Hokies Sweep Dual In Missouri, Get Two Ranked Wins

By Ryan Duval

Staff Writer

December 7, 2021

Going up against the No. 3 Missori on Saturday night on the road was a tall task, yet it was one that No. 10 Virginia Tech was ready for.

Down 16-15 with one match left, No. 14 heavyweight Nathan Traxler stepped up to the mat knowing he would have to beat No. 12 Zach Elam to put the Hokies on top.

The deciding bout started off slow, with things being all squared away 1-1 after some escapes, as the match headed to a sudden-victory overtime. But as the extra period winded down, Traxler was able to forcefully takedown Elam to the ground, and record two points, putting the Hokies on top, 18-16.

The win was a big one for the Hokies (3-1), as they swept their Saturday duals, taking down Missouri after dismantling the No. 17 Northern Iowa Panthers 39-3 a few hours earlier.

It was a big day for Tech, who kicked things off at 4:30 p.m., against a UNI team that had taken a tough 25-16 loss to the host team just before. And it got out of hand pretty quickly.

An opening match loss would be the only bout the Hokies were unable to win, as sophomore No. 6 Sam Latona (125 pounds) was unable to escape the grasps of No. 11 Brody Teske, resulting in a takedown and a 7-4 defeat.

Tech quickly shutdown the Panthers though, going on a remarkable 39-0 run that had plenty of fun moments along the way.

The big names, from Korbin Myers to Mekhi Lewis, all took wins, but it was the Junior World Medalist that had the highlight win. Bryce Andonian, not even two minutes into the first period, had a throw to fall that would give him and the Hokies an electrifying win in the 149-pound weight class.

It was smooth sailing from there, as VT closed out the match with good wins, taking it 39-3, and completing the first stage of the dual, to create a championship-esque match with the Tigers.

Mizzou, the host team, was coming off an electric win against UNI in which it came back from an early 13-0 deficit, winning six of the final seven matches. The Tigers started off stronger in the 7 p.m. match, though, up 9-3 on Tech after the first three matches.

Andonian and Connor Brady (157 lbs) began to turn things around for the Hokies, winning both of their matches to tie the match up at nine apiece. But, Keegan O’Toole of Mizzou would put the Tigers back on top, 13-9, after a four-point win.

The 174-pound bout would prove to be the match of the night with 2019 National Champion and No. 4 Mekhi Lewis taking on No. 9 Peyton Mocco.

Going into the third period, Lewis led 5-4 after a first period takedown and several escapes. But an escape by Mocco tied the bout at five, which resulted in a grueling OT period where Lewis would come out on top by a score of 9-5.

A win on each side in the following two bouts made the match 16-15, with one more to decide the winner. Nathan Traxler came up big for the Hokies, getting them an 18-16 win, and a sweep of the dual in Columbia.

It was Virginia Tech’s third win of the year, giving them a nice resume bolster as they should move up the rankings this week. Tech will next be in action on December 21 and 22, when they head down to Florida for the Journeyman Collegiate Wrestling Duals.