Virginia Tech Wrestling finished a disappointing fifth at the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championships over the weekend, but Hunter Bolen won a conference title in the 184-pound class, and eight of ten Hokies qualified for the upcoming NCAA Championships.
Here are the team standings from the tournament -- the Hokies beat only hapless Duke:
NC State 81
Pittsburgh 77
North Carolina 67.5
Virginia 60.5
Virginia Tech 52
Duke 2
The title was NC State's second in a row.
This article is sponsored by The Southeast Regional Training Center (SERTC). The SERTC is creating Olympic wrestling opportunities! Assist us in attracting the best recruits in the nation! Your support and contributions will help bring more OLYMPIC HOPEFUL training partners and mentors to Blacksburg, Virginia. Click here to learn more and to donate today!
Bolen, ranked number one in his weight class nationally, defeated number two Trent Hiday of NC State (rankings via Intermat) 2-1 in the finals to grab his first ACC crown. A redshirt sophomore, Bolen could be the top seed in the 184-pound class at the NCAA Championships March 19-21 in US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
The eight Virginia Tech wrestlers who got auto-bids for the NCAAs are:
- 125 pounds: Joey Prata (third in the ACC Championships)
- 133: Collin Gerardi (fifth in the ACC)
- 149: Bryce Andonian (second in the ACC)
- 157: BC LaPrade (fifth in the ACC)
- 165: David McFadden (second in the ACC)
- 174: Cody Hughes (fourth in the ACC)
- 184: Hunter Bolean (ACC champion)
- 285: John Borst (third in the ACC)
At 141 pounds, Mitch Moore won by forfeit, then forfeited the next round due to concussion protocol. Moore is ranked No. 14 in the country in his weight class and has a good shot at getting an at-large bid to the NCAAs. At larges will be announced Tuesday. At 197 pounds, Stanley Smeltzer went 0-2 and did not qualify for the NCAAs.
For a full writeup from hokiesports.com, click here. For a full writeup from theacc.com, click here.
