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Two wrestlers, one in a gray camouflage singlet and another in a dark blue singlet with an orange "I," stand on a mat during a match, with the camo-wearing wrestler flexing his arm.Two wrestlers, one in a gray camouflage singlet and another in a dark blue singlet with an orange "I," stand on a mat during a match, with the camo-wearing wrestler flexing his arm.
Nick Carlson / Virginia Tech Athletics
Wrestling

Hokies open season with five champions in Salem

No. 4 Virginia Tech Wrestling opened the season in Salem at the Southeast Open, coming away with titles from Seidel, Church, Burton, Mullen, and Rozas

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SALEM, Va. – The 2026-27 season is officially underway for Virginia Tech wrestling after a strong showing at the Southeast Open in Salem, Virginia, on Sunday, Nov. 1. The Hokies claimed five individual titles, four runner-up finishes and 12 total podium finishes to open the season.

Leading the way for Tech were Aaron Seidel (133 pounds), Mac Church (165 pounds), Ryan Burton (174 pounds) and Jim Mullen (285 pounds), who each captured titles in the Open division. Freshman Alex Rozas added a championship at 125 pounds in the freshman/sophomore division.

Seidel put together a dominant performance at 133 pounds, finishing 4-0 with bonus-point victories in all four matches. He recorded three technical falls and one pin, including an 18-0 technical fall over Ohio's Prestyn Parks to open the tournament. Seidel capped off his day with a 15-0 technical fall over West Virginia's Gunner Andrick in the finals.

Also making an impressive showing was Rozas, who went undefeated in five matches to claim the 125-pound freshman/sophomore title. Rozas opened the tournament with three consecutive technical falls before defeating NC State's Lander Bosh, 6-3, in the semifinals. He secured the championship with a pin over NC State's Dom Deputy.

At 165 pounds, Church and Noah Nininger both advanced to the championship bout, guaranteeing the Hokies a first- and second-place finish. Church finished 4-0, recording two major decisions before defeating Nininger, 4-1, in the finals. Nininger went 3-1 on the day, collecting two technical falls on his way to the runner-up finish.

Burton added another title for Tech at 174 pounds, finishing 4-0 with two technical falls and a medical forfeit victory before defeating Illinois' Colin Kelly, 7-2, in the championship match. At heavyweight, Mullen completed an undefeated 4-0 performance, earning a pin, two technical falls and an 8-0 major decision over West Virginia's Max Vanadia to secure the 285-pound title.

The Hokies also saw strong performances in the freshman/sophomore division, with Mitchell Faglioni (157 pounds), Kyle Scott (184 pounds) and Jonathan Rocha (197 pounds) each earning runner-up finishes. Faglioni recorded a technical fall and two decisions, while Scott collected three victories before falling in the finals. Rocha earned bonus-point victories in all three of his wins, including a 20-3 technical fall over West Virginia's Aiden Bliss.

Rounding out Tech's podium finishes were Jaden Bullock and Sergio Desiante at 184 pounds in the Open division. Bullock secured third place with a 6-3 decision over Desiante in an all-Hokie consolation matchup, while Desiante finished fourth after collecting three victories throughout the tournament.

The Hokies will look to carry their momentum into the remainder of the 2026-27 season following a successful opening weekend.

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Individual Results

125 – Alex Rozas (Fr/So) – Champion

  • TECH FALL Jayvion Johnson (Mount Olive), 17-0
  • TECH FALL Eamon Fry (App State), 15-0
  • TECH FALL Daniel Goodwin (George Mason), 15-0
  • DEC Lander Bosh (NC State), 6-3
  • FALL Dom Deputy (NC State)

133 – #3 Aaron Seidel – Champion

  • TECH FALL Prestyn Parks (Ohio), 18-0, 2:35
  • FALL Jack Cole (UH), 3:55
  • TECH FALL Marco Tocci (North Carolina), 19-4, 2:50
  • TECH FALL Gunner Andrick (West Virginia), 15-0, 2:26

165 – Mac Church – Champion

  • MAJ DEC Mason Reiniche (UT-Chattanooga), 11-1
  • MAJ DEC Luke Sipes (West Virginia), 11-2
  • DEC Bryce Griffin (Davidson), 8-2
  • DEC Noah Nininger (Virginia Tech), 4-1

