No. 12 Virginia Tech Wrestling Battles No. 7 NC State For ACC Title

No. 12 Virginia Tech heads to Raleigh on Friday to battle No. 7 NC State for the ACC dual meet title. The dual is at 7 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.

The Hokies (9-3, 4-0 ACC) and Wolfpack (15-2, 4-0) have combined to win at least a share of the ACC dual championship every year since 2014, according to Brian Reinhardt.

The matchup is set to feature ranked vs. ranked bouts at nine weights with seven wrestlers in the top four at their respective weights.

Both teams enter the dual on six-match winning streaks, which includes a pair of ranked wins.

Here are three things watch for in Friday night’s showdown in Raleigh:

Main event at 149

In last season’s dual, No. 2 Caleb Henson and NC State’s No. 3 Jackson Arrington squared off in a battle of two of the ACC’s most promising freshmen. Henson took the bout by decision, 6-1, before beating Arrington again at the ACC Tournament, 4-2.

This year, the pair faces off in a top-three battle, which is set to be the biggest bout of the night.

Henson is 23-1 on the season, with his only loss coming to Nebraska’s No. 1 Ridge Lovett at the Cliff Keen Invitational, 4-3. He has 14 bonus-point victories this year and has only allowed two takedowns in his last nine bouts.

On the other side, Arrington is 16-2 this season, including nine wins by technical fall. 

The featured bout of the night will be the latest chapter in what could develop into one of the ACC’s top rivalries for years to come.

Lots of familiarity

Friday night’s dual is set to feature five bouts between wrestlers who’ve faced off two or more times.

Other than Henson, No. 13 Sam Latona (133), No. 15 Tom Crook (141), No. 2 Mekhi Lewis (174) and No. 20 Hunter Catka (258) will all face familiar opponents against NC State.

Lewis is 2-0 against No. 30 Alex Fauison, although last year’s match went to tiebreakers. Latona won two of his three bouts against No. 4 Kai Orine last season, most recently beating him at the NCAA Tournament, 3-1.

Crook and Catka will look to cut into their opponents’ series leads on Friday.

Crook is 0-2 versus No. 4 Ryan Jack but kept things close in last year’s dual, falling 2-1.

Catka and No. 15 Owen Trephan will face off for the fifth time on Friday, with the NC State heavyweight leading the all-time series, 3-1. Although the Brookhaven, Pa., native has lost the last two bouts, he took Trephan to overtime in both.

Chance to win the ACC title outright

Tech hasn’t won the ACC dual meet title outright since 2021. The Hokies finished 5-0 in conference play that year and won the title after Latona’s last-second takedown helped edge out the win over the Wolfpack.

Friday night provides the opportunity for Tech to finish undefeated in conference play and lock up sole possession of the regular season championship. Additionally, a Tech victory would open the door to potentially winning both the ACC regular season title and ACC Tournament title for the first time since 2017.

Path to a Tech win: No. 12 Virginia Tech 16, No. 7 NC State 15.

Virginia Tech and NC State have been mainstays at the top of the ACC over the last decade-and-a-half. Expect both teams to show out on Friday in what will likely be one of the top duals of the college wrestling season.

The Wolfpack poses as one of the toughest adversaries for the Hokies every season, and this year won’t be any different. NC State is favored on paper, but familiarity between the two programs always causes for closer matches than expected. 

While VT is only favored in three bouts heading into Friday, anything is possible in this matchup and a few upsets could lead to Virginia Tech heading back to Blacksburg with a title under its belt.

Here’s my realistic roadmap to a Tech win against NC State:

*All matchups subject to change*

125: No. 3 Cooper Flynn (VT) dec. No. 14 Jakob Camacho (NCST)

133: No. 13 Sam Latona (VT) dec. No. 4 Kai Orine (NCST)

141: No. 4 Ryan Jack (NCST) dec. No. 15 Tom Crook (VT)

149: No. 2 Caleb Henson (VT) dec. No. 3 Jackson Arrington (NCST)

157: No. 12 Ed Scott (NCST) dec. Clayton Ulrey/Rafael Hipolito (VT)

165: No. 12 Derek Fields (NCST) dec. No. 22 Connor Brady (VT)

174: No. 2 Mekhi Lewis (VT) maj dec. No. 30 Alex Faison (NCST)

184: No. 7 Dylan Fishback (NCST) dec. No. 24 TJ Stewart (VT)

197: No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NCST) dec. No. 26 Andy Smith (VT)

285: No. 20 Hunter Catka (VT) dec. No. 15 Owen Trephan (NCST)