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BLACKSBURG - Members of the Virginia Tech wrestling squad will head to Oklahoma City to compete in the 2014 NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday and run through Saturday at Chesapeake Energy Arena. In all, Tech will send nine competitors to the event, the second-most in program history after sending all 10 last year. The ACC received seven at-large bids and will send 41 wrestlers to Oklahoma City for Nationals.

The nine wrestlers representing Virginia Tech are: Joey Dance at 125 pounds, Dennis Gustafson at 133 pounds, Devin Carter at 141 pounds, Zach Neibert at 149 pounds, Chris Moon at 165 pounds, Austin Gabel at 174 pounds, Nick Vetterlein at 184 pounds, Chris Penny at 197 pounds and Ty Walz at heavyweight.

Carter grabbed the No. 4 seed at 141 pounds, paired in the same side as top-seeded Mitchell Port of Edinboro. Ohio State’s Logan Stieber is the No. 2 seed and Penn State freshman Zain Retherford is the No. 3 seed at that weight class and are on the opposite side of the bracket. Dance is seeded 16th at 125 pounds, Neibert is seeded 10th at 149 pounds, Vetterlein is seeded 16th at 184 pounds and Penny is seeded 14th at 197 pounds.

Action will begin on Thursday at noon Eastern time (11 a.m. local) with the first session. Tech’s nine wrestlers (and all 330 total wrestlers) will take to the eight mats as their journey begins to a possible national title or All-America honors. The second session begins Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. local) with the second round and consolation bouts. On Friday, Session III begins at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. local) with wrestlebacks and quarterfinal bouts and Session IV starts at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. local) on six mats with semifinal bouts and wrestlebacks. On Saturday, Session V features wrestleback semifinals and medal matches on three mats starting at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. local) and the final session will feature the 10 championship bouts live at 8 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. local).

ESPN’s family of networks will broadcast every round. You can find a complete list of where and when here.

Three Tech wrestlers will be paired up against ACC foes in the first round and two others could face seeded ACC opponents in the second round.

Below are Tech’s first-round matchups, along with potential second-match opponents. Below that are the records and results of each Tech competitor going against the NCAA field at their weight class.

Below are the initial matchups for all 10 competitors, barring no changes between now and Thursday.

125: #16 seed Joey Dance
First Round: vs. Paul Petrov (Bucknell)
Second match: vs. winner/loser of #1 Jesse Delgado (Illinois)/Jade Rouser (Utah Valley)

133: Dennis Gustafson
First Round: vs. #7 seed Cashé Quiroga (Purdue)
Second match: vs. winner/loser of #10 Nick Soto (Chattanooga)/Joey Palmer (Oregon State)

141: #4 seed Devin Carter
First Round: vs. Nick Flannery (Buffalo)
Second match: vs. winner/loser of #13 Stephen Dutton (Michigan)/Josh Dziewa (Iowa)

149: #10 seed Zach Neibert
First Round: vs. Ken Theobold (Rutgers)
Second match: vs. winner/loser of #7 Gus Sako (Virginia)/Robert Jillard (NIU)

165: Chris Moon
First Round: vs. #3 Nick Sulzer (Virginia)
Second match: vs. winner/loser of #14 Dylan Palacio (Cornell)/Harrison Hightower (Ohio)

174: Austin Gabel
First Round: vs. #11 Stephen Doty (Virginia)
Second match: vs. #winner/loser of #6 Logan Storley (Minnesota)/Caleb Marsh (Kent State)

184: #16 seed Nick Vetterlein
First Round: vs. David Hightower (Air Force)
Second Match: vs. winner/loser of #1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland)/Benjamin Stroh (Wyoming)

197: #14 seed Chris Penny
First Round: vs. Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt)
Second Match: vs. winner/loser of #3 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State)/John Bolich (Lehigh)

285: Ty Walz
Pigtail: vs. Nick Tavanello (Ohio State)
Second Match: vs. #8 J.T. Felix (Boise State) [if wins; consolations if loses]

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125: Joey Dance (23-8 OVERALL; 8-8 vs. 125-Pound Field)
11/8 vs. Jamie Franco (Hofstra); dual; W, 3-1
11/16 vs. Kory Mines (Edinboro); dual; L, 2-4
11/17 vs. #12 David Terao (American); dual; W, 3-1 (TB-1)
11/24 vs. Nick Herrmann (Virginia); dual; W, 5-3
11/26 vs. Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion); dual; W, 6-5
12/7 vs. #19 David Terao (American); Las Vegas Invite; L, 2-3
12/7 vs. Nick Roberts (Ohio State); Las Vegas Invite; L, 1-4
1/10 vs. #16 Rob Deutsch (Rider); Virginia Duals; L, 3-4 (TB-2)
1/11 vs. #17 Kory Mines (Edinboro); Virginia Duals; L, 0-2
1/17 vs. #20 Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina); dual; W, 4-2 (SV)
2/7 vs. Anthony Zanetta (Pittsburgh); dual; L, 1-3
2/16 vs. #1 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell); NWCA National Duals; L, 2-7
2/17 vs. #12 Corey Keener (Central Michigan); NWCA National Duals; W, 6-1
2/23 vs. #17 Nick Roberts (Ohio State); dual; W, 10-3
3/8 vs. Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina; ACC Championship (3rd); L, 5-4 (TB-1)
3/8 vs. Nick Herrmann (Virginia); ACC Championship (3rd); W, 7-4

