonus point wins before beating #32 Ryan Miller in the semifinals. He then had a very impressive showing in the finals with a controlling 10-3 win over #16 Dylan Shawver. Abas has seemingly shaken whatever early-season jitters he had and has been on an absolute tear. He was solid all weekend, taking out a sneaky good #19 Cross Wasilewski in the finals. Lorenzo Norman has put the country on notice this season; after his statement at the Midlands, his record stands at 14-1 with his lone loss a tight 4-3 decision to a reinvigorated #3 Dean Hamiti. Norman opened the tournament with tech fall, pin, tech fall before beating #23 Alex Cramer in the semifinals. He made a big impression with a decisive win over #5 Nick Incontrera in the finals. 

They also had podium performances from seven wrestlers to separate themselves in the team race. #13 Hunter Garvin (165) placed third after dropping his semifinal bout in sudden victory to the eventual champion, Tyler Lillard. #22 Nick Stemmet (197) and Jason Miranda (141) both finished in 4th place while Peter Ming (285) finished in fifth. They rounded out the tournament with seventh-place finishes from #28 Grigor Cholakyan (157) and Brock Byers (197) and an eighth-place finish from Collin Guffey (174). 

Pittsburgh

The Panthers turned in an impressive team performance despite losing two key starters to injury in the tournament. #18 Reece Heller (184) added a second Midlands title after being atop the podium in 2023. Heller earned three bonus point victories in his four matches, including a ranked win over #29 Shane Cartegena-Walsh in the finals. #15 Mac Stout (197) claimed his first Midlands title with impressive and consistent performances on both days; he beat #32 Dillon Bechtold 10-3 in the semifinals before taking out #26 Gabe Sollars 13-9 to stand on the top step of the podium.  

Kade Brown (149) had an amazing run to finish in third that included ranked wins over Malyke Hines and Andrew Clark. #26 Finn Solomon also placed at 149, ending the day in sixth after medically forfeiting his final two bouts. #20 Luca Augustine (174) started off the tournament strong, knocking off #22 Jackson Turley in the quarterfinals before an injury ended his tournament early; he finished in sixth after medically forfeiting the second day. The final placer for the Panthers was #22 Dylan Evans (157) who earned fifth; he won a battle over #28 Grigor Cholakyan in SV in the quarterfinals and dropped a tight match to eventual champion #21 Johnny Lovett in the semis before battling back to win his fifth-place bout 2-1. 

#28 North Carolina

The Tar Heels took a small squad made up of a few starters and several back-ups to Iowa for the Soldier Salute. Lachlan McNeil (149) had a great tournament, running through the first three rounds and beating #17 Colin Realbuto in the semifinals to meet #4 Kyle Parco in the finals. The final match is worthy of a rewatch, but McNeil dropped the bout 8-5 to finish as the runner-up. McNeil continues to improve as he settles into 149 and I expect him to be in the thick of a very competitive weight class within the conference. #19 Josh Ogunsanya (174) made his second appearance for the Tar Heels after his debut at the Collegiate Duals. He looked great in the opening rounds before dropping the semifinal match to Iowa’s #8 Patrick Kennedy; he won a match on the backside, but fell in the third-place bout to #15 Jared Simma of Northern Iowa. Also placing for the Tar Heels were Laird Root (157) and Collin Carrigan (165) who both finished in eighth. 

The ACC will be represented by three teams in the Southern Scuffle to finish off the holiday tournaments. Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech are all scheduled to be represented in Chattanooga this weekend. 

Sean Bormet talks to InterMat after his Michigan Wolverines traveled to the University of Virginia and posted a 29-12 win. Coach Bormet talks about the efforts that veteran Joseph Walker and was true freshman Brock Mantanona bring. Transfers Chase Saldate and Jacob Cardenas both had big wins - Coach Bormet discusses their impact on the program. Next up for the Wolverine is the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational - Coach Bormet talks about where he feels his team is, headed into Vegas. 

For the full interview:

If there was ever a great weekend to watch ACC wrestling against some stellar out-of-conference foes, this is it! It kicks off tonight and there will be at least one excellent dual to watch on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. 

