Overview

Head coach: Tony Robie

Assistants: Jared Frayer, Cody Brewer, Jared Haught

2023 NCAA tournament finish: 9th

2023 NCAA tournament points: 49

2023 NCAA tournament record: 26-20

2023 ACC tournament finish: 2nd

2023 dual record: 10-3 (4-1)

Returning national qualifiers: 11 (Eddie Ventresca, Sam Latona, Tom Crook, Collin Gerardi, Caleb Henson, Bryce Andonian, Connor Brady, Mekhi Lewis, Andy Smith, Hunter Catka, Dakota Howard)

Returning All-Americans: 4 (Eddie Ventresca, Sam Latona, Bryce Andonian, Mekhi Lewis)

Last NCAA champion: Mekhi Lewis (2019)

Highest NCAA team finish: 4th (2016)

Highest NCAA team finish under Robie: 6th (2017)

Most place winners under Robie: 5 (2017, 2023)

Click here for other early line-up looks

Summary

Virginia Tech had a balanced line-up last season and will have another balanced line-up entering the 2023-24 season (assuming everyone returns). Tony Robie leads one of the most consistent and reliable programs in the country with national tournament finishes of 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 8th, and 9th since taking over in 2017. 

That’s a testament to the high-caliber wrestlers entering the program. Robie tied his personal high of five All-Americans and has a stellar recruiting class on the way, highlighted by five wrestlers ranked in the top 100: Jimmy Mullen (8), Mac Church (20), Sonny Sasso (35), Hunter Mason (31), and Raphael Hipolito (69).

Caleb Henson finished fifth at the NCAA Championships in the tough 149-pound class following a 28-5 campaign. Henson will continue to be a focal point as the team pushes toward its second trophy in program history. 

There’s no telling if 2019 national champion Mekhi Lewis will return, but the line-up will be formidable if he does. Virginia Tech will be a fun team to watch when you add in All-Americans Eddie Ventresca, Sam Latona, Henson, and Bryce Andonian. The Hokies should feel good about the future of the program. 

Virginia Tech’s Projected 2023-24 Line-up

125: Eddie Ventresca (AA)

133: Sam Latona (AA)

141: Tom Crook (NQ)

149: Caleb Henson (AA)

157: Bryce Andonian (AA)

165: Connor Brady (NQ)

174: Mekhi Lewis (NC)

184: Sam Fisher 

197: Andy Smith (NQ)

285: Hunter Catka (NQ)

125: Eddie Ventresca, SO
2023 record: 22-9
2023 NCAA tournament record: 4-2 (7th)

Ventresca will get pushed by teammate Copper Flynn, but this is Ventresca’s weight until proven otherwise. The Roxbury, New Jersey, native had a good national tournament where every match was close. He dropped a 3-1 quarterfinal match to Nebraska’s Liam Cronin in the quarterfinals before wrestling back for seventh. His matches against high-caliber opponents are always tight, so don’t be surprised if he works his way up the podium next season. 

Ventresca won his seventh-place match over a tough Killian Cardinale of West Virginia

133: Sam Latona, JR
2023 record: 28-8
2023 NCAA tournament record: 4-2 (7th)

Latona finished the season with an impressive stat on his resume: he handed Cornell’s Vito Arujau his only loss on the season. Arujau had a masterful performance at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by dominant wins over Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix and Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young for his first national title.

That didn’t stop Latona from giving Arujau all he could handle at nationals. He dropped his quarterfinal match to the Big Red Star, 8-5, but it was competitive until the final whistle. The Alabaster, Alabama, native finished seventh, which is his second All-American honor following a sixth-place finish in 2021. 

There’s no question that Latona is the best wrestler Alabama has ever produced. 

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Latona won his seventh-place match over conference rival Kai Orine of NC State

141: Tom Crook
2023 record: 17-11
2023 NCAA tournament record: 1-2 (DNP)

Senior Colin Gerardi could make a push for the spot but, for right now, this is Crook’s spot. Gerardi is also a returning national qualifier but Crook is the only one to post a win at nationals. This weight is wide open but deep. Crook and Gerardi are both solid options entering the season. 

149: Caleb Henson, SO
2023 record: 27-5
2023 NCAA tournament record: 6-2 (5th)

Robie calls Henson one of the mentally toughest wrestlers he’s ever seen. He proved his coach right by winning four matches in a row in the consolation bracket after falling to Indiana’s Graham Rooks in the second round. 

Placing fifth at 149 pounds as a true freshman is no small feat — especially when you look at the high-level wrestlers who didn’t place. Henson’s star will continue to rise in 2024. 

Henson won his fifth-place match over Iowa's Max Murin

157: Bryce Andonian
2023 record: 12-4
2023 NCAA tournament record: 4-2 (7th)

Andonian had a limited 2023 schedule but it was exhilarating every time he stepped onto the mat. If wrestlers were judged by an on-the-mat entertainment index, then Andonian would be near the top.

The Kirtland, Ohio, native placed seventh at nationals during his first crack at 157 pounds following a third-place finish at 149 last year. He had eventual national finalist Levi Haines on the ropes in the quarterfinals before losing by fall. Andonian is dangerous and will be a key part of the team if he returns. 

Andonian lost to Michigan's Will Lewan at the All-Star meet but defeated him during his final match of the season

165: Connor Brady, JR
2023 record: 15-11
2023 NCAA tournament record: 1-2 (DNP)

Brady qualified for this third consecutive NCAA Championship and picked up his second win this year. He lost a 2-1 decision to Ohio State’s Carson Kharchla, and won 5-0 over Brevin Cassella (Binghamton), before getting knocked out of the tournament, 5-2, by Nebraska’s Bubba Wilson. All his losses are close, so a few more wins from Brady during the 2023-24 season will make a difference. 

174: Mekhi Lewis, SR
2023 record: 22-3
2023 NCAA tournament record: 4-2 (4th)

Mekhi Lewis is the greatest wrestler in program history. He is Virginia Tech’s only NCAA champion and the first Hokie wrestler to place in the top four at nationals on three separate occasions. 

There’s no indication if he will return next season, but he will be a crucial part of a trophy push if he is in the line-up. 

184: Sam Fisher, JR
2023 record: 23-5

Fisher will likely take over the 184-pound spot vacated by Hunter Bolen following his graduation. Bolen qualified for the NCAA Championships five times and placed seventh in 2021. Fisher posted a 23-5 record over the course of five tournaments and three duals last season. This gives Virginia Tech an established option at 184 pounds. 

197: Andy Smith, JR
2023 record: 15-9
2023 NCAA tournament record: 0-2

Give Smith the nod since he qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships, but Dakota Howard or TJ Stewart will contend for the spot. Stewart posted a 17-5 record during his redshirt season, while Howard qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2021 at 174 pounds. 

285: Hunter Catka, SO
2023 record: 19-8
2023 NCAA tournament record: 0-2

It seems likely that Jimmy Mullen will redshirt, so the spot appears to be locked down for another year by Catka. The Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, native has one win over the course of two NCAA Championships, which means the Hokies will be glad to get a few points at nationals from the 285-pound class. This is still a tough weight class nationally, so snagging an extra win or two will be difficult.