Hokies close out regular season slate SaturdayHokies close out regular season slate Saturday
Wrestling

Hokies close out regular season slate Saturday

Opens in a new window ACC Network Extra Stream Opens in a new window Match Notes

BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech wrestling hits the road for its last dual of the season when the Hokies square off with the Pittsburgh Panthers at Fitzgerald Field House Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET. The match can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
 
The Hokies (11-2, 2-2 ACC) face their eighth ranked opponent of the season in No. 10 Pitt (9-4, 2-2 ACC). They are 5-2 against the other seven this year.
 
No. 7 Virginia Tech at No. 10 Pitt
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Live Stream: ACC Network Extra
Live Updates: @HokiesWrestling
 
Hokies face Panthers in regular-season finale

  • Virginia Tech and Pitt meet on the mat for the 17th time in the programs' histories. The Panthers hold an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series.
  • The Hokies beat Pitt last season 27-6 at Cassell Coliseum in a top-15 matchup.
  • Both teams go into Saturday night's matchup 2-2 in the ACC. The two teams have both beat Duke and Virginia while losing to North Carolina and NC State.
  • Last week, Tech lost a tight 21-18 contest to NC State and Pitt lost 22-14 to North Carolina.

 
Tale of the Tape

  • The Hokies have four wrestlers ranked by this week's InterMat poll, while Pitt has five.
  • Saturday night could see two ranked matchups as No. 10 David McFadden is projected to face Pitt's No. 14 Jake Wentzel at 165 pounds.
  • No. 2 Hunter Bolen vs. No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi is a top-10 matchup that could happen Saturday in Pittsburgh.

 
Hokies fall to rival NC State

  • After a rollercoaster of a dual, No. 3 NC State beat No. 7 Tech 21-18 in Raleigh last Friday night.
  • The dual saw a total of three pins, with the Hokies winning two matches by fall and losing one.
  • No. 2 Hunter Bolen added another quality win to his stellar resume with a 3-1 decision over No. 3 Trent Hidlay. Bolen is now 9-1 against ranked opponents this season.
  • Stanley Smeltzer got his first career pin in rapid fashion. The redshirt sophomore stuck his opponent in just 18 seconds.

 
Andonian leaving mark in first season

  • True freshman Bryce Andonian began the season with a redshirt but has emerged as a dependable starter for the No. 7 Hokies.
  • Andonian was 9-2 competing in two open tournaments when he was called up to the active roster. He is now 16-5, with a 7-3 record in duals.
  • Most recently, Andonian pinned NC State's A.J. Leitten for his sixth fall of the season, tying Mitch Moore for the team lead.