Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG - The fifth-ranked Hokies head to Ann Arbor this weekend to take on the eighth-ranked Michigan Wolverines as part of the National Duals Championship Series.
In the first year of the revamped National Duals series, Virginia Tech was selected to face off against Michigan. Eight duals will take place over the weekend, pitting conference champions and top-ranked programs against Big 10 powers on eight different campuses.
The Hokies won back-to-back ACC Dual Meet titles with victories over Duke and then-No. 3 NC State last weekend, giving Tech four consecutive undefeated weekends dating back to the Virginia Duals in early January. The Hokies took down undefeated NC State on Friday, recording victories in six weight classes including come-from-behind victories from Sal Mastriani and Dennis Gustason. Zach Epperly won a 5-0 decision at 174 pounds to help the Hokies retake the lead, which they would never relinquish. Tech dispatched Duke on Saturday with a 31-9 victory in Durham, winning eight of ten weight classes to clinch another undefeated league record.
This will be the last dual meet of the season for the Hokies, who are 15-2 on the year. Next up for the Tech grapplers will be the ACC Championship in Charlottesville.
Hokie Highlights
· The Hokies and Wolverines both enter Sunday’s dual on lengthy win streaks, with Michigan winning its last seven duals and Tech reeling off eight straight victories
· Fans will be treated to great matchups in the three largest weight classes, with both teams starting wrestlers ranked in the top 10
· In the heavyweight division, Ty Walz and Adam Coon will face off for the third time in their careers, with Walz holding a 2-0 edge. Last meeting in the NWCA All-Star Classic earlier this season, Walz dominated Coon for a 9-3 victory
· The last time these two programs faced off, the Hokies came away with a 22-15 victory in Ann Arbor in 2009
· Both programs boast eight ranked wrestlers
Watch Live
Sunday’s match will be streamed live on BTN Plus and can be found here. Fans are welcome to follow along with live stats located here as well as by following @VT_Wrestling on Twitter.
Below are the probables for Virginia Tech and Michigan, as submitted by the respective coaching staffs.
#5 Virginia Tech (15-2, 5-0 ACC)
125: #3 Joey Dance (24-1)
133: Dennis Gustafson, r-Jr. (8-4)
141: #8 Solomon Chishko, r-Fr. (24-3)
149: Sal Mastriani, r-Jr. (8-8)
157: #5 Nick Brascetta, r-Sr. (5-2)
165: #14 David McFadden, Fr. (17-8)
174: #3 Zach Epperly, r-Soph. (8-1)
184: #7 Zack Zavatsky, Soph. (21-4)
197: #7 Jared Haught, r-Soph. (15-6)
HWT: #3 Ty Walz, r-Jr. (21-1)
#8 Michigan (13-2, 8-1 B1G)
125: #20 Conor Youtsey, Jr.
133: #18 Rossi Bruno, Sr.
141: George Fisher, So. OR Zac Hall, Fr.
149: #17 Alec Pantaleo, So.
157: #13 Brian Murphy, Jr. OR Jordan Amine, So.
165: Garrett Sutton, So.
174: #13 Aaron Calderon, So.
184: #2 Domenic Abounader, Jr.
197: #6 Max Huntley, Sr.
HWT: #4 Adam Coon, Jr.