Friday 

Starting it off in Blacksburg with their annual dual at the Moss Arts Center - if you have never experienced a dual there, I highly recommend it. They were really one of the first programs to make a non-traditional venue an annual affair, and the atmosphere on stage is pretty incredible. They will have a top-20 dual team from the B1G for the second straight week, hosting the Fighting Knights of the Garden State Parkway… or the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, not sure which (that’s just for you Jags). We all know how strong of a program Goody has built up there and it will be a great test for the Hokies. 

125 #12 Eddie Ventresca v #17 Dean Peterson

133 #10 Connor McGonagle v #6 Dylan Shawver

141 #16 Sam Latona v #22 Joey Olivieri

149 #1 Caleb Henson v #33 Michael Cetta

157 #25 Rafael Hipolito v Conner Harer

165 Mac Church v #32 Anthony White

174 #4 Lennox Wolak v #18 Jackson Turley

184 #12 TJ Stewart v #21 Brian Soldano

197 #13 Andy Smith v #12 John Poznanski

285 #16 Jimmy Mullen v #9 Yaraslau Slavakouski

Meanwhile, in the Research Triangle, Duke will host Michigan in their first of two ACC matchups this weekend. This dual will be hosted at Jordan High School and as of right now, I’m not sure if there will be a streaming option. This is the third week of the season I have been irrationally angry about an ACC dual not being streamed, but I digress. The Blue Devils have been looking strong at the upper weights and will get a big test from the Wolverines. 

125 Ethan Grimminger v Christian Tanefeu

133 Raymond Adams v #4 Dylan Ragusin

141 Christian Colman v #8 Sergio Lemley

149 Sean O’Donnell v #31 Dylan Gilcher

157 Logan Ferrero v #12 Chase Saldate

165 Aiden Wallace v Brock Mantanona

174 David Hussey v #27 Joseph Walker

184 Logan Richey v #18 Jaden Bullock 

197 Vincent Lee v #3 Jacob Cardenas

285 Connor Barket v Ira Jenkins

Saturday

Duke will welcome in three other squads - American, Presbyterian, and Utah Valley for a quad in Pittsboro, NC. This marks the return of former Wolfpack Associate Head Coach Adam Hall to North Carolina for the first time since taking over the UVU program. I am interested to see how the Blue Devils look across the board the night after a dual with a top-tier program. Connor Barket versus Jack Forbes and Aidan Wallace against Terrell Barraclaugh are the highlight matches on Saturday, both against Utah Valley. 

For the nightcap, Utah Valley will travel to Raleigh where the Wolfpack will welcome back Coach Hall and his new squad. The Pack is still working to figure out the best option at a couple weights--133 and 197 after the injury to Christian Knop. They do have Jakob Camacho listed as a potential matchup at 133, which we have speculated may be a solid move after the successful start from Vincent Robinson. 

125 #13 Vincent Robinson v Bridger Ricks

133 Jakob Camacho or Troy Hohman v Kase Mauger

141 #7 Kai Orine v #25 Haiden Drury

149 Koy Buesgens v Tanner Frothinger 

157 #8 Ed Scott v Ryker Fulmer

165 #27 Derek Fields v #5 Terrell Barraclaugh

174 #23 Matty Singleton v Mark Takara 

184 #14 Dylan Fishback v Caleb Uhlenhopp

197 Chase Horne or Andrew Macchiavello v Kael Bennie

285 #6 Isaac Trumble v Jack Forbes

Sunday

We have a double dose of duals and the Keystone Classic all on tap for a busy Sunday which will allow for an all-day wrestling viewing option. The Hokies will travel to Philly for the Keystone Classic where there will be some potential huge matchups. Austin Sommer broke some of those down for us earlier this week. 

Pittsburgh will welcome in-state rival Lehigh to the city for the annual edition of what has come to be a very entertaining dual series. These two squads both have a quiet, but very impressive coaching staff that share very fertile recruiting grounds. There is often a lot more on the line than what may meet the eye.