133: Dennis Gustafson (17-11 OVERALL; 4-9 vs. 133-Pound Field)
12/7 vs. #4 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa); Las Vegas Invite; L, TF 3-18 (6:45)
12/7 vs. Rosario Bruno (Michigan); Las Vegas Invite; L, 9-12
12/29 vs. #2 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro); Midlands Championships; L, Fall (4:18)
1/10 vs. Chuck Zeisloft (Rider); Virginia Duals; W, 5-4
1/11 vs. #4 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro); Virginia Duals; L, MD 2-11
1/11 vs. #18 Mac McGuire (Kent State); Virginia Duals; L, MD 0-8
1/19 vs. Tyler Goodwin (Maryland); dual; W, 7-2
2/7 vs. Shelton Mack (Pittsburgh); dual; L, 2-3
2/16 vs. #15 Mark Grey (Cornell); NWCA National Duals; L, 1-3
2/17 vs. #11 Nick Soto (Chattanooga); NWCA National Duals; W, MD 14-5
2/17 vs. #10 Joe Roth (Central Michigan); NWCA National Duals; L, 2-3
2/23 vs. #8 Johnni Dijulius (Ohio State); dual; L, Fall (4:18)
3/8 vs. Tyler Goodwin (Maryland); ACC Championships (1st); W, MD 11-0

141: Devin Carter (14-0 OVERALL; 6-0 vs. 141-Pound Field)
11/8 vs. #11 Luke Vaith (Hofstra); dual; W, Fall (2:55)
11/24 vs. #12 Joe Spisak (Virginia); dual; W, MD 16-6
11/26 vs. #9 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion); dual; W, 9-3
12/7 vs. #11 Joe Spisak (Virginia); Las Vegas Invite (6th); W, 14-11
3/8 vs. Shyheim Brown (Maryland); ACC Championship (1st); W, TF 23-8
3/8 vs. #17 Edgar Bright (Pittsburgh); ACC Championship (1st); W, 6-1

149: Zach Neibert (22-7 OVERALL; 10-5 vs. 149-Pound Field)
11/8 vs. Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra); dual; W, 13-9
11/10 vs. Michael DePalma (Kent State); dual; W, 8-4
11/16 vs. #11 David Habat (Edinboro); dual; L, 7-10
11/24 vs. #13 Gus Sako (Virginia); dual; L, 2-5
11/26 vs. Lenny Richardson (Old Dominion); dual; W, 5-3
12/29 vs. Brody Grothus (Iowa); Midlands Championships; W, 3-2
12/29 vs. #16 Eric Grajales (Michigan); Midlands Championships; L, 0-6
1/11 vs. #14 Dave Habat (Edinboro); Virginia Duals; L, 3-5
1/11 vs. Michael Depalma (Kent State); Virginia Duals; W, MD 11-1
1/17 vs. Christian Barber (North Carolina); dual; W, 4-0
2/7 vs. Mikey Racciato (Pittsburgh); dual; W, 7-4
2/16 vs. #11 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State); NWCA National Duals; W, 10-6
2/16 vs. #4 Chris Villalonga (Cornell); NWCA National Duals; L, 1-2 (TB-1)
3/8 vs. Christian Barber (North Carolina); ACC Championship (1st); W, 7-2
3/8 vs. Mikey Racciatto (Pittsburgh); ACC Championship (1st); W, 3-1 (SV)

165: Chris Moon (21-7 OVERALL; 2-6 vs. 165-Pound Field)
11/8 vs. #11 Joseph Booth (Hofstra); dual; L, 3-5
11/10 vs. #7 Corey Mock (Chattanooga); dual; L, MD 0-8
11/24 vs. #4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia); dual; L, MD 8-20
1/10 vs. Ramon Santiago (Rider); Virginia Duals; W, 7-4
1/17 vs. John Staudenmayer (North Carolina); dual; W, 4-3
2/16 vs. #10 Dylan Palacio (Cornell); NWCA National Duals; L, 1-8
2/17 vs. #12 Corey Mock (Chattanooga); NWCA National Duals; L, MD 0-8
3/8 vs. John Staudenmayer (North Carolina); ACC Championship (3rd); L, 1-2

