Matmen return talented lineup
By Ben Baskin | November 1, 2011[caption id="attachment_47619" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Redshirt junior Matt Snyder headlines the corps of eight starters that Virginia will return this season.
[caption id="attachment_47619" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Redshirt junior Matt Snyder headlines the corps of eight starters that Virginia will return this season.
[caption id="attachment_42081" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="With a sixth place finish at last weekend's NCAA Championship meet, senior Chris Henrich became the first wrestler in program history to collect three All-America titles.
All season long, Virginia wrestling coach Steve Garland believed his squad could repeat as ACC champions if his top-seeded wrestlers finished near the top of their weight classes, while the lower-seeded wrestlers held their own within their divisions.
[caption id="attachment_41626" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Senior Chris Henrich could earn his third ACC crown with a win Saturday.
[caption id="attachment_40745" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Sophomore Stephen Doty earned ACC Wrestler of the Week honors after recording three wins last week.
[caption id="attachment_40451" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Senior Chris Henrich, the winningest wrestler in program history, joined fellow seniors Dave Ebbott and Jack Danilkowicz in notching emotional wins in their final home matches.
[caption id="attachment_40338" align="alignleft" width="222" caption="Redshirt sophomore Mike Salopek looks to continue to improve on his 28-10 record from last season with a strong showing this weekend.
[caption id="attachment_40215" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Redshirt sophomore Matt Snyder looks to improve on the 27-16 overall record he compiled last season.
The Virginia wrestling team could not recover from an early deficit Saturday, dropping a 20-12 decision to No.
[caption id="attachment_39553" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Virginia sophomore Stephen Doty literally stepped up for the Cavaliers against Princeton by winning a 6-1 decision in the 197-pound weight class - two classes above his norm - to cap the team's overall victory.
Consistently inconsistent. That's the best way to describe the 2010-11 Virginia wrestling team's season thus far. One week the Cavaliers (14-5, 2-0 ACC) come out and dismantle an opponent and the next they let up just enough to allow a weaker team get the better of them.
The Virginia wrestling team continued its strong start in ACC play Friday with a 28-6 victory against North Carolina.
[caption id="attachment_39022" align="alignleft" width="263" caption="Senior Chris Henrich, who recently became the winningest wrestler in Virginia history, added another win to his total against Pennsylvania but could not lift Virginia to victory Sunday.
[caption id="attachment_38824" align="alignleft" width="263" caption="Senior Chris Henrich swept all three of his matches during the weekend against Lehigh, Pittsburgh and Columbia.
[caption id="attachment_38436" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Reigning ACC Champion redshirt sophomore Mike Salopek recorded two victories during the weekend against The Citadel and Edinboro.
[caption id="attachment_37894" align="alignleft" width="263" caption="Senior Chris Henrich enters the season riding a 16-match winning streak against ACC foes.
[caption id="attachment_33802" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Senior Brent Jones became the second UVa wrestler to win the Gorrarian Trophy.
The 33-year drought is over.
Following a two-week break since their last match, the No. 23 Cavaliers look to make a run in this weekend's ACC Tournament in Raleigh, N.C. The ACC's dearth of wrestling programs - only six schools have wrestling teams - will work to Virginia's advantage this weekend, coach Steve Garland said.
[caption id="attachment_33322" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The victory for Maryland marked the team's fourth straight win against the Cavaliers and pushed the Terps to a perfect 4-0 in ACC play this season and 19-4 overall.