125 #15 Nick Babin v #16 Sheldon Seymour

133 #31 Vinnie Santaniello v Ryan Crookham

141 Anthony Santaniello v #19 Malyke Hines

149 #29 Finn Solomon v #30 Kelvin Griffin

157 Dylan Evans v #31 Logan Rozynski

165 Kelvin Laffey v Thayne Lawrence 

174 #15 Luca Augustine v Rylan Rodgers 

184 #13 Reece Heller v Jack Wilt

197 #14 Mac Stout v #6 Michael Beard

285 #14 Dayton Pitzer v Calvin Lachman

The night will close with Virginia hosting Michigan at Memorial Gym. The Hoos were off last week so they have a well-rested squad who is looking to make the most of a primetime matchup against a top-10 team. 

125 #31 Keyveon Roller v Christian Tanefeu

133 #32 Gable Porter v #4 Dylan Ragusin

141 Kyren Butler v #8 Sergio Lemley

149 Jack Gioffre/Erik Roggie v #31 Dylan Gilcher

157 Michael Gioffre v #12 Chase Saldate

165 #12 Nick Hamilton v Brock Mantanona

174 Rocco Contino v #27 Joseph Walker 

184 Griffin Gammel/Jack Lesher v #18 Jaden Bullock

197 Max Shulaw v #3 Jacob Cardenas

285 Gabe Christensen/Brenan Morgan v Ira Jenkins 

Monday

That’s right. Monday. 

The Tar Heels will finish out the busy weekend welcoming Greensboro College and another B1G program to ACC country. The Illini are coming off a big win over Mizzou on Thursday and there will be a few great matchups to keep your eyes on. 

125 #25 Spencer Moore v Caelen Riley

133 #15 Ethan Oakley v #2 Lucas Byrd

141 Jayden Scott v #15 Danny Pucino

149 #6 Lachlan McNeil v #10 Kannon Webster

157 #27 Sonny Santiago v #20 Jason Kraisser

165 Nick Fea v #24 Braeden Scoles

174 #12 Josh Ogunsanya v #16 Danny Braunagel

184 #22 Gavin Kane v #9 Edmond Ruth

197 Cade Lautt v #10 Zac Braunagel

285 Aydin Guttridge v #10 Luke Luffman

Virginia Tech national champion Caleb Henson talks to the media after his season debut against Missouri. Henson forgot how fun it was to compete in front of the home crowd. Even though he starts the year #1 he is still hunting and trying to get better.

Virginia Tech head coach Tony Robie addresses the media after Friday's win over Missouri. Coach Robie discusses the impact of freshman Rafael Hipolito and Jimmy Mullen, along with honoring Caleb Henson, team leadership and more. 

We have another full weekend on tap in ACC country with a good split between duals and tournaments. Let’s take a look at a few things to keep your eyes on this weekend. 

Big Dual Weekend for #15 Stanford 

Being a west coast school in a sport that is midwest/east coast dominated provides scheduling challenges. Being a Pacific coast school in the ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE provides its own logistical nightmares. The Cardinal squad does well with scheduling multiple events when they make bigger road trips, this weekend is no exception. They are making a trip to Iowa this weekend and will see #8 Iowa State and #2 Iowa. 

