GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech redshirt freshman Mekhi Lewis was named Co-ACC Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday, Dec. 4, after going 4-1 and placing second at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas this past weekend. Lewis shared the honor with Pitt 133-pounder Micky Phillippi, who finished second in his weight class at the Cliff Keen Invite.
Lewis defeated three ranked opponents, including two top 10 wrestlers, en route to his appearance in the finals. The Bound Brook, N.J., native started his tournament with a 19-4 tech fall over Central Michigan's Bret Fedewa before knocking off No. 17 Jonathan Viruet of Brown, No. 6 Branson Ashworth of Wyoming No. 9 Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa. His loss to Nebraska's Isaiah White in the final was only his second defeat of the season.
His performance in Vegas catapulted Lewis into the top 10 nationally at 165 pounds by both FloWrestling (No. 9) and Intermat (No. 8).
Lewis and Hokies have their home opener on Friday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. against Princeton in Cassell Coliseum. Fans are encouraged to wear WWE gear and costumes for "HOKIEMANIA" in Cassell. The evening will feature WWE trivia contests, the display of Lewis' Junior World championship belt and postmatch autographs for fans.