No. 8 Virginia Tech Wins ACC Dual Over No. 19 Pitt

By Ryan Duvall

Staff Writer

January 30, 2022

With the dual tied at nine apiece, Virginia Tech needed an energizing match to flip the momentum. Luckily for the Hokies, they had the third-ranked 174-pound wrestler in the country stepping up to the mat.

Mekhi Lewis, a 2019 NCAA champion and face of VT wrestling, was ready to do what he always did — win. And when the referee signaled the opening whistle of the first period Lewis went straight to work.

The redshirt junior dominated from the first period to the third, compiling takedowns, nearfalls and escapes to win 23-5 via technical fall. The win put the Hokies up by five points, 14-9, and it would lead to a Virginia Tech win, its first in conference play.

When it was all said and done, No. 8 Virginia Tech (6-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) took down No. 19 Pittsburgh (6-4, 1-1 ACC), 24-12. The Hokies won six of the ten total matches in the Steel City.

Although Tech may have a one in the loss column for conference play, Sunday was its first official ACC dual (the Hokies were forced to forfeit the conference match against No. 5 NC State on Jan. 21, which was later rescheduled as a non-conference match on Feb. 20.). So, the domination of Pitt acted as another confidence boost and served as a bridge to the NCAAs in March.

The Panthers were just one of three ranked teams left on Virginia Tech’s schedule (along with No. 24 North Carolina), so a win, especially being on the road, was important for Tech.

It showcased the Hokies’ main strength and what has powered them to wins all year: their core. Virginia Tech has built up a strong roster over the past couple of years, and now, the work of head coach Tony Robie is coming to fruition.

The VT lineup featured seven ranked wrestlers, with four of those seven ranked in the top 15 for their weight class. However, the Hokies were once again without Bryce Andonian today, who is ranked as the No. 7 149-pound wrestler. So, in matches where Andonian is available, the VT squad will likely be in position to win eight out of ten matches every dual.

Moral of the story is Robie has a very talented squad that wins the matches they are expected to, and barring injuries — like the one Lewis sustained before the ACC and NCAA tournaments began last year — could bring a national title to Virginia Tech in the near future.

On Sunday, Lewis stayed undefeated this season (14-0); No. 12 Hunter Bolen (184-pounds), No. 14 Nathan Traxler (heavyweight), and Lewis all earned bonus point victories; the Hokies took three of the five ranked matchups; No. 21 Sam Latona (125-pounds) won his first ranked match of the season; and No. 5 Korbin Myers (133-pounds) gets a top 10 win in rematch of 2021 ACC finals.

The Hokies will get a chance to come back to Blacksburg this week, as they take on the Duke Blue Devils (6-7, 0-2 ACC) in Cassell Coliseum Friday at 7 p.m.

Results:

No. 8 Virginia Tech – 24, No. 19 Pitt – 12

125 – No. 21 Sam Latona (VT) Dec. No. 31 Gage Curry (PITT), 4-2

133 – No. 5 Korbin Myers (VT) Dec. No. 7 Micky Phillippi (PITT), 3-2

141 – No. 18 Cole Matthews (PITT) Dec. Collin Gerardi (VT), 8-2

149 – Sam Hillegas (VT) Dec. Luke Kemerer (PITT), 5-2

157 – No. 21 Elijah Cleary (PITT) Dec. No. 23 Connor Brady (VT), 7-1

165 – No. 14 Jake Wentzel (PITT) Dec. Clayton Ulrey (VT), 5-1

174 – No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (VT) Tech Fall James Lledo (PITT), 23-5, 7:00

184 – No. 12 Hunter Bolen (VT) Fall No. 32 Gregg Harvey (PITT), 1:33

197 – No. 8 Nino Bonaccorsi (PITT) Dec. No. 33 Dakota Howard, 6-1

285 – No. 14 Nathan Traxler (VT) Maj. Dec. Jake Slinger (PITT), 12-0