#8 Iowa State

125 #10 Nico Provo v Osmany Diversent 

133 #23 Tyler Knox v #5 Evan Frost

141 #32 Jason Miranda v #12 Casey Swiderski

149 #12 Jaden Abas v #7 Anthony Echemendia

157 Grigor Chalokyan v #11 Paniro Johnson

165 #7 Hunter Garvin v #10 MJ Gaitan

174 #17 Lorenzo Norman v Aiden Riggins

184 #27 Luke Duthie v #16 Evan Bockman

197 #17 Nick Stemmet v #32 Christian Carroll

285 Jackson Mankowski v #6 Yonger Bastida

#2 Iowa 

125 #10 Nico Provo v #31 Kale Peterson

133 #23 Tyler Knox v #7 Drake Ayala

141 #32 Jason Miranda v #31 Ryder Block

149 #12 Jaden Abas v #4 Kyle Parco

157 Grigor Chalokyan v #1 Jacori Teemer

165 #7 Hunter Garvin v #2 Michael Caliendo 

174 #17 Lorenzo Norman v #6 Nelson Brands

184 #27 Luke Duthie v #9 Gabe Arnold 

197 #17 Nick Stemmet v #2 Stephen Buchanan 

285 Jackson Mankowski v #11 Ben Keuter 

Throwdown on the Yorktown

Virginia will head south to Charleston, South Carolina for a non-traditional dual setting on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown. The Hoos will look to continue their hot dual start against The Citadel and Gardner-Webb. The event is the brainchild of SOCON official and SC House of Representatives member Neil Collins. The matches will take place on the flight deck of the WWII aircraft that is moored in Charleston Harbor. The event will feature both women’s and men’s duals and should be a pretty awesome evening of wrestling. The biggest thing to watch for the Hoos is the lineup at the lower weights - I’ve told you there will be some fluctuations throughout the semester as they figure out their optimal lineup. I’m listing the starters from last week, but don’t be surprised if you see appearances from Marlon Yarbrough (#21 at 141) and Jack Gioffre. I’m also keeping an eye on Rocco Contino at 174; I’ve been super impressed by what I’ve seen from him this year.

 

The Citadel

125 Keyveon Roller v Gylon Sims

133 #33 Gable Porter v George Rosas

141 Kyren Butler v Thomas Termini

149 Erik Roggie v Jacob Silka

157 Michael Gioffre v Hayden Watson

165 #12 Nick Hamilton v Thomas Snipes

174 Rocco Contino v Benjamin Haubert

184 Hadyn Danals v #28 Billy Danzer

197 Max Shulaw v #28 Patrick Brophy

285 Gabe Christensen v Adam Ortega

Gardner-Webb 

125 Keyveon Roller v Tyson Lane

133 #33 Gable Porter v TK Davis

141 Kyren Butler v #33 Todd Carter 

149 Erik Roggie v Joseph Giordano

157 Michael Gioffre v Drew Pepin

165 #12 Nick Hamilton v Tyler Brignola

174 Rocco Contino v Andrew Wilson

184 Hadyn Danals v Brixan Burgess 

197 Max Shulaw v Joshua McCutchen

285 Gabe Christensen v Peyton McComas

Journeymen

Several squads will make their way to Bethlehem, PA for the Journeymen Wranglemania on Saturday and the Collegiate Classic on Sunday. Duke will face LIU and Rutgers in the early rounds and NC State will square off with Campbell in the final round of duals. Keep an eye on the upper weights for the Duke duals. Vincent Lee and Connor Barket will both face some tough tests, especially against Rutgers. 

The NC State versus Campbell dual has some sneaky good matches to keep up with. The highlight will be a top-10 showdown at 285 between All-American Taye Ghadiali and Isaac Trumble.

#8 NC State v Campbell

125 #7 Jakob Camacho v #27 Anthony Molton

133 Jacob Cox v #22 Dom Zaccone

141 #6 Kai Orine v #30 Shannon Hanna

149 Koy Buesgens v Eugene Harney

157 #6 Ed Scott v Seth Larson

165 #21 Derek Fields v Kendrick Hodge

174 #24 Matt Singleton v #25 Dom Baker

184 #10 Dylan Fishback v Cole Rees

197 #27 Christian Knop v #19 Levi Hopkins

285 #10 Isaac Trumble v #7 Taye Ghadiali 

The Sunday pools at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic are always top tier. There is some stout competition this year, but we won’t know specific matchups until this weekend. Duke and NC State will participate, as will Pittsburgh. There are multiple top-20 teams that are sending wrestlers including Cornell, Illinois, Lehigh and Arizona State. Keep an eye on the InterMat socials for pool breakdowns when they are announced. 

Sunday Duals

North Carolina will look to build on their strong start at the Southeast Open when they travel to Annapolis on Saturday for duals against Drexel and Navy. 
 

