No. 7 Virginia Tech went on the road and defeated No. 8 NC State 21-12 on Friday night, clinching the dual with one bout remaining.
It marked the second victory of the season for the Hokies (8-2, 3-0 ACC) over the Wolfpack (12-4, 4-1 ACC), with the first coming at the National Duels in November.
Here’s the bout-by-bout recap of how it happened.
125: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (VT) 3, No. 5 Vincent Robinson (NCST) 2
With Ventresca facing the defending national champion at 125 pounds, the bout opened at a slow pace with limited scoring opportunities. The only points in regulation came on escapes in the second and third periods, as the wrestlers alternated starting in the bottom position.
With sudden victory producing no scoring, the match moved to two 30-second tiebreaker periods. Each wrestler recorded an escape in overtime, but Eddie Ventresca secured the decision by accumulating the necessary riding time, improving his career record against Vincent Robinson to 4-0.
133: No. 7 Aaron Seidel (VT) 16, No. 33 Zach Redding (NCST) 0
In the second bout of the evening, Seidel dominated from the opening whistle against a ranked opponent, building an 11-0 lead by the end of the first period. Seidel continued the pressure in the second period, securing a 16-0 technical fall at 3:39.
The tech fall pushed Virginia Tech’s lead to 8-0.
141: No. 13 Ryan Jack (NCST) 7, No. 22 Tom Crook (VT) 2
Looking to extend the Hokies’ early momentum, Tom Crook entered the bout in search of an upset but was unable to break through.
Late in the second period, Jack scored a takedown before Crook answered with an escape, leaving Crook trailing 3-1. Crook added another escape to cut the deficit to one but didn’t score again.
Jack closed the bout in the third period with an escape and a takedown, maintaining top control through the final whistle to earn a 7-2 decision.
The loss trimmed Virginia Tech’s lead to 8-3.
149: No. 9 Collin Gaj (VT) 6, No. 5 Koy Buesgens (NCST) 0
Gaj entered the bout seeking a key upset against a top-five opponent to continue his strong freshman campaign. He weathered early pressure in the first period, fending off multiple takedown attempts from Buesgens with strong defense to keep the match scoreless.
Gaj took control in the second period from the top position, scoring four near-fall points while accumulating more than two minutes of riding time. In the third, he was awarded an escape as Buesgens looked to generate offense with takedown attempts, but the comeback bid fell short.
Gaj held the Wolfpack wrestler scoreless to secure the decision, which extended Virginia Tech’s lead to 11-3.
157: No. 16 Ethen Miller (VT) 12, Luca Felix (NCST) 1
Getting to the midway point of the dual, Miller delivered a dominant performance against Felix to keep Virginia Tech’s momentum rolling. He scored an early takedown and added four near-fall points in the second period.
Miller opened the third with an escape and followed with a takedown, accumulating more than a minute of riding time to secure the bonus point in a 12-1 major decision, which pushed the Hokies’ lead to 15-3.
165: No. 13 Will Denny (NCST) 8, No. 12 Ryan Burton (VT) 5
Moving into the heavier weights, NC State picked up a key victory as Denny earned an 8-5 decision over Burton to begin a comeback attempt. The bout remained scoreless through the opening period.
Burton briefly took the lead with an escape in the second, but Denny responded with a takedown to regain the advantage. Denny opened the third period with an escape, and the wrestlers later traded takedowns.
Denny secured the decisive score with a takedown in the final 19 seconds and maintained control until the clock expired.
The loss cut Virginia Tech’s lead to 15-6.
174: No. 4 Matthew Singleton (NCST) 5, No. 31 Sergio Desiante (VT) 4
Desiante looked to shut off the Wolfpack’s momentum against Singleton at 174 and challenged the top-five opponent early. Desiante scored a first-period takedown to take a 3-0 lead.
The wrestlers traded escapes to open the second and third periods, but Singleton closed the second period with an escape and applied pressure on top while Desiante attempted to escape, accumulating more than a minute of riding time. That riding-time advantage proved decisive.
The loss trimmed Virginia Tech’s lead to 15-9 with three bouts remaining.
184: No. 32 Jaden Bullock (VT) 2, Donald Cates (NCST) 0
This bout was pretty uneventful, with a scoreless first period. In the second, Bullock controlled things for the entire two minutes, earning the needed minute of riding time. He added an escape in the third period, securing a 2-0 victory.
The decision gave the Hokies an 18-9 lead with two bouts to go.
197: No. 16 Sonny Sasso (VT) 11, No. 25 Patrick Brophy (NCST) 10
In a pivotal bout that could have swung momentum toward NC State, Sasso delivered a five-point comeback to clinch the dual for Virginia Tech.
The wrestlers exchanged a takedown and an escape in the opening period, finishing tied at four. Then Brophy swung the momentum in the second period with two takedowns to take a 10-6 lead.
Sasso responded in the third with an escape and a takedown to tie things, then maintained top position for the final 90 seconds to accumulate more than a minute of riding time, providing the decisive bonus point.
The decision pushed the Hokies’ lead to 21-9 and secured the match victory.
285: No. 2 Isaac Trumble (NCST) 7, No. 16 Jimmy Mullen (VT) 0
Early in the heavyweight matchup, things looked decent for Mullen, who was aggressive early. That script flipped in the second period, where Trumble notched a quick escape, followed by a takedown, giving him a 4-0 lead.
In the third, Trumble added another takedown to his tally, giving him a 7-0 victory and cutting the final score to 21-12.
The Hokies are back on the road next Friday at Virginia (8-6, 0-3).
Results: Virginia Tech 21, NC State 12
• 125: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (VT) 3, No. 5 Vincent Robinson (NC State) 2
• 133: No. 7 Aaron Seidel (VT) 16, No. 33 Zach Redding (NC State) 0
• 141: No. 13 Ryan Jack (NC State) 7, No. 22 Tom Crook (VT) 2
• 149: No. 9 Collin Gaj (VT) 6, No. 5 Koy Buesgens (NC State) 0
• 157: No. 16 Ethen Miller (VT) 12, Luca Felix (NC State) 1
• 165: No. 13 Will Denny (NC State) 8, No. 12 Ryan Burton (VT) 5
• 174: No. 4 Matthew Singleton (NC State) 5, No. 31 Sergio Desiante (VT) 4
• 184: No. 32 Jaden Bullock (VT) 2, Donald Cates (NC State) 0
• 197: No. 16 Sonny Sasso (VT) 11, No. 25 Patrick Brophy (NC State) 10
• 285: No. 2 Isaac Trumble (NC State) 7, No. 16 Jimmy Mullen (VT) 0