BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech wrestling head coach Tony Robie and his staff have finalized the list of matches for Friday's Intrasquad Wrestleoff in Cassell Coliseum. The event starts at 7 p.m., is free to the public and is a chance to see the No. 18 Hokies in action before the regular season gets underway next week.
Matches appear in their scheduled order for Friday. The Maroon team members appear on the left, Orange on the right.
125
Sam Latona (Fr.) vs. Joey Prata (r- Jr.)
Coming off a third-place finish at the 2019 ACC Championships, Prata looks to begin his second season competing for the Hokies. Prata went 15-13 last season as Tech's 125-pound starter, 3-2 in ACC duals.
Sam Latona, brother of Hokie's redshirt junior Dom Latona, begins his freshman campaign at Tech. Latona was ranked No. 6 in the country in high school at 120 pounds by both FloWrestling and Intermat. FloWrestling had Latona at No. 51 on their Class of 2019 Big Board.
133
Cole Rhone (Fr.) vs. No. 14 Collin Gerardi (r-Fr.)
After taking a redshirt last season, Gerardi starts his first season competing for Tech. He posted a 17-6 record last season wrestling unattached, good enough for FloWrestling to rank Gerardi No. 14 in the country at 133 pounds.
Rhone enters his freshman season with the Hokies. In high school, Rhone was a two-time Pennsylvania state tournament runner-up and earned fifth place honors twice at the Powerade Wrestling Tournament.
141
No. 17 Mitch Moore (So.) vs. Dom Latona (r-Jr.)
After earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors his first season in Blacksburg, Moore begins his second season in maroon and orange. FloWrestling ranked Moore No. 17 in the country at 141 pounds after a second-place finish at ACCs and qualifying for NCAAs. Last season, Moore registered 10 falls, tied for 10th all-time on Virginia Tech's single season fall list.
Latona went 14-11 last season and started at 141 pounds twice in duals. Entering his third season competing for Tech, Latona is 22-21 in his collegiate career and 1-0 in the ACC.
149
No. 23 Brent Moore (r-Jr.) vs. Bryce Andonian (Fr.)
Moore returns to the mat after injury held him out of the entire 2018-19 season. The 2018 ACC Champion is moving up to the 149-pound weight class this season, after previously competing at 141. Moore is 20-12 in his career wrestling for the Hokies. FloWrestling ranked Moore No. 23 in their 149-pound preseason rankings.
Andonian begins his collegiate career this season. A true freshman from Kirtland, Ohio, Andonian was ranked No. 4 in the country last season at the 145-pound weight class by FloWrestling. FloWrestling also had Andonian ranked No. 20 on the Class of 2019 Big Board.
157
Connor Brady (Fr.) vs. No. 17 BC LaPrade (r-Jr.)
After a third-place finish at ACCs and qualifying for NCAAs, LaPrade returns for his fourth year at Virginia Tech ranked No. 17 by FloWrestling. He went 18-11 last season, 10-4 in duals, and 3-1 at ACC's to secure third place. LaPrade pinned Virginia's Jake Keating in just 43 seconds last year, which helped secure Tech's 37-5 win over the Cavaliers.
Brady comes to Tech after an illustrious high school career. He was ranked No. 2 in the country by Intermat at 152 pounds, FloWrestling had him ranked third. Brady won titles at both the Super 32 and Ironman tournaments, and FloWrestling ranked him as the No. 9 recruit in the country.
165
Jordan Florence (r-Fr.) vs. No. 4 David McFadden (r-Sr.)
McFadden enters his final year at Virginia Tech. The three-time NCAA All-American returns to the 165-pound weight class after wrestling at 174 last season. He's won the ACC Championship at both 165 and 174. McFadden is Tech's highest-ranked wrestler at No. 4 by FloWrestling.
Florence starts his first season competing for Virginia Tech after redshirting last season. Wrestling unattached, Florence went 3-4 between two open tournaments last year. He was the Virginia 4A state champion in high school.
174
Cody Hughes (r-Sr.) vs. Kolton Clark (Fr.)
Hughes enters his final season of eligibility. In his three previous seasons of competing for the Hokies, Hughes is 36-27, including six falls and 10 major decisions.
Clark is set to begin his collegiate career at Virginia Tech. In high school, Clark was a three-time Alabama state champion. Competing for Warrior Wrestling Club, Clark was a two-time NHSCA All-American and a Super 32 All-American.
197
Stan Smeltzer (r-So.) vs. Dakota Howard (r-Fr.)
After redshirting his freshman year, Smeltzer suffered a season-ending injury last year. Prior to the injury, Smeltzer went 4-3 and picked up a major decision victory. Smeltzer went 22-8 wrestling unattached his freshman year.
Howard begins his second season at Virginia Tech after redshirting last year. Wrestling unattached, Howard went 9-2 between three tournaments last year. He registered three consecutive tech falls at the Appalachian Open last season.
285
John Borst (r-So.) vs. Jarrett Tronge (Fr.)
Borst starts his second year competing for Tech. Last year, he went 12-10 and started at heavyweight in two duals. Borst went 2-2 at last year's Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas.
Tronge joins the Hokies this year as a freshman. He wrestled at 245 pounds for Powhatan High where he finished fifth at the 2019 Virginia state tournament.
184
Mekhi Lewis (Oly-R) vs. No. 9 Hunter Bolen (r-So.)
Bolen returns to the mat after taking a redshirt last season. He had an impressive collegiate debut two years ago when he placed second at ACCs, qualified for NCAAs, was named 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year and 2018 VaSID Freshman of the Year. Bolen went 20-9 during the regular season his freshman year and was the 174-pound No. 1 seed at the 2018 ACC Tournament.
Last season, Bolen went 13-1 while wrestling unattached. OpenMat named him one of the top redshirts in the country. FloWrestling ranked Bolen No. 9 in their preseason 184-pound rankings.
Lewis became Virginia Tech wrestling's first national champion last season. He defeated No. 2 Vincenzo Joseph from Penn State in the final. Lewis's upset victory earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Lewis also was the 2019 ACC Champion at 165 pounds, and named the 2019 ACC Wrestler of the Year.
Lewis is taking an Olympic redshirt this season in order to train to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. He competed in the 2019 Continental Cup Oct. 11-13 in Russia where he finished fifth in his first senior-level international competition. Lewis had previously won the gold medal at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Slovakia.
This will be the lone, featured freestyle match of the night.