One of the most underrated rivalries in college wrestling takes center stage on Friday night when the No. 7 NC State Wolfpack descend into Cassell Coliseum to take on the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies.
Here are the five most interesting storylines to follow as these ACC rivals round out their dual season in this epic matchup:
The dual will show which team has the edge heading into the ACC tournament
Virginia Tech and NC State have combined for the last nine ACC tournament titles, with NC State winning it every year during that period with the exception of 2017 and 2018.
The duals between these two teams, however, have been more evenly split. Here’s the score history for the last nine meetings:
- 2024: 20-12, NC State
- 2023: 16-14, Virginia Tech
- 2022: 21-10, NC State
- 2021: 17-16, Virginia Tech
- 2020: 21-18, NC State
- 2019: 17-16, NC State
- 2018: 19-15, NC State
- 2017: 20-14, Virginia Tech
- 2016: 19-14, Virginia Tech
Both teams will bring nine ranked wrestlers into the match this year, with two of NC State’s nine ranked athletes previously earning All-American honors and five of Virginia Tech’s athletes holding that same title. These are deep teams.
A rivalry match you don't want to miss 😎
— HokieSports (@hokiesports)
Come out to Cassell Coliseum Friday night at 7 p.m. ET to watch No. 10 take on No. 7 NC State 🔥
On paper, if each dual results in a decision win for the higher-ranked wrestler, the Hokies have the advantage 24-12, a larger margin than seen in any of the past nine duals. Matches are wrestled though because rankings are not predictions, and, even if they were, predictions are not facts. Every weight has the possibility of an upset.
Each team has a chance to display depth and strength, despite taking dual losses earlier this year to a common opponent
Virginia Tech and NC State’s dominance in the ACC and their consistent ability to put athletes on the podium each year has elevated them into the conversation of top-tier national programs. In fact, Virginia Tech was on Bo Bassett’s — — shortlist of final four programs before he ultimately picked Iowa. These squads have shown they can compete, and both are looking to flex that fact in this dual after taking crushing losses earlier this year from another top national team common opponent: Oklahoma State.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech | Oklahoma State vs. NC State
The Hokies enter this bout with an 8-2 dual record following a loss to Oklahoma State 34-9 and an unexpected upset loss to North Carolina 20-17 while the Wolfpack are 11-1 with their lone loss also coming against the Oklahoma State Cowboys 34-3. It’s rare, though it has happened more than once this year, for teams with nine ranked wrestlers each to lose by more than 25 points to any team. Neither of those duals were pretty for the Hokies and the Pack though. Friday night’s matchup is expected to be close and should shed a spotlight on how tough these programs are, regardless of how badly they fell to Oklahoma State.
Virginia Tech and NC State have both been in the national trophy conversation for over a decade now, though it’s been since 2014 and 2018 respectively that the Hokies and the Pack have collected team hardware at the Ƶ tournament. Both teams appear to be on the outside of the trophy conversation this year, but there is potential within both of these lineups for some disruption in March. This dual is a key opportunity for wrestlers to improve their conference and national seed and put themselves in a better position to score points in March.
Big moment to shine for Ƶ champion Caleb Henson
The anchor for the Virginia Tech Hokies this year has been none other than returning Ƶ champion Caleb Henson, the only undefeated athlete on Virginia Tech’s roster and someone who the Hokies will be counting on to secure a win in this back-and-forth rivalry bout. Henson is 15-0 with an 80% bonus rate thus far and wins over All-Americans Ridge Lovett and Jaden Abas. He’s looking as strong as ever, and he’ll be expected to beat, if not major, his NC State foe No. 22 Koy Buesgens.
GREAT TO GREATEST: Inside the mind of a returning college wrestling national champion
Henson and Buesgens have not met in college, and while Buesgens has had a solid redshirt freshman season as the starter for the Pack with a 15-9 record and a good shot to qualify for the Ƶ tournament, Henson is a relentless force and a tough out for the young Pack athlete. If Virginia Tech is going to beat NC State and make noise on the national stage in March, Henson will be a big reason why.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧: 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝟏𝟒𝟗 👑
— Virginia Tech Wrestling (@HokiesWrestling)
𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 ☑️ 🦃
The 149-pound weight class is Virginia Tech’s most sure weight class in this dual along with 141-pounds where All-American Sam Latona is expected to wrestle N.C. State’s unranked Tyler Tracey. The Hokies will also be favored at 125 pounds with No. 5 Eddie Ventresca, 157 pounds with No. 12 Rafael Hipolito, 174 pounds with No. 20 Lenny Wolak and 197 pounds with No. 16 Andy Smith, but none of those are sure things, especially not 125 pounds.
