No. 10 Hokies welcome No. 9 Lehigh, Duke to Cassell this weekend

Both matches are free and are a part of wrestling's alumni weekend

January 25, 2018

BLACKSBURG – No. 10 Virginia Tech will wrestle on Carilion Clinic Court for the first time in 2018 when it faces ninth-ranked Lehigh at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, and Duke at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27.

The Hokies (10-2) will celebrate alumni weekend on both Friday and Saturday along with other events at both duals. Friday will be Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Appreciation Night that will feature Hokies donning their “All-American” singlets and two matches between members of Corps at intermission. There will be a pre-match chalk talk in the Bowman Room at 6:20 p.m. and a post-match social at 9 p.m. in the South End Zone of Lane Stadium.

Saturday will be Youth Safety Day at Cassell Coliseum that will include a Virginia Tech Police K9 demo, a Virginia Tech rescue ambulance to explore and more. Both matches are free admission will be streamed on ACC Network EXTRA via the WatchESPN platform.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Hokies went 2-0 on its road trip through Western Pennsylvania last weekend, top Edinboro, 20-15, and Pitt, 31-6.
• The win over the Panthers on Sunday extended Tech’s ACC win streak to 16, a streak that began in 2014.
• Brent Moore went 2-0 at 141 pounds with a 2-0 decision over Edinboro’s Nate Hagan and No. 15 Nick Zanetta. Zack Zavatsky extended his bonus point streak to eight in a row with two more major decisions.

INISDE THE MATCHES

• The Hokies got by Lehigh last season (1/27/17), 21-15, in Bethlehem, Pa., before defeating Duke (1/29/17), 26-13, on the stage at the Moss Arts Center.
• Tech is 27-12-1 all-time against Duke and has won the last 13 duals in a series that dates back to 1927.
• The all-time series between the Hokies and the Mountain Hawks is tied up at 2-2.
• Despite a lineup currently littered with injuries, Friday’s dual could still see as many as four ranked bouts – No 18 Dennis Gustafson vs. No. 8 Scott Parker at 133; No. 4 David McFadden vs. No. 20 Gordon Wolf at 165; No. 8 Zack Zavatsky vs. No. 4 Ryan Preisch at 184; No. 18 Andrew Dunn vs. No. 12 Jordan Wood at 285.
• Lehigh will be the Hokies’ top 10 opponent to come to Blacksburg this season following No. 4 Mizzou, who topped Tech 22-12 at the Moss Arts Center.
• Saturday’s dual will feature a ranked heavyweight bout between 18th-ranked Andrew Dunn and fourth-ranked Jacob Kasper.

EIGHT HOKIES IN COACHES PANEL RANKINGS

• Eight of the Hokies 10 starters appeared in the first NCAA Division I Coaches Rankings released last week.
• Five Tech grapplers were slotted in the top 20 in their respective weight classes – Dennis Gustafson at 133 pounds (13), David McFadden at 165 (3), Zack Zavatsky at 184 (7), Jared Haught at 197 (2), Andrew Dunn at 285 (17).
• Rounding out the Hokies’ reps in the rankings are Brent Moore at 141 (32), Ryan Blees at 149 (26) and Hunter Bolen at 174 (31).
• The panel rankings is one of the tools used to determine qualifiers to the NCAA Championships.

HOKIES ON THE ROAD

• Assistant coach Frank Molinaro will not be on the bench in Blacksburg this weekend as he competes with Team USA at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin tournament in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
• Molinaro, a member of the U.S. National Team, will wrestle at 70 kg. The competition will begin on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. and will conclude on Friday, Jan. 27, at 6 a.m.
• The Hokies will also have representatives competing this weekend at the Appalachian State Open. Below is a list of wrestlers competing:

Ryan More, 125
Dom Latona, 133 (UA)
Caden Darber, 141 (UA)
Brendan Grammes, 149
Andrew Mehrholz, 149
Solomon Chishko, 149
Mekhi Lewis, 165 (UA)
Stan Smeltzer, 184 (UA)
John Borst, 197 (UA)
Jeff Allen, 285 (UA)

For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @HokiesWrestling