OMAHA, Neb. – After sending three wrestlers to USA Wrestling Senior Nationals in October, Virginia Tech wrestling will have 11 current wrestlers competing in the United World Wrestling U23 and Junior Nationals hosted by USA Wrestling this weekend at the CHI Health Center.
The event will serve as a 2021 World Team Trials qualifier with weight-class champions at U23 Nationals securing bids to the 2021 Senior World Team Trials, and champions at Junior Nationals securing bids to either the 2021 Senior World Team Trials or 2021 Junior World Team Trials, dependent on age eligibility. Tech has had three Junior World Team members, including current Hokie Mekhi Lewis, and former Tech wrestler Ty Walz is a current member of the U.S. National Team.
The Hokies contingent will be wrestling freestyle at the events, which is scheduled to begin competition Saturday at 10 a.m. ET and conclude with the championships Sunday afternoon. The matches can be streamed live with FloWrestling, and results and brackets can be followed at FloArena.
Six Hokies are scheduled to compete at Junior Nationals, where wrestlers born from 2000 to 2003 are eligible, and five at U23 Nationals, with eligible birth years between 1997 and 2002.
Among those heading out west are 2019-20 starters Bryce Andonian, John Borst, Collin Gerardi, Joey Prata and Stan Smeltzer. Andonian will be competing at Junior Nationals while the other four will compete at U23 Nationals.
Andonian, a sophomore after starting for the Hokies as a true freshman in 2020, is coming off a debut season that saw him finish as the 149-pound runner-up at the 2020 ACC Championships and earn an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships. Borst, Gerardi and Prata also qualified for the NCAA Championships after placing third, fifth and third at the ACC Championships, respectively.
The other team veterans competing in Nebraska are redshirt freshman Connor Brady (Junior Nationals) and redshirt sophomore Dakota Howard (U23 Nationals). Brady, competing unattached in 2019-20, went 9-2 in his first season of collegiate wrestling, while Howard, in his first season competing attached, made his dual debut February 8 against Duke at Moss Arts Center, winning by 23-6 technical fall in 4:36.
Rounding out the Hokies 11 are freshmen Hunter Catka, Sam Hillegas, Andy Smith and Clayton Ulrey. Catka and Ulrey were teammates before coming to Tech, when they were members of the Cadet World Team. For the four, this is their first competition since arriving in Blacksburg.
The event will be conducted following the requirements of the state and local health authorities, as well as using the safety provisions of the USA Wrestling Return to Events Guidelines.
UWW U23 Nationals
- John Borst – 130 kg
- Collin Gerardi – 61 kg
- Dakota Howard – 79 kg
- Joey Prata – 57 kg
- Stan Smeltzer – 86 kg
UWW Junior Nationals
- Bryce Andonian – 65 kg
- Connor Brady – 70 kg
- Hunter Catka – 130 kg
- Sam Hillegas – 61 kg
- Andy Smith – 92 kg
- Clayton Ulrey – 70 kg
Weight classes have a two-kilogram allowance.