The 16th-ranked Virginia wrestling team endured two days of intense competition to claim runner-up honors at the Virginia Duals. The Cavaliers (8-3) knocked off The Citadel and No. 17 Rider Friday, followed by No. 10 Edinboro Saturday before falling to No. 6 Virginia Tech in the championship match.
Virginia cruised past the Bulldogs (2-0) 38-6. Eight out of 10 Cavaliers won their individual matches — with six scoring bonus points. Fifth-ranked junior Blaise Butler made his triumphant return following a month-long injury layoff and pinned senior Kenneth Radford. Butler’s time on the sideline did not appear to hinder the 174-pounder as he went 4-0 on the weekend with two pinfalls.
Comebacks were the theme of the match against the Broncos (7-4). Junior Nick Herrmann recovered from a 7-1 deficit to defeat freshman J.R. Wert 11-9 in sudden victory. Not to be outdone, 17th-ranked sophomore George DiCamillo clawed his way out of a 5-0 hole to win 10-6. Rider won the next three bouts to take a 9-6 lead, but the Cavaliers won three of the final five to escape with the 20-15 victory.
The Cavaliers found themselves in a much deeper hole Saturday against the Fighting Scots (8-4). Edinboro won three of the first four weight classes and jumped out to a 13-4 lead. But the Cavaliers ripped off three straight victories to grab a 14-13 advantage. The two teams traded victories at 184 and 197 pounds to knot the affair at 17 with one bout remaining. Junior heavyweight Pat Gillen responded in the high-pressure situation with a 9-2 decision victory, which gave Virginia the win, 20-17.
The Hokies (8-1) awaited the Cavaliers in the final. Virginia started off slowly yet again, ceding Virginia Tech a 10-3 edge through four matches. But the Cavaliers would not go quietly against their in-state rivals. Redshirt freshman Andrew Atkinson spurred a three-match winning streak with a decision victory at 157 pounds. Butler gave Virginia a 12-10 lead, but the Hokies immediately jumped ahead with the victory at 184 pounds.
No. 20 junior Zach Nye put the Cavaliers ahead once more, and once again the bout would be decided by the heavyweights. This time, however, the match went the Hokies’ way. Gillen could not stave off seventh-ranked sophomore Ty Walz and fell 3-2.
Virginia opens ACC dual action this Friday with a home bout against Duke.
—compiled by Matthew Wurzburger
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