BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech wrestling kicks off the 2019-20 regular season when it welcomes ninth-ranked Missouri to Cassell Coliseum Saturday at noon. The meet can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
No. 16 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Missouri
Date: Nov. 2
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Stream: ACC Network Extra
Live Updates: @HokiesWrestling on Twitter
Promotion: Military appreciation night – The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will be in attendance for Saturday's meet. Also, first 150 fans at Cassell Coliseum will receive a white, Virginia Tech wrestling t-shirt.
Hokies Face Missouri in Opener
• Saturday's dual will be the fifth-ever meeting between the two programs.
• Virginia Tech is 0-4 all-time against Missouri. The series began in 2004 and was last visited last season, when the Tigers beat Tech 21-8 in Missouri.
• Head coach Tony Robie enters his third season at the helm of the Hokie wrestling program and his 14th campaign overall in Blacksburg. Coach Robie is 23-8 in his two years in charge.
• The Hokies are coming off of their eighth straight top-11 finish at the NCAA Championships.
Tale of the Tape
• Both squads boast seven wrestlers that are ranked nationally by FloWrestling, three are scheduled to meet head-to-head.
• Six ranked Hokies are scheduled to wrestle Saturday.
• Redshirt senior David McFadden drops back down to the 165-pound weight class after wrestling at 174 pounds last season. McFadden is ranked fourth in the country.
• Redshirt sophomore Hunter Bolen returns to competition for Tech after redshirting last season. The 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year is ranked ninth at the 184-pound class.
McFadden Chases History
• David McFadden is looking to become Virginia Tech's first four-time All-American.
• McFadden has placed fifth at the NCAA Championships the previous two seasons. He placed sixth at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
• The two-time ACC Champion is returning to his original 165-pound weight class after wrestling at 174 pounds last season. Mekhi Lewis was Tech's 165-pound starter last year but is taking an Olympic redshirt this season.
• McFadden has won the ACC Championship at both weights after he won the ACC Championship at 174 pounds last season. He won the 2018 ACC Championship at 165 pounds.
Success on the Recruiting Trail
• The Hokies 2019 recruiting class was ranked as the No. 4 class in the country by FloWrestling.
• Freshmen Bryce Andonian, Connor Brady, Sam Latona and Dan Mancini were all ranked on FloWrestling's Class of 2019 Big Board.
• The No. 4 ranking matches Tech's highest ever ranking from 2013.
• The Hokies have been in FloWrestling's top 15 each of the past three years.
Changes to the Coaching Staff
• Coach Robie has elevated Jared Frayer to associate head coach after serving on Tech's staff as an assistant the past two seasons.
• In addition, Coach Robie has added Cody Brewer and Jared Haught to the program.
• Brewer, an NCAA Champion and four-time All-American at Oklahoma, joins the staff as an assistant after spending the past three seasons on Northwestern's staff.
• Haught, a two-time ACC Champion and three-time All-American at Virginia Tech, joins as a volunteer assistant.
• Ty Walz was promoted to Director of Performance after serving as a volunteer assistant the past two seasons.
