When people go to the Moss Arts Center, they expect to be entertained. Typically that entertainment comes from a theatrical or musical performance, but once a year the stage belongs to the Virginia Tech wrestling team.
While those that gathered in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theater didn’t see a play or performance, they did witness quite the show Saturday afternoon as No. 12 Virginia Tech (5-3) knocked off George Mason (0-4, 0-2 A10), 31-15, winning seven of ten matches on the day.
The dual kicked off with the 149 pound weight class, as No. 7 Bryce Andonian returned to the mat after a month-long hiatus to take on George Mason’s No. 23 Alex Madrigal.
Despite facing arguably the Patriots’ best wrestler, Andonian made easy work of Madrigal, pinning him in under three minutes. The victory acted as a nice return to action for Andonian, in addition to giving the Hokies an early 6-0 lead.
VT nabbed the early advantage, but George Mason came storming back, winning two of the following three matches to cut Tech’s lead to one, 10-9. Simeone Holmes took the mat next for the Hokies and went down with an injury, awarding another six points to the Patriots.
Suddenly, Virginia Tech trailed George Mason through five matches, 15-10. It was unfamiliar territory for Tech to be trailing that far into a match, let alone to an unranked opponent at home.
That’s when everything flipped for the Hokies.
Dakota Howard took the stage next, obliterating George Mason’s Jeremy Seymour in a 22-7 tech fall, pointing to the crowd after his hand was raised as if to say, “We’re not done yet.”
If anyone in the building had doubts that the Hokies had taken back momentum, No. 13 Nathan Traxler ended them, swiftly pinning George Mason’s Austin Smith in only 33 seconds.
After trailing by five points halfway through the match, Tech was up by six points, 21-15, with only three bouts left.
VT won all three of those final matches by a combined score of 25-8, a closing act that even a typical theater-goer could appreciate. The 31-15 victory is the program’s third straight in matches at Moss Arts Center.
No. 12 Virginia Tech takes the mat next in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday against No. 5 NC State (6-1) in the ACC opener at 7 p.m.
Results:
125: Sam Latona (VT) maj dec. Benjamin Monn (GMU), 12-3
133: Brandon Wittenberg (VT) dec. Michael Rapuano (GMU), 8-3
141: Collin Gerardi (VT) dec. Kaden Cassidy (GMU), 5-2
149: No. 7 Bryce Andonian (VT) WBF No. 23 Alex Madrigal (GMU), 2:49
157: Avery Bassett (GMU) dec. Jake Hart (VT), 3-1 SV
165: Clayton Ulrey (VT) maj dec. Tyler Kocack (GMU), 13-3
174: Logan Messer (GMU) WBF Austin Dempsey (VT), 2:11
184: Kyle Davis (GMU) inj. for Simeone Holmes (VT)
197: No. 33 Dakota Howard (VT) TF Jeremy Seymour (GMU), 22-7
285 (HWT): No. 13 Nathan Traxler (VT) WBF Austin Smith (GMU), 0:33