Five Hokies advance after Session I at the NCAA Championships

Tech sits in a tie for 14th entering the second session

March 15, 2018

CLEVELAND - Five Virginia Tech wrestlers moved on in the main bracket at the 2018 NCAA Championships on Thursday afternoon in front of 18,660 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Redshirt senior Dennis Gustafson (133), redshirt junior Ryan Blees (149), redshirt sophomore David McFadden (165), redshirt junior Zack Zavatsky (184) and redshirt senior Jared Haught (197) each won their first round matches. Redshirt freshman Kyle Norstrem (125), redshirt freshman Brent Moore (141), freshman Hunter Bolen (174) and redshirt freshman Andrew Dunn (285) dropped down to the consolation bracket.

Gustafson registered Tech’s first win of the day with a gritty 4-1 decision over Cornell’s Charles Tucker. With the score tied at 1-1 late in the third period, Gustafson had the riding time locked but iced it when he was able to scoot around and get a key takedown that extended his lead to 3-1. He’ll face eighth-seeded Montorie Bridges of Wyoming in the second round.

Wrestling in his fifth match where he went to extra periods this season, Ryan Blees grinded out a 4-3 decision after he able to ride out American’s Michael Sprague in TB-2. Blees is now 4-1 in extra time matches this season and will take on fifth-seeded Ke-Shawn Hayes of Ohio State this evening.

McFadden turned in a workmanlike 4-0 decision over Duke’s Mitch Finesilver and Zavatsky nearly majored Navy’s Michael Coleman but he registered a 9-2 decision. Haught tallied the Hokies’ lone bonus point win of the afternoon with an 11-2 major decision over Northern Colorado’s Jacob Seely.

Tonight’s second session will start at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN and WatchESPN.

125: Kyle Norstrem (0-1)
First Round - #13 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) dec. Norstrem, 10-7
Consi First Round - Kyle Norstrem vs. Gerald Wert (Rider)

133: Dennis Gustafson (1-0)
First Round - #9 Dennis Gustafson dec. Charles Tucker (Cornell), 4-1
Second Round - #9 Dennis Gustafson vs. #8 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming)

141: Brent Moore (0-1)
First Round - #12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) dec. Brent Moore, 7-0
Consi First Round - Brent Moore vs. Russell Rohlfing (CSU Bakersfield)

149: Ryan Blees (1-0)
First Round - #12 Ryan Blees dec. Michael Sprague, 4-3 (TB-2)
Second Round - #12 Ryan Blees vs. #5 Te-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State)

165: David McFadden (1-0)
First Round - #2 David McFadden dec. Zach Finesilver (Duke), 4-0
Second Round - #2 David McFadden vs. #15 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)

174: Hunter Bolen (0-1)
First Round - #10 Ethan Ramos (North Carolain) dec. Hunter Bolen, 7-3
Consi First Round - Hunter Bolen vs. Ben Harvey (Army) or Will Schany (Virginia)

184: Zack Zavatsky (1-0)
First Round - #6 Zack Zavatskty dec. Michael Coleman (Navy), 9-2
Second Round - #6 Zack Zavatsky vs. #11 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin)

197: Jared Haught (1-0)
First Round - #3 Jared Haught MD Jacob Seely (Northern Colorado), 11-2
Second Round - #2 Jared Haught vs. #14 Cash Wilcke (Iowa)

285: Andrew Dunn (0-1)
First Round - #6 Amar Dhesi (Oregon State) dec. Andrew Dunn, 6-1
Consi First Round - Andrew Dunn vs. Jake Gunning (Buffalo)

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