It was the kind of weekend that tests a team’s heart — and Virginia passed with flying colors. After two weekends without a home match, as well as facing two dual matches plus a tournament in a single weekend, the Cavaliers refused to back down, hitting the mat with relentless energy and proving they have made tremendous strides since last season.
Opening the weekend against Long Island, senior Keyveon Roller continued his dominance from the Navy Classic, starting the meet Friday with a pin — one of two in the dual — setting the tone early for a 39-3 win and success the rest of the weekend in Bethlehem, Pa.
But what truly stole the show were the individual performances from sophomore Gable Porter, junior Wynton Denkins, graduate student Colton Washleski, senior Nick Hamilton and redshirt freshman Brenan Morgan — all of whom went 2-0 on the day. It was loud and clear that these wrestlers were not settling for anything short of a win, no matter who stepped onto the mat across from them. Their wins pushed the Cavaliers into a tightly fought contest against No. 8 Lehigh.
“Gable, Wynton, Colton and Hamilton looked awesome and other guys like Shulaw wrestled their hearts out,” Coach Steve Garland said. “Morgan really sucked it up and won a tough one against a guy he’s wrestled before, so he continues to show growth.”
Just last year, when facing their first top-10 team of the season, Virginia fell 29-12. This time, it was notably different — thanks to those strong showings, the dual came down to only a few final points.
After falling behind early at 174 lbs, Hamilton rallied with a major decision to put the Cavaliers ahead 13-12. From there, every bout was closely and intensely contested, with neither side willing to budge — until the final three matches, where a tech fall and two major decisions at 184, 197 and heavyweight resulted in a narrow 21-17 loss.
“That Lehigh match was a war,” Garland said. “It was a pretty intense match back and forth the whole way.”
The very next day brought the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, hosted at Freedom High School. Instead of running out the same lineup, Garland turned to fresh bodies, with seven of the 10 wrestlers getting their first action of the season — a product of the weekend’s demanding schedule.
Despite the new faces, all 10 Cavaliers placed in their respective brackets, with four earning third-place finishes.
One of the most notable performances came from fifth-year senior Kyren Butler at 141 pounds, who knocked off No. 22 Henry Porter, a junior from Indiana, in a tightly wrestled decision, earning a third-place finish in his first appearance since last year.
Sophomore Steven Burrell, who also competed at the Navy Classic last weekend, delivered another standout result. He defeated the No. 14 wrestler at 197 pounds, Columbia senior Jack Wehmeyer, on his way to a third-place finish of his own.
Next weekend brings another quick turnaround, as the Cavaliers hit the road once more for a dual against Kent State Saturday at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. After showing flashes of that renewed determination this weekend, Virginia will look to carry it into a grueling road stretch that continues Nov. 23 at Michigan.
“Bottom line, we’ve got a long season with a lot of tough teams ahead,” Garland said. “So this was really good for us to feel and get that experience heading into a really tough month.”
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