No. 7 Hokies Stay Perfect in ACC, Defeat No. 5 Wolfpack in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. — No. 7 Virginia Tech strengthened its grip on the ACC race Friday night with a 21–12 win over No. 5 NC State inside Reynolds Coliseum, pushing the Hokies to 9–2 overall and 4–0 in conference action. The road victory featured a signature upset from a veteran at 125 pounds, another dominant performance from a true freshman, and continued growth from a deep group of lighter weights.

The dual opened with a marquee bout at 125, where No. 2 Eddie Ventresca edged defending NCAA champion Vincent Robinson 3–2. Ventresca’s composure and mat IQ against one of the nation’s premier lightweights set the tone for the Hokies. Head coach Tony Robie praised his veteran’s poise and development, saying, “His ability to focus the entire match is really impressive. You get that with time and reps and Eddie’s got a lot of time and a lot of reps. You know, we saw it in high school, you know, just so hard to score on. He’s so good on top, can turn, you know, he’s gonna be a problem.” Robie added that Ventresca’s recent surge has come with increased belief in his own abilities: “He’s avenged two losses now here in the last couple weeks from earlier in the season. I think his mentality is really what’s helped him develop.”

At 133 pounds, true freshman Aaron Seidel continued his breakout run with a dominant 16–0 technical fall over No. 20 Zach Redding. The Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, native had his redshirt pulled last week after starter Dylan Campbell suffered a season-ending injury, but Seidel has responded by wrestling lights out. Robie said his young lightweight has exceeded already high expectations. “Excited about Aaron Seidel though,” he said. “You know, I mean, that kid is impressive in every aspect. I think that you can be impressive on the wrestling mat for a true freshman. We knew he was good and he’s exceeded our expectations and he’s just a winner. You know, when you’re that good on top, man, that’s a weapon.”

Virginia Tech’s early momentum continued at 149 pounds, where No. 10 Collin Gaj shut out No. 5 Koy Buesgens 6–0.

Gaj’s continued progression has been fueled by the depth and competition within the Hokies’ room at the middle-lightweights. Robie pointed specifically to the impact of teammate Caleb Hensen and associate head coach Jared Frayer on Gaj’s development. “His mentality is really what’s helped him develop. He’s just the mindset and the training and him and Caleb work out together all the time,” Robie said. “I think Caleb and Coach Frayer both done a great job helping Collin develop. We just have so many good guys in our room around that weight class. You know, it’s hard not to improve. So I was proud of him for sure.”

At 157, No. 13 Ethen Miller added bonus points with a 12–1 major decision over Luca Felix, extending Virginia Tech’s lead and underscoring the Hokies’ dominance through the lighter and middle weights. NC State responded in the next two bouts, as Will Denny claimed an 8–5 decision over Ryan Burton at 165 and Matt Singleton edged Sergio Desiante 5–4 at 174 to tighten the team score and briefly halt the Hokies’ run.

Virginia Tech took control back at 184, where Jaden Bullock won a 2–0 shutout over Don Cates in a disciplined, low-scoring bout that reasserted the Hokies’ momentum. At 197, Sonny Sasso came through in one of the night’s wildest matches, outlasting Patrick Brophy 11–10 in a high-scoring battle that effectively sealed the dual.

NC State closed the meet at heavyweight with No. 2 Isaac Trumble earning a 7–0 decision over No. 16 Jimmy Mullen, but by then the team outcome was no longer in doubt.

After the dual, Robie said the performance reflected both high-level execution and toughness in tight spots across the lineup. “I mean it feels good to win for sure,” he said. “I thought in some places we looked really good and wrestled really well. In some places, you know, we did what we had to do to get wins. So, you know, I need to go back and watch the video to like really make a really good evaluation, but I feel really good about the way some of our little guys wrestled.” With Ventresca knocking off a defending national champion, Seidel continuing to shine as a true freshman, and Gaj and Miller adding convincing wins, Virginia Tech left Raleigh firmly in control of its ACC destiny.