Collin Gaj was one of the Hokies' two All-Americans in Cleveland over the weekend. (Virginia Tech athletics)

Virginia Tech wrestling entered the 2026 NCAA Championships with one of the nation’s deepest lineups, qualifying all 10 wrestlers for the fourth time in program history and positioning itself firmly in the team race. 

By the end of the weekend at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the Hokies delivered a solid all-around performance, finishing 11th in team points. The weekend was highlighted by two All-American finishes from true freshmen Aaron Seidel (133) and Collin Gaj (149), plus key consolation runs that reinforced how good the team will likely be next season.

125 pounds — Eddie Ventresca

Ventresca, a returning All-American and ACC champion, battled through a loaded bracket but fell short of the podium. 

Despite entering as one of the contenders at the weight, he was unable to string together enough wins in the consolation rounds to secure All-America status. His tournament reflected the depth of the field at 125, where several top seeds were knocked off early. 

His run came to a close against NC State's Vincent Robinson, losing 4-1 in the consolation fourth round — his first career loss to Robinson.

133 pounds — Aaron Seidel

Seidel turned in one of Virginia Tech’s best performances of the tournament. The freshman surged through the bracket and ultimately placed third, capping his run with a dominant 5-0 decision over Penn State’s Marcus Blaze in the third-place match to secure All-American honors.

The true freshman’s ability to bounce back after a semifinal loss to No. 1 seed Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) stood out, as he controlled his final two bouts in the consolation bracket, including a decisive major decision in the consolation semifinals over Iowa’s Drake Ayala. His finish established him as one of the nation’s top wrestlers at 133.

141 pounds — Tom Crook

Tom Crook was unable to get much going in the tournament, dropping both of his bouts by a combined 20-8 margin.

He lost 14-2 in the first round to Minnesota’s Vance Vombaur and 8-7 to Rutgers’ Joey Olivieri in the consolation first round.

149 pounds — Collin Gaj

Gaj delivered a strong showing, finishing fifth after a steady run through the consolation bracket. He secured his placement with a 4-0 decision over Iowa’s Ryder Block in the fifth-place match.

After falling to Nebraska’s Chance Lamer in the second round, he responded with six wins in wrestlebacks, demonstrating consistent top control and positional wrestling to secure valuable team points. He qualified as an All-American as a true freshman.

157 pounds — Ethen Miller

Miller had a strong start to his run, winning his first bout before dropping a 5-1 dec. to the No. 3 national seed in Cornell’s Meyer Shapiro. In consolations, he continued a strong performance with a fall against No. 29 Bryce Lowery (Indiana) to advance to face off against No. 6 Jude Swisher (Penn).

He fell short against Swisher, dropping the bout 8-3 and bringing an end to his collegiate wrestling career.

165 pounds — Mac Church

Mac Church came up just short of an upset in the opening round, losing 5-2 via a last-second takedown in the second overtime period to Little Rock’s Matty Bianchi. He struggled to put anything together in consolations, dropping 4-1 to Penn’s Sean Seefeldt, ending his tournament run.

174 pounds — Sergio Desiante

Desiante constructed a more productive stay in Cleveland, going 2-2 in his trip. He lost 12-6 in his opening round to Oklahoma State’s Alex Facundo, but battled back in consolations by winning his next two bouts by scores of 5-2 and 4-3 over Garrett Thompson (Ohio) and Myles Takats (Bucknell), respectively.

He eventually matched up against Cornell’s Simon Ruiz as a heavy underdog, and was unable to pull off the upset against the No. 2 seed, dropping the bout 21-1 to end his run.

184 pounds — Jaden Bullock

Bullock competed in a deep 184-pound bracket but ultimately fell short of the podium. 

While he showed flashes of dominance early in his run, he was unable to string together enough wins at nationals to reach the medal rounds. He lost to Zack Ryder of Oklahoma State in the consolation third round 4-1 in sudden victory.

197 pounds — Sonny Sasso

Sasso, one of Tech’s highest seeds entering the tournament at No. 4, was upset by No. 29 seed Colton Hawks of Arizona State 12-8 to open the tournament. 

He was able to battle back to win his first consolation match via fall against Wisconsin’s Wyatt Ingham, but was then upset again by No. 19 seed Zayne Lehman (Ohio) 3-2 to end his run in the consolation second round.

