Tech hosts North Carolina in ACC openerTech hosts North Carolina in ACC opener
Wrestling

Tech hosts North Carolina in ACC opener

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BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech wrestling welcomes North Carolina to Cassell Coliseum Friday for a 7 p.m. dual against its first ACC opponent of the season. Friday's dual will be the first wrestling match shown on ACC Network.
 
Virginia Tech (8-0) gets its first conference test with North Carolina (8-1). The No. 3 Hokies will face all five of the other ACC wrestling schools this season, including No. 5 NC State, No. 10 Pitt and No. 12 North Carolina. The Hokies have won seven ACC championships. Three of those have been dual meet championships, the others by winning the conference tournament.
 
Fans joining the Hokies in Cassell Coliseum Friday night will be treated to a slew of promotions and giveaways on Student Appreciation night. All fans can enjoy a takedown foam finger giveaway and could win a pair of tickets to the home men's basketball game against Virginia.
 
Because it's Student Appreciation night, there are also giveaways and contests just for students attending Friday night's dual. Students get a free VT Wrestling t-shirt and are eligible to win $500 in cash. There will also be a nachos concession giveaway for students.
 
Also, fans can be part of the show Friday night with a special presentation of Hokie Lights presented by Coca-Cola. Hokie Lights is accessible via the HokieSports app, which is available through the App Store and Google Play. To join the show on Friday, open the HokieSports app on your phone, click on the menu in the upper left corner and click "Hokie Lights" to participate in the pre-match light show occurring after the National Anthem.
 
#3 Virginia Tech vs. #12 North Carolina
Date: Friday, Jan. 24
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Promotion: Student Appreciation Night, Hokie Lights
TV: ACC Network
Live Updates: @HokiesWrestling
 
Hokies welcome Tar Heels to Cassell

  • Friday night will be the 72nd time the Hokies and Tar Heels have met on the mat. Hokies hold the series lead, 38-31-2.
  • Going into Friday night, Virginia Tech is 8-0 on the season, North Carolina is 8-1. The Tar Heels' only loss was a 21-11 defeat at Stanford.
  • Ranked 12th in the country, North Carolina will be Tech's sixth ranked opponent of the season. The Hokies are 5-0 vs. top-25 teams this season, most recently defeating No. 19 Cornell 23-9 on the road.
  • The Hokies are 4-0 in Blacksburg this season and 3-0 in Cassell Coliseum. Tech opened the season with a win over then-No. 9 Missouri in Cassell. Virginia Tech won their most recent dual in Cassell Coliseum 36-3 over West Virginia on Jan. 11.

 
Tale of the Tape

  • Six Virginia Tech wrestlers appear in the InterMat rankings, including Hunter Bolen and David McFadden. Bolen is No. 2 in the country at 184 pounds and McFadden is No. 3 at 165 pounds.
  • North Carolina has four wrestlers ranked by InterMat, led by No. 2 Austin O'Connor at 149 pounds.
  • There is the potential for three ranked matchups Friday night. At 141 pounds, No. 18 Mitch Moore will see No. 12 Zach Sherman. Other possible ranked matchups consist of No. 18 B.C. LaPrade vs. No. 19 A.C. Headlee, and No. 3 David McFadden vs. No. 17 Kennedy Monday.

 
Smeltzer named ACC Wrestler of the Week

  • Stanley Smeltzer became the third Hokie to be named ACC Wrestler of the Week this season.
  • Smeltzer earns the honor after going 2-0 over the weekend with both his wins coming by major decision.
  • Smeltzer leads the team with seven major decision victories this season.
  • He joins B.C. LaPrade and Brent Moore as the other Hokies to win the award this season.

 
Hokies sweep New York weekend

  • Virginia Tech remained undefeated after a weekend trip to New York against Binghamton and No. 19 Cornell.
  • The Hokies shut out Binghamton 47-0 on Saturday afternoon. It was the first time Tech had shut out an opponent since January of 2018.
  • Virginia Tech followed that with a 23-9 victory over No. 19 Cornell. The Hokies beat Cornell for the first time in their history. The win was Tech's fifth over a ranked opponent.
  • After the two wins in New York, Virginia Tech sits at 8-0 on the season. They are one of only three division one programs who remain undefeated. No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 NC State are the others.