Navy

125 #26 Spencer Moore v Nick Treaster

133 #17 Ethan Oakley v Brendan Ferretti

141 Jayden Scott v #9 Josh Koderhandt

149 #6 Lachlan McNeil v Kaemen Smith

157 #26 Sonny Santiago v Jonathan Ley

165 Nick Fea v Tyler Sagi

174 #11 Josh Ogunsanya v #22 Danny Wask 

184 #22 Gavin Kane v Zyan Hall 

197 Cade Lautt v Payton Thomas

285 #33 Aydin Guttridge v Alistair Larson

Drexel

125 #26 Spencer Moore v Desmond Pleasant

133 #17 Ethan Oakley v Kyle Waterman

141 Jayden Scott v Malachi Bordovski

149 #6 Lachlan McNeil v Dominic Findora 

157 #26 Sonny Santiago v Luke Nichter

165 Nick Fea v #31 Cody Walsh 

174 #11 Josh Ogunsanya v Jasiah Queen

184 #22 Gavin Kane v #32 Guiseppe Hoose 

197 Cade Lautt v #21 Michael O’Malley

285 #33 Aydin Guttridge v Shane Whitney 

Mountaineer Invite

The Hokies will send a limited squad across the mountains to West Virginia for the Mountaineer Invite. They won’t have their full starting lineup, but expect some familiar faces getting some mat time in Morgantown.

The season is officially upon us and we had all sorts of action in the ACC this weekend. We saw dominant dual performances and the youth of the conference showing out at tournaments. Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the weekend. 

Dual Dominance

The conference finished the first week of the season with an unblemished dual record and did so in dominating fashion. Virginia handled the Bison of North Dakota State 31-6, including ranked wins from Gable Porter (133) and Kyren Butler (141) and bonus point wins from new starters Rocco Contino (174) and Max Shulaw (197). Further south in Roanoke, the Hokies dispatched the Mocs of UTC 37-6. Eddie Ventresca returned to the lineup with a tech fall, Sam Latona picked up his first ranked win at 141 and we saw an impressive debut in the lineup from Connor McGonagle, who picked up a first-period pin. 

The Panthers took it to the Midshipmen in Pittsburgh on Saturday, reversing a lopsided loss from last season. The 35-3 showing was highlighted by #19 Luca Augustine picking up a ranked win over #22 Danny Wask. The lone loss in the dual was a 5-4 decision win from #9 Josh Koderhandt over redshirt freshman Anthony Santaniello. They picked up bonus points from Nick Babin, Vince Santaniello, Reece Heller, and Dayton Pitzer. 

The new guys in town, Stanford, picked up two dual victories on the weekend. They won by the same score, 29-12, in duals against CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley. They were on the losing side of the two most anticipated matchups of the weekend; Hunter Garvin dropped an 11-9 decision to Terrell Barraclough and Nick Stemmett lost the Battle for the Emojis 5-0 to AJ Ferrari. They looked solid up and down the lineup with Tyler Knox (133), Jaden Abas (149), Grigor Cholakyan (157), and Lorenzo Norman (174) all going 2-0 in the duals this weekend. 

Power of the Youth

The young Hokies showed out this weekend! Highlighting the new blood was a phenomenal weekend by Sammy Sasso. He won his first dual match against UTC by pin in 1:26. Then he continued that run at the Southeast Open, winning the title on the strength of four first-period pins. Sasso is 5-0 with 5 falls and his longest match is 2 minutes and 42 seconds. I’d say that’s a pretty stellar start. Fellow Hokie freshmen Jimmy Mullen and Rafael Hipolito also had incredible performances. Mullen was 5-0 on the weekend, winning the Southeast Open and his dual match; he had three pins, a tech fall, and one win by decision. Hipolito started putting together his season-long highlight reel early with a second-period tech fall in the dual. He followed that up with a Southeast Open title with two pins and two wins by decision.

Open Performances

Every ACC team sent some reps to opens across the country this weekend - Menlo Open, Southeast Open, Clarion Open, and Battle at the Citadel. We already hit on the Hokies performance at the Southeast Open but the Tar Heels also had a great run in Roanoke. Their performance was highlighted by Spencer Moore winning the title at 125 with a win by major decision over #14 Jett Strickenberger in the finals. Ethan Oakley made his UNC debut winning the title at 133, followed by Jayden Scott earning the crown at 141. Lachlan McNeil took the mat at 149 for the first time, making a strong run to the finals before dropping a tight match to #3 Ty Watters in sudden victory. The Tar Heels also won four titles in the Freshman/Sophomore division; Elias Navida (133), Nick O’Neill (141), Jake Dailey (184) and Robert Platt (197) all finished atop the podium.

