BLACKSBURG - FloWrestling has revealed their preseason rankings for the 2018-19 season and seven Hokies are ranked within the top 25 in their respective weight classes.
The group features two returning All-Americans, a Junior World Champion and four NCAA qualifiers. Of the seven, three transferred into the program during the offseason and each one fills a place of need in the Virginia Tech lineup.
Korbin Myers is ranked 11th in Flo's 133-pound rankings. A transfer from Edinboro with two years of eligibility remaining, Myers went 74-34, won two EWL championships and went two nationals twice in two seasons with the Fighting Scots. He's expected to step into the Hokies' lineup at 133 this season in place of two-time ACC champion and 2018 graduate Dennis Gustafson.
Ryan Blees took a major step forward last season as he went 21-8, placed second at the ACC tournament and punched his ticket to NCAAs for the first time in his career. With his spot at 149 solidified, FloWrestling slotted him at No. 14 in their preseason rankings.
Mekhi Lewis is fresh off of winning a world title at the Junior World Championships in just his third-ever freestyle competition. Despite not factoring in freestyle results into their rankings, Lewis' No. 15 preseason rank at 165 pounds was based off of his impressive redshirt season where he went 28-2 and went 6-2 against opponents that qualified for nationals. His only two losses came at the hands of Lock Haven All-American Chance Marstellar.
David McFadden is ranked 5th in Flo's 174-pound rankings after wrestling at 165 pounds the last three seasons. The U23 World Team member finished the 2017-18 regular season with a perfect 29-0 record, won his first ACC title and earned All-American honors for the second time as a redshirt sophomore.
Zack Zavatsky enters his senior campaign with the pressure of achieving All-American status off his back. His run to the semifinals at 184 pounds and his eventual sixth place finish capped off another stellar season. Ranked fourth at 184 pounds in Flo's preseason rankings, Zavatsky is 19 wins away from reaching the century mark for his career.
Tom Sleigh may be tasked with replacing Hokie great Jared Haught at 197 pounds, but the Bucknell transfer comes to Blacksburg with a resume that should be taken seriously in the ACC. Sleigh, ranked 16th at 197 by FloWrestling, is 11 wins away from 100 career victories and has qualified for NCAAs in each of his three seasons that he's compete in.
Billy Miller is another multi-time NCAA qualifier that transferred into the program during the offseason. He will enter his lone season with Hokies with a top 10 preseason ranking of seventh by FloWrestling. He has reached the NCAA tournament three times and won two EWL titles while wrestling at Edinboro.
FloWrestling's Preseason Rankings
No. 11 Korbin Myers (133)
No. 14 Ryan Blees (149)
No. 15 Mekhi Lewis (165)
No. 5 David McFadden (174)
No. 4 Zack Zavatsky (184)
No. 16 Tom Sleigh (197)
No. 7 Billy Miller (285)