After wildly successful regular season, Virginia Tech Wrestling to host ACC Championships in BlacksburgAfter wildly successful regular season, Virginia Tech Wrestling to host ACC Championships in Blacksburg
Wrestling

After wildly successful regular season, Virginia Tech Wrestling to host ACC Championships in Blacksburg

The postseason competition will be held in Cassell Coliseum for the first time since 2019

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BLACKSBURG – No. 6 Virginia Tech Wrestling will aim to defend their conference title this weekend as the 2026 ACC Wrestling Championships takes place in Cassell Coliseum. The all-day event kicks off on March 8 at 10 a.m. with first-round action while semifinals and final matches take place at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. Hokie Nation can catch all the excitement as the event streams on ACC Network throughout the day. 

Tech Wrestling enters Sunday’s title defense after yet another impressive campaign under head coach Tony Robie. Not only did the squad register a standout 11-3 overall record throughout the season, but the team also went an undefeated 6-0 in conference competition for the first time since the 2020-21 season (5-0). Victories against No. 14 Pitt, No. 24 Stanford, No. 8 NC State, Virginia, No. 13 North Carolina and Duke comprised the glowing record, and the team outscored their conference foes, 148-74.  

On top of the four ranked conference victories throughout the 2025-26 regular season, Tech Wrestling notched three additional top-25 wins against then-No. 7 NC State, No. 15 Illinois and No. 24 Wyoming. All three victories were claimed in early November at the National Duals Invitational that saw Tech win its three straight ranked bouts over two short days.  

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A mix of veteran talent and fresh faces helped Tech ascend to the top of the conference in the past season. Behind the nation’s fourth-ranked recruiting class, Tech utilized true freshmen Aaron Seidel and Collin Gaj as they easily weaved their way through competition. Seidel would finish the regular season undefeated in conference bouts at 133 pounds while Gaj secured two top-10 wins against conference foes.  

Comparatively, redshirt sophomore Jimmy Mullen and redshirt senior Eddie Ventresca continued to exercise their experience and athleticism. After four wins – three of which coming by bonus point – at the 2025 Keystone Classic, Mullen would walk away as the tournament’s winner, adding a title win to a resume that already features a 2025 ACC Finalist recognition. Similarly, Ventresca would log a 2026 Southern Scuffle title win this past January, coasting through what would be six impressive victories for the New Jersey native.  

As a cohesive unit, Tech Wrestling enjoyed plenty of standout moments throughout the regular season, demonstrating the team’s ability to dominate both at home and on the road.

In consecutive meets on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, Tech would defeat No. 8 NC State and Virginia respectively, bringing the team’s overall record to 9-2 (4-0 ACC). The Hokies would hand the Wolfpack their first home loss since 2019 in the 21-12 victory, which featured a career victory from true freshman Collin Gaj against No. 5 Koy Buesgens. The visit to Raleigh featured six Hokie wins over ten matchups, starting with an epic Ventresca victory over NC State national champion Vincent Robinson in the 125-pound weight class. In Charlottesville just a week later, the team would cruise to a 32-7 meet win, marking the 14th consecutive time that Tech has emerged victorious against the Cavaliers.  

Southwest Virginia will play host to the conference’s premier wrestlers as the 2026 ACC Championships kicks off on Sunday, March 8. Secure your tickets now before this can’t-miss event takes over Cassell Coliseum!