N.C. State’s Vince Robinson has a chance to pick up a statement win at the turbulent 125-pound weight class
The 125-pound weight class is always one of the most interesting, fun weights in college wrestling, and this year continues that trend, this time with a new face in NC State’s Vince Robinson. A redshirt freshman from Chicago, Robinson is 18-1 on the year with his lone loss coming by way of a countable medical forfeit against Purdue’s Matt Ramos. He’s currently ranked No. 3 in the country behind Ramos and 2024 Ƶ champion Richie Figueroa, and he’s made it clear through his wins over top-10 athletes like Troy Spratley and Sheldon Seymour that he’s here to compete.
🐺🤼♂️🎙️ | R-Fr. Vince Robinson joins the Pop-Ins Podcast and talks about his first season in the lineup and outlook for titles come March at 125 pounds.
— Wolfpack RTC (@WolfpackRTC)
💻 WATCH:
Despite these highly ranked wins across his 19 matches this year, Robinson has still yet to hit an All-American, but that will change on Friday when he takes on Virginia Tech’s scrappy lightweight Eddie Ventresca. Back in 2023, Ventresca battled back from the No. 27 seed at the Ƶ tournament to finish seventh in the country, beating Big 12 champion Stevo Poulin, All-American Patrick McKee, All-American Eric Barnett and All-American Killian Cardinale along the way. Ventresca struggled last year, posting a 2-7 record, but the Hokie junior is back now and looking to make his mark again. He’s currently 15-3 on the year with his only losses coming against Ramos, Spratley and North Carolina’s Spencer Moore, the latter result being the most unexpected of the three. The best version of Ventresca maybe has an edge over Robinson, but, at this point in the season, Robinson carries the momentum heading into the dual.
MEET THE ALL-AMERICANS: These are the 80 guys who finished on the podium in 2024
The Pack will need their young star to come through and take down the All-American Hokie to stay in this battle and pump up the energy before No. 14 Kai Orine goes out to take on Virginia Tech’s No. 13 Connor McGonagle in another coin-flip contest.
All-Americans Kai Orine, TJ Stewart, Lenny Wolak will look to return to form in ranked matches
Much like Virginia Tech’s Ventresca, N.C. State’s Kai Orine has the potential to make a deep Ƶ run and possibly even compete for a title, but, based on his results this year, he’s also an athlete who, with the wrong draw, could take some early losses and miss the podium completely. Orine’s peak is dangerous — he’s fast, forceful and fearless, and he’s used these attributes to finish on the podium three times in the last four years. This year, though, Orine is 11-5 on the year with two back-to-back losses to Stanford’s No. 6 Tyler Knox 9-1 and North Carolina’s No. 11 Ethan Oakley in sudden victory.
KAI STRIKES AGAIN ⚔️
— NC State Wrestling 🤼♂️ (@PackWrestle)
His Hokie foe, No. 13 Connor McGonagle is tough but has only wrestled nine matches this year, though he does have a 3-0 sudden victory win over Knox. Interestingly, Orine wrestled Tech's No. 10 Sam Latona in this dual last year, though Latona is now at 141 pounds, a weight Orine started the season before dropping back down to 133 pounds, pitting him against McGonagle.
This match is as coin-flip as it gets between two athletes who will likely see each other again in the ACC tournament and could potentially be battling in the Blood Round. The margin for error here is so slim, but, the win, for whoever earns it, will be a nice seeding boost and a notable advantage come tournament time.
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Orine isn't the only former All-American aiming to jump levels in the final weeks before the postseason. Virginia Tech’s TJ Stewart and Lenny Wolak, athletes who finished seventh and sixth respectively last year, are also looking for ranked wins on Friday night that will show, once again, that they are athletes who belong in the podium conversation at 184 and 174 pounds, respectively. Wolak and Stewart each hold 9-7 records so far, with Wolak's best wins coming against No. 21 Luca Augustine and All-American Jackson Turley. Stewart does not currently have a ranked win on the year, but he'll have his chance against No. 14 Dylan Fishback while Wolak will likely face No. 22 Matthew Singleton. Wolak and Singleton have never wrestled in college, but Fishback is 0-2 against Stewart.
Wolak and Stewart do not currently have in-season records and resumes typical of All-American contenders, but legends are built in March, and these two guys have proven that they can win big matches when it counts. The 174 and 184-pound weight classes are deep, each with two returning champs in the mix. Breaking into the top eight is feasible for these guys though, and a win on Friday would no doubt help their confidence and momentum.
Time to rock 🎸 x 🎥
— Ƶ Wrestling (@ƵWrestling)
For the Hokies to try and lock up the dual before heavyweight, they'll need Wolak and Stewart to wrestle to seed too. Regardless of the score though, NC State's No. 4 Isaac Trumble and No. 13 Jimmy Mullen of Virginia Tech will be must-watch action at 285 pounds to close out the dual, particularly given Trumble's pinning ability and his potential to put up big team points in a dual this close, if the dual starts at 125 pounds. NC State and Virginia Tech have also notably started this dual at weights other than 125 pounds, be prepared for fireworks from the opening whistle, no matter the weight class.
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