As one of just three college wrestling teams that hold the same spot in Flo’s dual meet rankings and team tournament ratings, Virginia Tech may well be — in the paraphrased words of former New York Giants football coach Bill Parcells — what its record says it is.

The Hokies are 4-3 and sit 10th in each set of rankings, sharing that numbers quirk with #1 Penn State and #7 Oklahoma State.

Tech has been through the proverbial wrestling ringer with losses to current #6 Ohio State, #4 Missouri and #9 Cornell and wins against American, #14 Rutgers, #24 Stanford and #23 Appalachian State.

The Hokies’ starting lineup is oddly similar, as each of the starters who met the eight-bout qualification to be included in the recent release of the NCAA coaches rankings either match or are within two or three spots in Flo’s individual rankings. Caleb Henson at 149 has been the team’s most consistent wrestler from his #2 spot while Bryce Andonian (8) at 157 and Cooper Flynn (9) at 125 and Sam Latona (9) at 133 also hold top-10 spots.

A handful of key injuries and a few upsets have complicated things during that 4-for-7 run over the first half of the season, but the Hokies will be relatively heavy favorites in upcoming ACC matches against North Carolina (7-5), Virginia (5-2), Duke (4-8) and George Mason (9-6). Their season concludes with much stronger challenges at #21 Pitt and #8 North Carolina State. 

Tech’s lineup took a hit when Andonian, the All-America, injured a knee against Cornell’s Meyer Shapiro. Coach Tony Robie said the goal is for Andonian to be back in the lineup for the ACC Championships at Chapel Hill.

Robie pulled the Olympic redshirt off Flynn at 125 and Tom Crook seems to have settled in at 141.

“I think Cooper Flynn and Tom Crook are absolutely helping us,” Robie said earlier this month. 

“Cooper's got I think three top-10 or top-12 wins against Stanford, Missouri and Cornell. That's encouraging when you have a guy that you think is one of the best guys in the country and if he wrestles the way he's capable of, can do some great things at the national tournament potentially.

“So that's given us a boost,” Robie continued. “I think Tom Crook is definitely going to give us a boost down the stretch here. I think he can compete with most of the guys in the country. He needs to continue to improve and get better and we’ve got to win some close matches, but he did a great job in Missouri. He's got a great pace that he wrestles at and a good gas tank. We like his style. He just goes hard, and I think that's good for everybody when you have a guy like that in your lineup. So, yeah, we're excited to have both of those guys in there.”

The other spot that Robie and Tech are “playing around with” is 184, and a starter should come from among 17th-ranked Sam Fisher, TJ Stewart and second-semester returnee Dakota Howard.

Growing That Interest

Tech’s home schedule hasn’t been as attractive as other some other seasons, but the Hokies drew over 5,100 fans for the Ohio State match. And while Robie understands that some matches on occasion around the country get moved to a neutral venue or a high school, he relishes that home-based atmosphere.

“Having them on college campuses, for us, that’s the way we're gonna go,” he said. “I know they have some really good events where you get some great competition in some of these venues that aren't on your college campus. But giving your fans two really good teams and some really good dual meets to be a part of is really important to your program. 

“And that's how you build a fan base. If you look at Oregon State and Penn State, I think it was close to 9,000 people there. That's pretty impressive. If that would have been at a neutral site, surely there would not have been that many people there. I think it's important for the programs. I think it's important for the kids to wrestle in front of good crowds, and we kind of sell that in our recruiting process.”

Future Plans For Henson

With 10 freestyle weights in World competition but just six in the Olympics, it makes for difficult and weighty decisions for wrestlers who might be in between various weight classes.

Tech’s second-ranked Henson, for example, is at 149. He could go to 74 kilograms, which would be a 14-pound increase, or 65kg, a six-pound decrease.

Right now, he’s comfortable at 149 but says a drop is in his future.

“That's definitely a goal of mine, World and Olympic titles, and I think 65 kilos is my spot,” Henson said in mid-December. “I think it would take a little bit of a change; my body’s set right now to make 49 and I can be a big 49-pounder. 

“So it would definitely be a change, but nothing too drastic to where it's impossible. So definitely in the future, get down there, make a team, make a couple of teams and maybe win some titles.”