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Matmen seek ACC glory

Team takes on underdog role, eyes title defense at JPJ against top programs

The Virginia wrestling team will get the opportunity to defend its ACC Championship title on its home turf this weekend, as the conference tournament will begin at John Paul Jones Arena Saturday morning. Although the Cavaliers enter the tournament as both the hosts and the reigning champions, they are still not favored to be the clear-cut winner in a field that includes powerhouse programs such as Virginia Tech. Despite being overlooked by many heading into the event, Virginia coach Steve Garland admitted that his team is both familiar and comfortable with flying under the radar.\n"We're a team that always wrestles better when we're the underdog," Garland said. "We were the underdog last year, and we were the underdog the year before. Frankly, I'd rather be the underdog. [But] I hope it ticks [our wrestlers] off. I hope the guys are thinking, 'This is our turf, this is our championship that we're defending, and they've got to come take it from us.'"

 

Virginia (19-7) will enter into the weekend sitting in third place in the ACC standings, behind both Maryland and the No. 6 Hokies. Two years ago, the Cavaliers were considered long shots for the title and shocked everyone with a second-place finish. Last season, Virginia had been considered a threat, but not a favorite, heading into the tournament. But behind solid performances from senior Chris Henrich and redshirt sophomore Mike Salopek, Virginia turned the conference upside-down by winning the whole thing.

 

"We're going to need a complete effort from all ten guys," Henrich said. "Last year we had nine guys place in the top three and all 10 in the top four, and it's probably going to take a little better performance than that this year just based off how much better Maryland and Virginia Tech have gotten."

 

Both the Terrapins (16-4) and the Hokies (20-4) narrowly edged the Cavaliers in their dual matchups this season, which occurred during back-to-back weekends in early February. Virginia dropped a close 12-20 decision at Blacksburg before losing a heartbreaker at Maryland the following weekend. The Terrapins rallied back from an early deficit to win the final weight class of the match and earn the 19-16 victory. The Cavaliers, however, are doing their best to forget about the outcomes of these past contests heading into the tournament rematches.

 

"People are making a big fuss about Tech this year, that we've never beaten them in our dual meets," Henrich said. "But we've finished ahead of them in ACCs the past three seasons in a row, so what does that really mean?"

 

At the tournament, Virginia will now hold the home mat advantage against the Hokies and Terrapins, who wrestled Virginia earlier within their home confines. The Cavaliers hope to use the support of their fans to edge out the opposition.

 

"Anytime you can have a guy sleeping in his own bed, with his own atmosphere and his own comfort zone, that's a good thing," Garland said. "I've been frustrated before because people that maybe should be at our matches haven't been coming ... but now they're all coming to this ACC Championship to support their program, the team they love, the University they love, and that's what I'm excited to see. And that can only help us."

 

In addition to the home mat advantage, the Cavaliers will rely on their collective experience to try to earn the program a second-consecutive ACC crown. The vast majority of this year's team played a part in last season's championship run, either as a participating wrestler, a redshirt freshman, or an injured supporter. Garland firmly believes that his experienced squad is eager to taste victory again after having a great deal of success last season.

 

"Winning is a habit, and humans are habit forming," Garland said. "Now I think these guys know what it takes, they experienced it, they felt the feeling of what it was like to be a part of that. So I think they're going to walk in there and it's not going to be foreign to them. They know they can win, they've been there before, and I think that definitely gives us an advantage"

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