Virginia Tech Wrestling Releases 2023 Schedule

By: Jack Brizendine | SMA '24
Bryce Andonian and Virginia Tech open their season vs. No. 7 Ohio State in Cassell Coliseum on Nov. 10. (Ivan Morozov)

Virginia Tech wrestling’s 2023 schedule was released on Tuesday, revealing a number of marquee matchups for Tony Robie and Co. this season. The Hokies are ranked No. 4 in the latest Intermat preseason poll.

After finishing ninth at the NCAA tournament last season with five returning All-Americans, Tech enters 2023 with a gauntlet of heavyweight matchups in the winter. 

The Hokies are slated to face four teams currently ranked in the top seven; three of those bouts will come on the road. They host No. 7 Ohio State to open the year for the third straight season on Nov. 10 and will look to avenge back-to-back losses to the Buckeyes.

The meeting with Ohio State is projected to feature three top-10 bouts, the biggest being No. 4 Caleb Henson vs OSU’s No. 6 Dylan D’Emilio at 149 pounds. No. 3 Mekhi Lewis is slated to face OSU’s No. 7 Carson Kharchla at 174, while No. 4 Sam Latona will do battle with OSU’s No. 9 Nic Bouzakis.

The Hokies will also host non-conference opponents American (Nov. 12), No. 23 Stanford (Dec. 17), Appalachian State (Jan. 12), and George Mason (Feb. 11).

Tech hits the road for eight matches, including No. 2 Cornell (Jan. 7), No. 3 Missouri (Jan. 2), No. 6 NC State (Feb. 23), No. 14 Rutgers (Nov. 17) and No. 15 Pitt (Feb. 16).

VT fell to Cornell at the Moss Arts Center last season 22-12 and will face an even tougher Big Red team in Ithaca this year. All eyes will be on the match at 133 pounds, where Latona will take on Cornell’s No. 1 Vito Arujau after upsetting the 2023 national champion last season.

Caleb Henson and Brock Mauller went toe-to-toe last season. Jan. 2 in Columbia should be an exciting rematch. (Ivan Morozov)

Missouri will be seeking vengeance in Colombia following the Hokies’ 17-15 upset win in Blacksburg in 2022. Henson and Mizzou’s No. 5 Brock Mauller will headline the bout, a match Mauller won 7-5 in last year’s dual.

No. 16 Andy Smith’s huge upset win over NC State’s Isaac Trumble pushed Virginia Tech to a 16-14 win over the Wolfpack last season. The dual win helped the Hokies earn a portion of the ACC dual meet title and this year’s match will undoubtedly offer the same stakes. It will feature three top-10 matches at 133 pounds (Latona vs No. 5 Kai Orine), 149 pounds (Henson vs No. 8 Jackson Arrington) and 157 pounds (No. 6 Bryce Andonian vs No. 5 Ed Scott).

The dual against Pitt will also play a factor in who comes out on top of the ACC this year. Tech lost its lead in the conference standings last season following a disappointing 26-12 loss to the Panthers in Blacksburg.

The rest of VT’s ACC schedule includes home matches against No. 26 North Carolina (Jan. 26) and Duke at the Moss Arts Center (Feb. 9). The dual against the Blue Devils at the Anne and Elle Fife Theater will be the program’s 12th bout in the venue. The Hokies will also travel to Virginia for the Commonwealth Classic on Feb. 2.

For the second straight season, Virginia Tech will also send wrestlers to the Keystone Classic (Nov. 19) and Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 1-2). The Hokies will host the annual Southeast Open in Salem on Nov. 4.

To view the complete schedule for Hokies wrestling, click here.

*All rankings according to Intermat.com*

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  3. I’ll have to work out my yearly logistics: get down to the ‘burg to catch wrestling, women’s and men’s basketball on a long weekend. Last year Caleb Henson held his own against world silver medalist Yanni Diakomihalis 2-6. Good stuff.

  4. Girls hoops and wrestling both with great schedules this year. The hotter the fire the harder the steel.

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