174: Austin Gabel (13-7 OVERALL; 3-6 vs. 174-Pound Field)
11/10 vs. Caleb Marsh (Kent State); dual; L, 4-6
11/10 vs. Levi Clemons (Chattanooga); dual; W, 10-4
11/24 vs. #16 Stephen Doty (Virginia); dual; L, 1-4
11/26 vs. Billy Curling (Old Dominion); dual; W, 5-2
12/7 vs. #16 Stephen Doty (Virginia); Las Vegas Invite (7th); L, 0-4
2/23 vs. #11 Mark Martin (Ohio State); dual; L, 1-2
3/8 vs. #7 Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh); ACC Championship (4th); L, MD 5-15
3/8 vs. Pete Renda (NC State); ACC Championship (4th); L, 0-5

184: Nick Vetterlein (25-8 OVERALL; 4-6 vs. 184-Pound Field)
11/24 vs. #9 Jon Fausey (Virginia); dual; W, 4-3
12/7 vs. #4 Jacob Swartz (Boise State); Las Vegas Invite (7th); L, 2-8
12/7 vs. Ophir Bernstein (Brown); Las Vegas Invite (7th); L, Fall (4:10)
1/10 vs. Clint Morrison (Rider); Virginia Duals; W, 6-4
1/19 vs. #1 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland); dual; L, 1-3
2/7 vs. #8 Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh); dual; L, 2-7
2/16 vs. Austin Morehead (Oregon State); NWCA National Duals; W, 9-8
2/16 vs. #2 Gabe Dean (Cornell); NWCA National Duals; L, MD 7-16
3/8 vs. #7 Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh); ACC Championship (3rd); L, 1-4
3/8 vs. Jon Fausey (Virginia); ACC Championship (3rd); W, 8-7

197: Chris Penny (25-11 OVERALL; 9-8 vs. 197-Pound Field)
11/17 vs. #12 Daniel Mitchell (American); dual; L, Fall (6:34)
11/24 vs. Zach Nye (Virginia); dual; W, 5-3
12/7 vs. James Fox (Harvard); Las Vegas Invite (5th); W, Fall (4:10)
12/7 vs. #5 Travis Rutt (Oklahoma); Las Vegas Invite (5th); L, 5-8
12/7 vs. Zach Nye (Virginia); Las Vegas Invite (5th); W, 4-2
12/7 vs. #16 Braden Atwood (Purdue); Las Vegas Invite (5th); W, 11-6
12/7 vs. #1 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State); Las Vegas Invite (5th); L, 6-8
12/29 vs. Nate Burak (Iowa); Midlands Championships; L, 7-9 (SV)
1/19 vs. #8 Christian Boley (Maryland); dual; W, Inj. Def. (4:45)
1/24 vs. Conner Hartmann (Duke); dual; W, 6-5
1/26 vs. KaRonne Jones (NC State); dual; L, 1-2 (TB-1)
2/7 vs. Nick Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh); dual; L, 3-8
2/16 vs. #11 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State); NWCA National Duals; L, MD 1-15
2/16 vs. #17 Jace Bennett (Cornell); NWCA National Duals; L, Fall (6:03)
3/8 vs. KaRonne Jones (NC State); ACC Championship (1st); W, MD 9-1
3/8 vs. #18 Nick Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh); ACC Championship (1st); W, 4-3
3/8 vs. Zach Nye (Virginia); ACC Championship (1st); W, 10-7

285: Ty Walz (22-11 OVERALL; 3-10 vs. 285-Pound Field)
11/16 vs. #20 Ernest James (Edinboro); dual; W, 2-1 (SV)
11/17 vs. #15 Blake Herrin (American); dual; W, 6-5
12/7 vs. Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa); Las Vegas Invite; L, 7-9
12/29 vs. #14 Adam Fager (Utah Valley Univ.); Midlands Championships; L, 3-7
12/29 vs. #20 Ernest James (Edinboro); Midlands Championships; L, Fall (3:27)
1/11 vs. #17 Ernest James (Edinboro); Virginia Duals; L, 1-3 (SV)
1/19 vs. #6 Spencer Myers (Maryland); dual; L, 3-4
1/26 vs. #7 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State); dual; L, MD 4-12
2/16 vs. #14 Amarveer Dhesi (Oregon State) ; NWCA National Duals; L , 3-6
2/17 vs. Dawson Peck (Chattanooga); NWCA National Duals; L, Fall (2:10)
2/23 vs. Nick Tavanello (Ohio State); dual; L, 3-5
3/8 vs. #3 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State); ACC Championship (3rd); L, Fall (4:57)
3/8 vs. P.J. Tasser (Pittsburgh); ACC Championship (3rd); W, 5-2

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