No. 9 Hokies Dominate UVa On The Mat 33-3
By Duncan Irvine
Staff Writer
February 17, 2023
Mekhi Lewis recorded one final fall on senior night in the Hokies' 33-3 win over UVa. (Virginia Tech Athletics)
BLACKSBURG - Mekhi Lewis jogged to the mat for likely the last time in Cassell Coliseum to the sound of much-warranted applause. Just as he has done for his whole career, he won - and he made it look easy, too. The unfortunate victim of his greatness, Vic Marcelli, seemed to never come up for air as Lewis held control for the entire match, eventually winning by fall in the third period.
The display of dominance was emblematic of the entirety of Friday night’s match. No. 9 Virginia Tech (10-3, 4-1 ACC) wrestling never trailed against Virginia (8-6, 1-4) en route to a 33-3 victory.
It was senior night in Cassell Coliseum. Program legends like the aforementioned national champion and two-time ACC Wrestler of the Year Mekhi Lewis and ACC champion Hunter Bolen were honored before the match. If this was their last night in Cassell, they will leave Virginia Tech having never lost a dual meet to Virginia, an accomplishment every Hokie athlete salivates at the thought of.
The match opened up at 149 pounds, where eighth-ranked Caleb Henson took on 27th-ranked Jarod Verkleeren. Verkleeren nabbed two first period takedowns, and managed to narrowly avoid giving up any points in the second. Henson finally broke through, picking up eight points in the final period and securing an opening bout victory for the Hokies, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
At 157 pounds, fifth-ranked Bryce Andonian wasted no time against UVa’s Jake Keating. He picked up a takedown within the first thirty seconds and didn’t look back, securing the victory via fall just seconds after the halfway mark of the first period.
No. 27 Connor Brady led for most of the match against No. 16 Justin McCoy, but couldn’t hold on, sacrificing a two-point lead in the final period, and losing 5-4. The Hokies team score lead was cut to 9-3.
Third-ranked Mekhi Lewis handily won at 157 pounds, pushing the Hokies’ lead to 12.
No. 7 Hunter Bolen kept up the winning ways against No. 16 Neil Antrassian. He got out to an early lead and held onto it for the whole match. The final score of his bout was 9-5, but it never felt that close.
197 pounds saw another ranked matchup between No. 22 Andy Smith and No. 25 Michael Battista. The two wrestled a silent first period, with neither having a clear advantage. Smith grabbed the first point for Tech with an escape at the start of the second, and there were no more points until Battista evened things up with an escape of his own, but neither could score again, sending the match to sudden victory. Smith ended things with a takedown, securing a 3-1 ranked win.
The heavyweight bout ended similarly, with a 5-1 final margin instead. No. 19 Hunter Catka held strong for the entire match for the Hokies against Ethan Weatherspoon, and he was able to win thanks to a near fall in sudden victory.
With a dual meet victory secured, No. 23 ranked Eddie Ventresca took on Patrick McCormick. With momentum and the crowd at his back, Ventresca rolled to a 8-1 victory, giving up just a single escape point at the start of the third period.
Sixth-ranked Sam Latona made light work of Ryan Yarborough III, cruising to a 10-4 victory to cap off a memorable night for the Hokies.
In the final bout of the night, senior Collin Gerardi outmaneuvered Dylan Cedeno to a 2-0 victory. He accumulated nearly two minutes of ride time through the first two periods.
The Hokies came away with a 33-3 victory that was never in doubt, good for their eleventh straight in the series. The streak dates all the way back to 2014, when current freshmen on the team were just in fourth grade.
The win secured the Hokies a share of the ACC regular season dual meet crown, which (barring a surprise upset by Duke) will be split between them, N.C. State and Pitt.
Virginia Tech’s emergence as the class of the ACC over the past decade has been a sight to behold, and nowhere is it better evidenced than their record over Virginia in that time span.
The Hokies now look to the ACC Championships, set for Sunday, March 5, hosted by N.C. State. They will look to send as many wrestlers as possible to the NCAA Championships later in the month. The regular season was certainly one for the books, but the Hokies aren’t done just yet. They will look to make even more history in the postseason.