Tech sees strong performances at annual wrestle-offs

McFadden, Lewis gave fans a show in the match at 165 pounds

October 28, 2017

BLACKSBURG - Strong performances from several true freshmen and a thrilling bout at 165 pounds highlighted the No. 8 Virginia Tech wrestling team’s wrestle-off held on Friday on Virginia Tech Carillion Court at Cassell Coliseum.

In the lowerweights, r-senior Dennis Gustafson looked strong as he picked up a tech fall in 3:37 in the second match at 133 pounds while Latona pulled out 6-4 decision in double overtime over freshman CJ Manley.

The best match of the night came at 165 where No. 9 David McFadden squared off with fellow New Jersey state champion Mekhi Lewis, a true freshman.

After a lot of action but no scoring to show for it in the first period, Lewis started on bottom in the second and escaped. McFadden evened things up in the third with an escape of his own before Lewis took a shot and scored a takedown. McFadden then escaped and scored on a takedown late in the third, pulling out a 4-3 decision.

While the bouts at 184 and 197 went chalk, true freshmen Stanley Smeltzer and John Borst both turned in strong efforts against No. 6 Zack Zavatsky and No. 2 Jared Haught, respectively. Redshirt freshman heavyweight Andrew Dunn capped off the night with a fall at 5:39.

The Hokies return to the mat next Saturday for the season and home opener vs. Pac-12 foe Stanford at 1:30 p.m. at Cassell. Admission is free. Fans can also purchase tickets for the potential top 10 matchup at the Moss Arts Center between Tech and No. 5 Missouri on Nov. 25 by clicking on the link at the top of the page.

125: Kyle Norstrem inj. default Joey Prata
133: Dom Latona dec. CJ Manley, 6-4 (2 OT)
133: Dennis Gustafson TF Ryan Haskett, 17-1 (3:37)
141: Brent Moore dec. Andrew Mehrholz, 2-0
149: #4 Solomon Chishko TF Brendan Grammes, 20-4 (6:20)
157: Ryan Blees dec. B.C. LaPrade, 10-3
165: #9 David McFadden dec. Mekhi Lewis, 4-3
174: Hunter Bolen dec. Cody Hughes, 3-2
184: #6 Zack Zavatsky dec. Stan Smeltzer, 12-6
197: #2 Jared Haught dec. John Borst, 5-2
HWT: Andrew Dunn fall Jeffrey Allen, 5:39

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