Duke and NC State headed south for the Battle at the Citadel. The Wolfpack took a large contingent and brought home five titles. Vincent Robinson (125), Draegen Orine (133), Kai Orine (141), Derek Fields (165) and Christian Knop (197) all won individual titles. Fields and Knop also both picked up ranked wins on the day. Owen Trephan competed unattached and met up with Blue Devil Connor Barket in the finals; both wrestlers bonused their way to the title match. Trephan won by tech fall over Barket to earn the top spot on the podium. 

Pittsburgh head coach Keith Gavin sits down with Robbie to talk about his 2024-25 squad. The Panthers had a veteran team last year and generally have a younger group this season. It's a good mix of youth with a couple of veterans mixed in. Coach Gavin goes through a potential lineup and also discusses what Lou Rosselli brings to the program.  Rosselli and him have a relationship that dates back to his competitive career at the Ohio RTC. Gavin and Robbie also highlight some important dates on the schedule.

For the full interview: 

Virginia Tech's Associate Head Coach Jared Frayer discusses how the Hokie lineup could look in tonight's debut against Chattanooga. Slightly different that you might expect.  The two talented redshirt freshmen will get the call at 197 and 285 lbs. He also talks about the team's new faces and the great team chemistry that continues to develop in Blacksburg.

For the full interview:

125

The lightest weight gives the ACC a solid base to start; it is a deep weight with significant experience across the board. Off the top, 2023 All-American Eddie Ventresca (7th) will be returning to the Hokie lineup after taking a redshirt year last season. Add into the mix a couple multiple-time NCAA qualifiers. Jakob Camacho (NCST) is a four-time qualifier (NQ, R12, R16, R16) who is looking to break through to the podium; Nico Provo (Stanford) has made the trip twice, falling in the round of 16 last year. Nick Babin comes to Pittsburgh from Columbia where he finished in the round of 16 in 2023. Spencer Moore (UNC) has been on the bubble of qualifying in both of his seasons as a starter and I expect a strong season from him as he continues to mature into the weight. Ethan Grimminger (Duke) is looking for a more competitive season for the Blue Devils in his second year in the starting spot. Virginia has a couple options they are deciding between; Kyle Montaperto held the starting spot last year and is being challenged by Keyveon Roller who is dropping down from 133.

Preseason Rankings:

#8 Jakob Camacho

#11 Nico Provo

#22 Eddie Ventresca

#29 Spencer Moore

#30 Nick Babin

133

This is one of the more wide-open weights in the conference. There is a lot of untested youth at this weight, with the most experienced wrestlers transferring into the conference this season. Ethan Oakley (UNC) was a two-time NCAA qualifier (NQ, R16) at Appalachian State and will be looking to make an immediate impact for the Tar Heels. The Hokies also have a talented transfer who is looking for a fresh start after a successful stint at Lehigh. Connor McGonagle was a two-time qualifier at 141 for the Mountain Hawks; he had his best season at 133 in 2022, but it was cut short by an injury in the EIWA tournament. Marlon Yarbrough (UVA) put himself on the national radar with multiple ranked wins last season in his first year as a starter for the Hoos and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Raymond Adams (Duke) enters his second season as a starter, as does a very dangerous Vinny Santaniello (Pittsburgh), while Tyler Knox (Stanford) will see the lineup for the first time after his redshirt season. The biggest change at the weight comes for the Wolfpack. It appears that two-time All-American Kai Orine will be making the move up a weight class to 141, leaving the 133 slot for a couple of talented young wrestlers to battle over. Vincent Robinson was 11-2 in his redshirt year while Jacob Cox was 11-3; both picked up dual wins for the Pack and will be solid options at the weight. 

