Hokies respond with emphatic win at home after rough road stretchHokies respond with emphatic win at home after rough road stretch
Wrestling

Hokies respond with emphatic win at home after rough road stretch

BLACKSBURG, VA. – After dropping two duals on the road, the No. 13 Virginia Tech wrestling team bounced back in a dominant way at home with a 28-10 victory over No. 25 Appalachian State on Friday night. The Hokies tallied seven wins in ten bouts with six of the victories coming via bonus point from Caleb Henson, Tom Crook, Mekhi Lewis, Andy Smith, and Hunter Catka. The Hokies improve to 4-3 on the season entering conference competition in two weeks.
 


 
No. 2 in the country at 174-pounds, Mekhi Lewis would get the Hokies on the board after starting the dual at 157-pounds. Lewis would score two takedowns on Lucas Uliano in the first and rack up riding time with a first period ride out to end the opening round 6-1. Lewis would tack on another takedown in the third period to secure the major decision victory to extend his season record to 7-0 with four wins via bonus point victories.
 


 
Redshirt freshman TJ Stewart made his season and Cassell debut against Tomas Booker in the fourth bout of the evening. Stewart would rack up two takedowns within the first minute of the bout to lead early and would never look back. Stewart would add an escape to lock in the 7-3 victory to pick up his first victory at 184-pounds.
 


 
Tech's two upperweights bounced back after their last two bouts with wins tonight. At 197-pounds, No. 26 Andy Smith picked up a smothering 18-5 major decision over Carson Floyd, racking up four takedowns in the third period alone to give the Hokies their first lead of the night.
 



Following up with a major decision of his own was No. 20 Hunter Catka with a 11-2 victory. Catka would secure the bonus point victory to increase the Hokies' lead with a sweeping single right into a headwheel finish in the final :25 of the bout.
 
Taking the mat for Tech and securing a gritty victory at 125-pounds was reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week, No. 8 Cooper Flynn. Flynn would strike early to lead Chad Bellis in the first and would earn an escape in the third period to take the bout 4-2 despite numerous scores from the Hokie.
 
Ending the dual with back-to-back bonus victories were sophomores No. 18 Tom Crook at 141-pounds and No. 2 Caleb Henson at 149-pounds. Crook would pour on four takedowns, riding time, and an escape to pick up the 14-4 major decision to lock up the dual for the Hokies.
 



Putting an exclamation point on the evening was sophomore sensation Caleb Henson – racking up four takedowns in the first period before snaking a fall over No. 27 Cody Bond in the evening's only ranked match-up. Henson continues his sensational season and improves to 20-1.
 


 
Clayton Ulrey got the nod for injured No. 8 Bryce Andonian at 157-pounds against No. 23 Tommy Askey in the first bout of the dual. Ulrey would show offense early but would drop the bout 2-10. The Hokies would send out redshirt sophomore Ty Finn at 165-pounds against another ranked opponent in No. 32 Will Miller but would drop a close 2-5 decision. Another Hokie making his dual and Cassell debut was freshman, Logan Frazier at 133-pounds. Frazier would battle throughout and would fight off the bonus point victory to help the Hokies maintain their lead.
 
The Hokies take a one week break before hitting conference competition on Friday, January 26 when they host the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first ACC Network Friday Night Duals at 7 p.m. EST. Follow Hokies Wrestling on Instagram and X for all the latest news and updates.
 
No. 13 Virginia Tech – 28, No. 25 App State – 10
January 12, 2024
Final Results by Starting Weight Order
157 - Clayton Ulrey loss #23 Tommy Askey (App St), 2-10
165 - Ty Finn loss #32 Will Miller (App St), 2-5
174 - No. 2 Mekhi Lewis MAJ DEC Luke Uliano (App St), 10-2
184 - TJ Stewart DEC Tomas Booker (App St), 7-3
197 - No. 26 Andy Smith MAJ DEC Carson Floyd (App St), 18-5
285 - No. 20 Hunter Catka MAJ DEC Jacob Sartorio (App St), 11-2
125 - No. 8 Cooper Flynn DEC Chad Bellis (App St), 4-2
133 - Logan Frazier loss #24 Ethan Oakley (App St), 2-8
141 - No. 18 Tom Crook MAJ DEC Riley Edwards (App St), 14-4
149 - No. 2 Caleb Henson FALL #27 Cody Bond (App St), 2:51Gallery: (1-12-2024) WRE: Appalachian State match