GREENSBORO, N.C. – After his thrilling victory Friday night that won the meet for the Hokies, Virginia Tech wrestling's Sam Latona has been named the ACC Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.
With the No. 8 Hokies trailing the No. 3 Wolfpack 16-13 going into the final match at 125 pounds, eighth-ranked Sam Latona met No. 4 Jakob Camacho to decide the dual. Latona trailed 4-3 with just seconds remaining but was able to secure a takedown and a two-point near fall before the horn sounded, tying the score at 16-16 and delivering the top-10 battle to the Hokies on overall match points, 49-48.
UNBELIEVABLE IN BLACKSBURG 😱@HokiesWrestling is the only undefeated team left in the ACC! pic.twitter.com/un1O7KjDYH
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) February 6, 2021
This is the second time this season that the Alabaster, Alabama native has won ACC Wrestler of the Week, the first coming on Jan. 12 after he went 3-0 at the West Virginia quad meet. Latona is the only wrestler to win the award twice this season.
A Hokie has won ACC Wrestler of the Week three times this season, most in the conference. Dakota Howard was named last week after his upset of No. 9 Devin Kane of North Carolina at 174 pounds. Latona and Howard are the only wrestlers from the same school to earn ACC Wrestler of the Week in consecutive weeks.
The ACC award is the second distinction of the week for Latona, who was named The Open Mat's College Wrestler of the Week on Monday. Tuesday, InterMat ranked Latona as the No. 5 125-pound wrestler in the country, the first time he has been in the top-5 in his career. Latona made a big jump in the FloWrestling rankings, with his win over Camacho catapulting him from No. 10 to No. 2 in the country at 125 pounds.
The Hokies held steady with six wrestlers in the InterMat rankings, however, five of those are now in the top-10 after Bryce Andonian moved up a spot from last week to No. 10. Tech has three wrestlers in the top-5 with Mekhi Lewis (No. 1) and Hunter Bolen (No. 2) accompanying Latona.
Tech will finish off the 2020-21 regular season with a home dual vs. Pitt Friday night at 6 p.m. on the ACC Network. The Hokies, having already clinched at least a share of the ACC Dual Meet Championship with their win over the Wolfpack, can be the outright champions with a win.
To follow the public health guidelines and ensure the safety of Virginia Tech's student-athletes, staff and fans, wrestling will compete without fans in attendance until further notice. Only essential staff and family members of the student-athletes will be allowed in attendance.