Preseason Rankings:

#8 Kai Orine*

#10 Connor McGonagle

#18 Marlon Yarbrough

#19 Ethan Oakley

#25 Tyler Knox

141

The strength of 133 is moving up to 141 and makes for a very top-heavy weight class with a lot of youth filling out the weight. Sam Latona (VT) is a two-time All-American and four-time qualifier (6, R12, 7, R16); he has always been huge for his weight both at 125 and 133, and will be at a more comfortable weight for his final season. Recently, it was revealed that Kai Orine (NCST) will also be making the move to 141. He is also a two-time All-American and three-time qualifier (R16, 8, 8). Ryan Jack, who was an All-American last season, will take a redshirt year for the Pack. Jason Miranda (Stanford) is another experienced starter who will be looking to make his first NCAA tournament. Anthony Santaniello will make his debut in the starting lineup for the Panthers after going 3-1 in his redshirt season. Christian Colman (Duke) and Jayden Scott (UNC) will both step into their second season in the starting role and are looking to make it to the big show for the first time. The Cavaliers have another weight they are still sorting out, with several options on the table. Jack Gioffre was 13-7 as the starter last season and could potentially get the nod this year, but also may go up to 149. Kyren Butler is another option, as is Dylan Cedeno who started at 157 last season--they are considering him at 141 and 149. I would expect to see several different lineup looks for the Hoos while they sort out their starters at the middleweights. 

Preseason Rankings: 

#5 Ryan Jack*

#16 Sam Latona

#30 Jason Miranda

#33 Jack Gioffre

149

The Champ Is Here and will face stiff competition in what is likely the deepest weight in the conference. Reigning NCAA Champion Caleb Henson makes his return for the Hokies after an incredible run to the title last season. Henson is a two-time All-American, placing fifth as a true freshman prior to his NCAA title last year. Also in the mix is another two-time All-American; Lachlan McNeil will be making the move up to 149 after two very successful seasons at 141 where he placed fourth and sixth at the NCAA tournament. The addition of Stanford to the conference adds another All-American to the weight. Jaden Abas is a four-time NCAA qualifier (7, NQ, NQ, R12) who earned All-American honors in his first trip and fell in a tough match in the bloodround last year. Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) will look to build on an up-and-down season last year that finished with a trip to the NCAA tournament. It looks like redshirt freshman Sean O’Donnell will get the nod for the Blue Devils. Just like 141 for the Hoos, 149 is a weight class in limbo. Michael Gioffre was the starter last season and ended the year with a 9-9 record. He is a potential option for the Hoos; as previously mentioned his twin brother Jack and Dylan Cedeno are also in the mix. Erik Roggie is also a wildcard at this weight. The move of Kai Orine to 141 reverberates up to 149 as well. Jackson Arrington, two-time NCAA qualifier (R12, R12) will take a redshirt year and the weight will likely be filled by redshirt freshman Koy Buesgens who had a stellar redshirt year last year, finishing at 12-2 overall with a 2-2 record in dual appearances. 

Preseason Rankings:

#1 Caleb Henson

#6 Lachlan McNeil

#8 Jackson Arrington*

#13 Jaden Abas

#31 Finn Solomon

157

This is an incredibly young weight within the conference that is highlighted by the experience of Ed Scott (NCST), Sonny Santiago (UNC) and Logan Ferrero (Duke) as the only multi-year starters. Scott is an All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier (R12, 5, R12) who is looking to get back on the podium. Santiago made big strides last year and put himself on the national map with a dual win over Ed Scott on his way to his first NCAA appearance. Ferrero will enter his third year as a starter for the Blue Devils and is looking to make the postseason for the first time. Nick Sanko (UVA) will be the likely starter for the Hoos after being a late addition to the ACC tournament last season after an injury to Dylan Cedeno. Sanko has a lot of potential and has consistently improved in his time in Charlottesville. Zach Hanson will make his debut for Stanford after a 7-2 record in his redshirt year; Dylan Evans (Pittsburgh) is the presumptive starter for the Panthers after putting up a 15-11 record his freshman season. The biggest wildcard at the weight is Rafael Hipolito for Virginia Tech. The Hokies replace the unorthodox and dangerous Bryce Andonian with another equally dangerous redshirt freshman in Hipolito. I’m clearly biased as the ACC guy, but I have Hipolito high on the list of people to keep an eye on throughout the country. 

Preseason Rankings:

#6 Ed Scott

#22 Sonny Santiago

#29 Rafael Hipolito