Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Under the direction of third-year head coach Kevin Dresser, the Virginia Tech wrestling team will kick off its 2008-09 season Sunday against George Mason. The Hokies and Patriots will face off starting at 5 o’clock at Cassell Coliseum.
Both teams will feature a ranked wrestler as Tech’s Matt Epperly is ranked 19th at 165 pounds and GMU’s Cayle Byers is 11th at 197 pounds. Epperly won the ACC Championship last year while Byers was a wild card selection to the NCAA Tournament.
It will be the opening action of the season for both teams. Admission, as always, is free. Fans can keep up with the action on the web here.
The first 200 fans will receive a free Tech hat and free coupon to redeem at the concessions stand for a large popcorn and soda. Fans can go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of Cassell to receive their hat and coupon.
The Hokies will have five home dates: Sunday, Jan. 18 (Rutgers and VMI), Feb. 8 (Maryland), Feb. 15 (NC State and Duke) and the ACC Championships on March 7. On Nov. 16, the program will host the Hokie Open at the Salem Civic Center. All of Tech’s wrestlers will be unattached in that event.
Below are the probable lineups for both squads:
125: Brock LiVorio (VT) vs. Brian Wright (GMU)
133: Jared Jones (VT) vs. Denny Herndon (GMU)
141: Chris Diaz (VT) vs. Ryan Watson (GMU)
149: Pete Yates (VT) vs. Maurice Fleming (GMU)
157: Jesse Dong (VT) vs. Jake Bohn (GMU)
165: #19 Matt Epperly (VT) vs. Kramer Whitelaw (GMU) OR Aaron Keeton (GMU)
174: Anthony Trongone (VT) vs. Bagna Tovuujav (GMU)
184: Tommy Spellman (VT) vs. Bill Widener (GMU)
197: D.J. Bruce (VT) OR Tim Miller (VT) vs. #11 Cayle Byers (GMU)
285: David Marone (VT) vs. Hunter Manspile (GMU)
Additionally, nine other wrestlers will compete at the Wolfpack Open on Saturday. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m., at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of NC State and should continue throughout the day. Admission to the public is free.
This will be the second year of the Wolfpack Open, and the this year’s event will be considerably more challenging than a year ago. Fifth-ranked Ohio State and 17th-ranked Maryland will be in the field, and as many as 50 individually ranked wrestlers could be there. In addition, North Carolina, UNC Greensboro, Duke, Campbell and George Mason will be in the field.
Wrestling and representing Virginia Tech will be Schuyler Swanton (125 pounds), Jarrod Garnett (125 pounds), Scott Chené (141 pounds), Colin MacDermott (141 pounds), Matt Rosen (149 pounds) and Adam Broda (149 pounds). Wrestling unattached, meaning they can't wear Tech gear, can't be coached by Tech coaches and must pay their own entry fee, etc., and the results do not count are: Andre Johnson (157 pounds), Eddie Obendorfer (141 pounds), Will Livingston (133 pounds) and Nick Murray (149 pounds).