Virginia Tech wrestling and head coach Tony Robie announced a transformational $1 million donation on Tuesday.
The largest single gift in program history came from Dave and Heidi Jester, who hail from Virginia Beach. It will be used in a number of areas, including staffing, recruiting and facilities.
"What Tony has built at Virginia Tech is special, and we wanted to do something meaningful to show Coach he has our support, while encouraging others to help him grow this program," Dave Jester said in the Hokies' release. "We want the roster and the coaching staff to know this program has the backing it deserves. Coach Robie has assured me that he will use this support to continue to grow this championship brand in Blacksburg and that he will keep VT wrestling climbing the podium at the national level."
The Hokies are fresh off a 2025-26 season, where they beat seven ranked opponents, finished with an 11-3 record and won both the ACC regular-season and tournament titles. For just the fourth time in school history, they qualified all 10 wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland, where they finished 11th with 41.5 team points. True freshmen Aaron Seidel (133) and Collin Gaj (149) earned All-American honors.
"I am humbled and deeply grateful for The Jester's belief in this program, in our coaching staff and in our student-athletes," Robie said in the Hokies' release. "This gift is a statement. It tells our wrestlers, potential recruits and the entire wrestling community that there are people in Hokie Nation who see what we are building and want to support this program and the student-athletes who choose Virginia Tech."
The Hokies also announced a matching component to the Jester family's gift â $1 million by May 2027, which they've titled the "Match The Million" campaign.
"This is a moment to capture and an opportunity to take advantage of," Robie said. "The Match the Million campaign is something everyone can participate in. We want every fan, every former student-athlete and every person who has ever believed in what we do here in Blacksburg to be part of this, regardless of the amount. The Jesters set the bar; now let's meet them there."
Since Robie was promoted to head coach in 2017, Tech has won four ACC regular-season titles and four ACC Tournament crowns. At the NCAAs, the Hokies have finished 14th or better every year, with 33 All-Americans and two national champions in Mekhi Lewis and Caleb Henson. Robie is a six-time ACC Coach of the Year.
Virginia Tech currently has the No. 2 incoming recruiting class, headlined by No. 1 prospect Bo Bassett, and owns the top group in the country in the 2027 class, highlighted by No. 1 Melvin Miller.