Hokie ClubLAS VEGAS - Three Virginia Tech wrestlers advanced to the semifinals of the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitationals, and five others remain alive in the consolations, after one day of action Friday inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. In the team race, the Hokies sit in a tie for fifth place with Ohio State (57.5 points) behind leader Minnesota, Iowa State, Cornell and Michigan.
Joey Dance, Devin Carter and Ty Walz all went 3-0 on the day to advance to the semifinals. Dance, the No. 2 seed, picked up a pair of technical falls at 125 pounds and then gutted out a tough win over seventh-seeded Josh Rodriguez of North Dakota State. He’ll take on third-seeded Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa on Saturday. Carter made his season debut at 141 pounds after dropping down from 149 pounds. The second seed cruised through Friday with a pin and two major decisions to set up a match with third-seeded Nick Dardanes of Minnesota on Saturday. Ty Walz, the No. 3 seed at heavyweight, picked up a pair of three-point wins and then a one-point win in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal match with second-seeded Adam Coon of Michigan on Saturday.
“It was a good first day,” said Tech head coach Kevin Dresser. “We have to do a much better job tomorrow of going after our opponents. Tomorrow is when the tough guys shine.”
Kevin Norstrem (133), Sal Mastriani (149), Zach Epperly (174), Austin Gabel (184) and Jared Haught (197) are all still alive in the tournament and will wrestle in the consolations Saturday.
Action will resume Saturday morning at noon (Eastern) with a round of consolations and then the semifinals will start at 1 p.m (Eastern) with that session concluding with the fifth- and seventh-place matches. The finals, as well as the third-place bouts, will begin at 6 p.m. (Eastern).
125: #2 seed Joey Dance
First Round: def. Johnson Mai (Columbia), TF (7:00)
Second Round: def. Travis Passaro (Hofstra), TF 22-7 (7:00)
Quarterfinals: def. #7 Seed Josh Rodriguez (NDSU), 4-2
Semifinals: vs. #3 seed Dylan Peters (UNI) - SATURDAY
133: #8 seed Kevin Norstrem
First Round: def. Maverick Passaro (Hofstra), 5-2
Second Round: def. Angelo Amenta (Columbia), MD 8-0
Quarterfinals: lost to #1 seed Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), MD 13-5
Consolations: vs. #7 seed Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers) - SATURDAY
141: #2 seed Devin Carter
First Round: def. Jake Hodges (UNI), Fall 2:41
Second Round: def. Mike Morales (WVU), MD 17-7
Quarterfinals: def. #11 seed Sam Speno (NCSU), MD 14-5
Semifinals: vs. #3 seed Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) - SATURDAY
149: #2 seed Sal Mastriani
First Round: def. Corey Wilding (Navy), Fall 5:34
Second Round: lost to Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), 10-3
Consolations: def. Clayton Ream (NDSU), MD 17-4
Consolations: def. Randy Languis (Ohio State), 7-3
Consolations: vs. #8 seed Preston McCalmon (Ariz St) - SATURDAY
157: David Wesley (0-2; ELIMINATED)
First Round: lost to #3 seed Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), MD 11-0
Consolations: lost to Jarrett Jensen (UNI), MD 12-4
165: Chad Strube (0-1; ELIMINATED)
First Round: lost to Ross Renzi (WVU), 4-3
Consolations: forfeited out
174: #6 seed Zach Epperly
First Round: def. Christian Chirico (WVU), TF 17-0 (3:29)
Second Round: def. #11 seed Pete Renda (NCSU), 8-1
Quarterfinals: lost to #3 seed Tanner Weatherman (Iowa State), 3-2
Consolations: vs. #12 seed Nate Jackson (Indiana) - SATURDAY
184: #11 seed Austin Gabel
Pigtails: def. Ross Taylor (Utah Valley), MD 17-5
First Round: def. Austin Gaun (Grand Canyon), 4-2
Second Round: lost to #6 seed Ophir Bernstein (Brown), Fall (7:56)
Consolations: def. Tyler Askey (Virginia), 7-4
Consolations: def. Kyle Piatt (Western State Colorado), 10-3
Consolations: vs. #5 seed Domenic Abounader (Michigan) - SATURDAY
197: #6 seed Jared Haught
First Round: def. Marcus Haughian (Grand Canyon), 4-2
Second Round: def. Michael Brown (NCSU), 5-4
Quarterfinals: lost to #2 seed Kyven Gadson (Iowa State), 8-3
Consolations: vs. Cody Crawford (Oregon State) - SATURDAY
285: #3 seed Ty Walz
First Round: def. Chace Eskam (Arizona State), 5-2
Second Round: def. Gabriel Gonzalez (Boise State), 5-2
Quarterfinals: def. #6 seed Evan Knutson (NDSU), 3-2
Semifinals: vs. #2 seed Adam Coon (Michigan) - SATURDAY