HAMPTON, Va. – Redshirt sophomore B.C. LaPrade's upset of No. 6 Larry Early at 157 pounds propelled No. 13 Virginia Tech to a 31-9 victory over Old Dominion to advance to the finals of the Virginia Duals on Saturday evening.
The Hokies (4-2) won eight of 10 matches in the dual with three going for bonus points. Tech will now face in-state foe Virginia in the finals this evening beginning at approximately 8:15 p.m. The match will not count as an ACC dual and no points in the Commonwealth Clash will be on the line.
MATCH NOTES
- The Hokies are now 16-22 all-time vs. Old Dominion.
- Tech advanced to their sixth Virginia Duals final with the win over the Monarchs.
- After a fall at 125 pounds, Korbin Myers got the Hokies on the board with a decisive 14-5 major decision over Kilian Cardinale.
- Beginning with Ryan Bless' 8-3 decision at 149, the Hokies won the final seven bouts of the match.
- Trailing 2-1 late in the first period to Early at 157, LaPrade got a body lock and tossed Early to his back for two points and two near fall. The four-point move and a third period takedown proved to be the difference in the upset victory.
- A major decision at 165 from Mekhi Lewis, his seventh bonus point win of the season, and a tech fall at 184 for Zack Zavatsky bolstered Tech's lead late in the match.
- Tonight's match vs. Virginia will be only the third final in the 39-year history of the Virginia Duals to feature two teams from the Commonwealth. The other two were both Tech and UVA in 2013 and 2015.
- The Hokies are 2-0 all-time in Virginia Duals finals against UVA.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 31, OLD DOMINION 9
125: #19 Michael McGee (ODU) WBF Norstrem, 5:42
133: Korbin Myers MD Kilian Cardinale (Old Dominion), 14-5
141: #13 Sa`Derian Perry (Old Dominion) dec. Mitch Moore, 3-2
149: Ryan Blees dec. Kevin Budock (Old Dominion), 8-3
157: B.C. LaPrade dec. #6 Larry Early (Old Dominion), 8-4
165: #8 Mekhi Lewis MD Luke Drugac (Old Dominion), 16-4
174: #6 David McFadden dec. Seldon Wright (Old Dominion), 5-0
184: #8 Zack Zavatsky TF Dean Drugac (Old Dominion), 19-4
197: #9 Tom Sleigh Unknown (Old Dominion)
285: #17 Billy Miller dec. Ali Wahab (Old Dominion), 8-2