No. 13 Virginia Tech wrestling dominates Duke, 45-0

By Duncan Irvine

Staff Writer

February 10, 2024

BLACKSBURG — In its annual meet in the Moss Arts Center Friday night, No. 13 Virginia Tech wrestling dominated Duke, 45-0.

The victory was the Hokies’ first shutout win of the year and their fourth victory in a row. The win also marked Tech’s 20th straight against the Blue Devils, who haven’t notched a win over the Hokies since 1999. 

The match began at 125 pounds, where No. 5 Cooper Flynn took on Logan Agin. Agin held his own for the first period, but Flynn pulled away in the second, ultimately winning by major decision, 16-4, to put Tech up 4-0 early on.

Looking to rebound off last week’s tough loss, No. 13 Sam Latona took on Raymond Adams at 133. Clearly on a warpath, he accumulated over two minutes of riding time and scored four takedowns and a near fall en route to the 18-3 victory. The crowd erupted as the buzzer sounded, and Virginia Tech jumped out to a 9-0 team lead. 

No. 13 Tom Crook maintained his hot streak against Christian Colman at 141. He got out to a blistering start, putting up nine points in the first period and securing the 16-1 technical fall victory just over midway through the second period.

The Hokie’s early momentum was a sign of things to come.

Luke Robie got his first dual meet start against Jarred Papcsy at 149. Robie took a far more defensive approach to his match than his earlier teammates, not scoring a point until he escaped to begin the second. Papcsy added an escape of his own to start the third. Robie nabbed an emphatic takedown in the final frame to seal the 5-1 victory.

At 157, still filling in for the injured Bryce Andonian, Clayton Ulrey took on Logan Ferrero. He kept up the Hokie domination, securing a 19-4 technical fall victory in the third period, building the Hokies lead to 22-0 heading to the back half of the meet.

It was already smooth sailing for Virginia Tech, but the waves got even flatter in the second half of the dual.

Gaetano Console scrapped hard against No. 21 Connor Brady, but ultimately Brady came away with a 8-2 victory at 165. It was a 3-2 match heading into the final frame, but a Brady takedown and escape proved to be the difference. 

David Hussey never even had the chance to breathe against No. 2 Mekhi Lewis in the 174 pound bout. Lewis chased him around the mat, leading 13-2 heading into the second frame. He wasted no time securing the 17-2 technical fall victory in the second period. 

At 184, No. 21 Dakota Howard dominated Conor Becker, not allowing a point until the final frame. He scored four takedowns and a four-point near fall to win 18-2 for the Hokies’ fifth technical fall victory of the night. 

With a 35-0 team lead in hand, No. 25 Andy Smith took the mat against Kwasi Bonsu at 197. He outmaneuvered Bonsu in a hurry, winning 19-4 via technical fall in the first period. 

To cap off the absolute smattering, No. 20 Hunter Catka squared off against Connor Barket. Not wanting to be outdone by his teammates, Catka put on a show of his own. He took down Barket six times and secured the Hokies’ seventh technical fall of the night, winning 17-2. 

In total, the Hokies won all ten bouts, seven by technical fall, one by major decision and two by decision.

With the win, No. 13 Virginia Tech improves to 7-3 on the season and 3-0 in ACC duals. The Hokies return to Cassell Coliseum to take on George Mason on Saturday at 3 p.m. (ACCNX) 

Duke drops to 4-11 on the year and 0-3 in conference play. The Blue Devils will have just a day to lick their wounds before taking on No. 8 NC State in Durham on Sunday at 2 p.m.