No. 5 Virginia Tech opened the season with a loud one Friday night, rolling past No. 12 Lehigh 30-6 behind a deep lineup, a veteran star doing veteran-star things, and a freshman who wasted no time making noise.
The Hokies won eight of 10 bouts in front of 5,814 at home, and the night featured two victories over ranked opponents that helped turn the dual into a showcase. Aaron Seidel kept right on rolling from his freshman season, while Bo Bassett made a first impression that landed with real force.
Seidel, ranked No. 3, handled Lehigh’s Keanu Dillard at 133 pounds with a 14-2 major decision. It was the kind of workmanlike, high-output performance that has already become part of his identity, and it gave Virginia Tech four more team points.
Bassett’s debut came in the final bout of the night, and it carried the most buzz. Ranked No. 5 at 141, he drew Lehigh’s top-ranked Luke Stanich and came through with a 13-9 decision. In his first college match, Bassett knocked off the nation’s No. 1 wrestler and immediately looked like he belongs in the thick of the national conversation.
Virginia Tech also got a major lift at 149 pounds, where redshirt freshman Drew Gorman stepped in for No. 1 Caleb Henson and delivered a 17-2 technical fall over Kelvin Griffin. Henson was out of the lineup, but Gorman made the most of the opening and showed the Hokies have more than one option at the weight.
Lehigh answered at 157, where No. 15 Logan Rozynski beat No.
8 Collin Gaj 8-3, trimming the Hokies’ lead to 5-3. Virginia Tech was then docked a team point for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after that bout, but the response came quickly.
At 165, Mac Church blanked Richie Grungo in a 10-0 major decision. Ryan Burton followed at 174 with a 16-6 major decision over Brady Collins, and No.
23 Jaden Bullock edged No. 21 Rylan Rogers 4-3 at 184 to keep the Hokies in control.
Sonny Sasso turned in one of the night’s most one-sided results at 197, needing just 6:35 to finish a 16-1 technical fall against Cael Weidemoyer. Lehigh’s second and final win came at heavyweight, where No.
5 Nathan Taylor beat No. 13 Jimmy Mullen 6-0.
Virginia Tech then closed the dual the way it started it - with steady work at the lower weights. No. 6 Eddie Ventresca beat Mason Ziegler 4-2 at 125, setting the stage for Seidel’s major decision and Bassett’s upset to finish the night.
The Hokies return to action Thursday, Nov. 19, against The Citadel in Cassell Coliseum at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
In Other News...
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Kevin Jennings was at the center of it, throwing for 350 yards and four touchdowns while wideouts Yamir Knight and Yannick Smith kept finding room all over the field. For Virginia Tech, the concern goes beyond one lopsided result, because SMUs balance and tempo exposed just how hard it can be to survive when an opponent is clicking from the opening series and never really cools off. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Just Exposed A Bigger ACC Problem
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Virginia Tech Just Delivered A Statement Win Fans Will Be Talking About
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Eliana Salama delivered the decisive moment late, giving Virginia Tech the edge in the 81st minute and sealing a victory that will resonate well beyond one night in Florida. For a team looking to measure itself against the best, this was the sort of road performance that can stick with a locker room, even as the bigger picture of what it means for the Hokies keeps unfolding. [Read more 🡒]