174 – #17 Ryan Burton – Champion

  • TECH FALL Charlie Foster (UT-Chattanooga), 22-6
  • TECH FALL Cody Kirk (Davidson), 21-4
  • MED FOR Wyatt Gibbs (UT-Chattanooga)
  • DEC Colin Kelly (Illinois), 7-2

285 – #15 Jimmy Mullen – Champion

  • FALL Nathan Hampton (Mount Olive)
  • TECH FALL Carter Stack (Washington & Lee), 22-7
  • TECH FALL Joey Schneck (Maryland), 21-4
  • MAJ DEC Max Vanadia (West Virginia), 8-0

 

157 – Mitchell Faglioni (Fr/So) – Runner-Up

  • DEC Tyson Rakers (George Mason), 12-5
  • TECH FALL Abriel Padilla (Mount Olive), 17-1
  • DEC Kenneth Pritz (App State), 13-7
  • LOSS Griffin LaPlante (NC State), TECH FALL 5-21

165 – #21 Noah Nininger – Runner-Up

  • DEC Logan Swaw (Illinois), 7-1
  • TECH FALL Zachary Casias (Mount Olive), 17-2
  • TECH FALL Tavian Camper (UT-Chattanooga), 17-2
  • LOSS Mac Church (Virginia Tech), DEC 1-4

184 – Kyle Scott (Fr/So) – Runner-Up

  • TECH FALL Andy Franke (Davidson), 16-1
  • DEC Deacon Moran (App State), 6-5
  • DEC Nicholas Mascolino (Mount Olive), 8-2
  • LOSS Dominic Sumpolec (George Mason), DEC 4-8

197 – Jonathan Rocha (Fr/So) – Runner-Up

  • MAJ DEC Brock Sullivan (NWR), 12-2
  • MAJ DEC Landon Hamper (Maryland), 12-0
  • TECH FALL Aiden Bliss (West Virginia), 20-3
  • LOSS Lincoln Jipp (North Carolina), MAJ DEC 3-14

184 – #16 Jaden Bullock – 3rd Place

  • DEC Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (Maryland), 5-2
  • FALL Wesley Sykes, 4:08
  • LOSS Tomas Brooker (App State), DEC 5-8
  • DEC Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech), 6-3

184 – Sergio Desiante – 4th Place

  • TECH FALL Oscar Williams (Maryland), 19-4
  • FALL Allah Mukhtari (Elevate)
  • DEC Benjamin Weader (Virginia Tech), 4-1
  • LOSS Ian Bush (West Virginia), DEC 2-5
  • LOSS Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech), DEC 3-6

184 – Benjamin Weader – 5th Place

  • TECH FALL Pierce White (App State), 18-3, 4:20
  • MAJ DEC Paolo Ciatto (Campbell), 18-7
  • LOSS Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech), DEC 1-4
  • DEC Nolan O'Boyle (North Carolina), 5-1

184 – Gunnar Garelli

  • DEC Kyle Gallo (Franklin & Marshall), 7-5
  • LOSS Aidan Schlett (North Carolina), DEC 1-5
  • DEC Pierce White (App State), 10-3
  • LOSS Oscar Williams (Maryland), DEC 0-5

285 – Parker Ferrell

  • MAJ DEC Wyatt Schmitt (Ohio), 11-0
  • LOSS Stephan Monchery (App State), MAJ DEC 2-11
  • MAJ DEC Sawyer Vanrider (Campbell), 17-4
  • LOSS Ethan Vergara (UT-Chattanooga), MED FOR

149 – Walker Turley (Fr/So)

  • MAJ DEC Keagan Sieracki (George Mason), 12-0
  • LOSS Drew Montgomery (NWR), DEC 5-6
  • LOSS Carson Weber (Ohio), MAJ DEC 6-17

133 – Owen McMullen (Fr/So)

  • LOSS Ty Murray (App State), DEC 1-5
  • LOSS Logan Mueller (Gardner-Webb), DEC 6-8

149 – Christopher Bacchioni

  • LOSS Nathanial Askew (North Carolina), DEC 0-7
  • LOSS Giosue Hickman (Washington & Lee), DEC 1-6

149 – Drew Gorman

  • LOSS Jeremiah Price (App State), DEC 1-4
  • LOSS Antonio Alvarado (Illinois), DEC 8-13

149 – Jack Bastarrika

  • LOSS TJ Langley (West Virginia), FALL
  • LOSS William Anderson (UT-Chattanooga), FALL