Heavyweight — Jimmy Mullen

Mullen started off his outing with a strong 13-10 decision in the opening round, but was then forced to face off against the No. 1 seeded Yonger Bastida, dropping in a dominant 22-5 tech fall. In consolations, he dropped his first bout to No. 18 Christian Carroll on a 1:13 fall.

Results:

First Round:
125: No. 2 Eddie Ventresca (VT) dec. No. 31 Desmond Pleasant (Drexel), 8-6
133: No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT) tech fall No. 29 Luke Willochell (Wyoming), 17-2, 3:00
141: No. 8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) major dec. No. 25 Tom Crook (VT), 14-2
149: No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) dec. No. 29 Kaden Cassidy (George Mason), 9-4
157: No. 14 Ethan Miller (VT) dec. No. 19 Kai Owen (Columbia), 1-0
165: No. 8 Matty Bianchi (Little Rock) dec. No. 25 Mac Church (VT), 5-2 TB1
174: No. 8 Alex Facundo (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 25 Sergio Desiante (VT), 12-6
184: No. 14 Jaden Bullock (VT) dec. No. 19 Jared McGill (Edinboro), 6-5 TB1
197: No. 29 Colton Hawks (Arizona State) dec. No. 4 Sonny Sasso (VT), 12-8
285: No. 16 Jimmy Mullen (VT) dec. No. 17 Vincent Mueller (Columbia), 13-10

Second Round:
125: No. 2 Eddie Ventresca (VT) dec. No. 18 Spencer Moore (Illinois), 5-2
133: No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT) tech fall No. 20 Julian Farber (Northern Iowa), 22-4, 4:49
149: No. 20 Chance Lamer (Nebraska) dec. No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT), 3-1
157: No. 3 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) dec. No. 14 Ethan Miller (VT), 5-1
184: No. 3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) dec. No. 14 Jaden Bullock (VT), 12-6
285: No. 1 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) tech fall No. 16 Jimmy Mullen (VT), 20-4, 6:21

Consolation First Round:
141: No. 9 Joey Olivieri (Rutgers) dec. No. 25 Tom Crook (VT), 8-7
165: No. 24 Sean Seefeldt (Penn) dec. No. 25 Mac Church (VT), 4-1
174: No. 25 Sergio Desiante (VT) dec. No. 24 Garrett Thompson (Ohio), 5-2
197: No. 4 Sonny Sasso (VT) fall No. 20 Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin), 4:27

Quarterfinals:
125: No. 10 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton) dec. No. 2 Eddie Ventresca (VT), 2-2 SV
133: No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT) tech fall No. 5 Kyler Larkin (Arizona State), 16-1 4:56

Consolation Second Round:
149: No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) major dec. No. 19 Brock Herman (Little Rock), 13-1
157: No. 14 Ethan Miller (VT) fall No. 29 Bryce Lowery (Indiana), 2:38
174: No. 25 Sergio Desiante (VT) dec. No. 10 Myles Takats (Bucknell), 4-3
184: No. 14 Jaden Bullock (VT) dec. No. 29 Nick Fox (Northern Iowa), 4-3 TB1
197: No. 19 Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec. No. 4 Sonny Sasso (VT), 3-2
285: No. 18 Christian Carroll (Wyoming) major dec. No. 16 Jimmy Mullen (VT), 17-8

Consolation Third Round:
149: No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) dec. No. 5 Koy Buesgens (NC State), 6-1
157: No. 6 Jude Swisher (Penn) dec. No. 14 Ethan Miller (VT), 8-3
174: No. 2 Simon Ruiz (Cornell) No. 25 Sergio Desiante (VT), 21-1
184: No. 22 Zack Ryder (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 14 Jaden Bullock (VT), 4-1 SV

Semifinals:
133: No. 1 Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) major dec. No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT), 14-3

Consolation Fourth Round:
125: No. 12 Vincent Robinson (NC State) dec. No. 2 Eddie Ventresca (VT), 4-1 SV
149: No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) dec. No. 2 Jaxon Joy (Cornell), 7-2

Consolation Quarterfinals:
149: No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) dec. No. 3 Cross Wasilewski (Penn), 8-5 SV

Consolation Semifinal:
133: No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT) major dec. No. 6 Drake Ayala (Iowa), 11-0
149: No. 20 Chance Lamer (Nebraska) dec. No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT), 4-2

Fifth Place Match:
149: No. 4 Collin Gaj (VT) dec. No. 15 Ryder Block (Iowa), 4-0

Third Place Match:
133: No. 4 Aaron Seidel (VT) dec. No. 3 Marcus Blaze (Penn State), 5-0