Caleb Henson won Virginia Tech wrestling’s second-ever national title on Saturday night as the Hokies finished seventh at the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City. Tech recorded a cumulative team score of 64 points — its highest point-total since 2016 and third straight top-10 finish.
In addition to Henson, Mekhi Lewis, TJ Stewart and Bryce Andonian achieved All-American status at the tournament. Lewis became the program’s first four-time All-American over the weekend.
Although the Hokies fell just seven points shy of its second-ever team trophy, they had some really impressive individual performances.
Here’s a more detailed look at how Tech’s four All-Americans made it to the podium in Kansas City.
149: No. 4 seed Caleb Henson
Tech’s newly-minted national champion secured his title with a dominant 15-7 performance over Michigan’s No. 6 seed Austin Gomez on Saturday night.
After an initial takedown from the Wolverine wrestler, he answered emphatically with two takedowns and six near fall points to take a 13-4 lead into the second period. He only allowed one more takedown over the final four minutes to wrap up the championship win. His 15 points were the most of any national champion on Saturday.
A match earlier, Henson took vengeance on Nebraska’s No. 1 seed Ridge Lovett — who he lost to 4-3 at the Cliff Keen Invitational earlier in the season. With the score tied at zero to start the third, Lovett chose to start the period on top, allowing Henson to get an escape point and ride out the 1-0 semifinal victory.
He carved through the first three rounds with ease, beating South Dakota’s No. 29 seed Alek Martin by tech fall (18-3) in the first round, before decisioning Oklahoma State’s No. 20 seed Jordan Williams (7-2) in the second and West Virginia’s No. 5 seed Ty Watters (8-3) in the quarterfinals.
Henson finished the season with a 30-2 record, including 15 bonus-point wins, on his path to joining Mekhi Lewis as the Hokies’ second national champion.
174: No. 1 seed Mekhi Lewis
Lewis’ fourth All-American finish featured two dominant wins to open the tournament.
Entering as Tech’s second No. 1 seed in program history (Scott Justus, 2002), he majored Arizona State’s No. 33 seed Cael Valencia (14-3) in the first round before taking down Rutgers’ No. 16 seed Jackson Turley (5-2) in the second.
He hit a wall against Penn State’s No. 9 seed Carter Starocci in quarterfinals, falling 4-0. The loss was Lewis’ second of his career versus the four-time national champion after a 6-5 defeat in the 2022 title bout.
Lewis bounced back in the next three rounds, however, beating Iowa’s No. 12 seed Patrick Kennedy (8-4) in the blood round, Army’s No. 18 seed Ben Pasuik (4-0) in the consolation quarterfinals and Columbia’s No. 7 seed Lennox Wolak (9-6) in the consolation semifinals.
He fell to another former national champion in Michigan’s No. 4 seed Shane Griffith (4-0) in the third-place match to finish fourth.
Lewis finished his collegiate career with 126 wins, tied for third-most in Hokies history (Chris Martin, Jarrod Garnett).
157: No. 12 seed Bryce Andonian
Andonian wrapped up his Tech career with his third All-American finish in Kansas City.
He knocked out two top-five seeds in the first three rounds, taking down Northern Iowa’s No. 5 seed Ryder Downey (9-6) in the second and NC State’s No. 4 seed Ed Scott (13-7) in the quarterfinals.
The Kirtland, Ohio, native battled to the wire with Penn State’s No. 1 seed Levi Haines in the semifinals before being caught on his back. He was pinned again in his two subsequent matches by Cornell’s No. 3 seed Meyer Shapiro (3:55) and Ohio’s No. 7 seed Peyten Keller (3:23) to finish sixth at 157.
184: No. 7 seed TJ Stewart
Stewart continued his explosive redshirt freshman season with an impressive showing at the tournament.
After overpowering Penn’s No. 26 seed Maximus Hale and pinning him in 55 seconds in the first round, he handily beat Michigan State’s No. 23 seed Layne Malczewski (10-3) in the second.
Stewart battled back after losing to Minnesota’s No. 2 seed Isaiah Salazar (6-4) in the quarterfinals, edging out Cornell’s No. 14 seed Chris Foca (3-2) in the blood round.
He wrapped up his tournament with a loss to Penn State’s No. 6 seed Bernie Truax (5-1) in the consolation quarterfinals before throttling Navy’s No. 25 seed David Key in a 20-4 tech fall to nab seventh place in his first career postseason with the Hokies.
Other results:
No. 26 seeds Andy Smith (197) and Hunter Catka (285) made runs in the tournament before falling in the blood round of their respective brackets. Both were just one win short of earning All-American statuses.
No. 12 seed Sam Latona (133) battled back from a first-round loss to Appalachian State’s No. 21 seed Ethan Oakley (8-7), nabbing back-t0-back wins over Penn’s No. 20 seed Michael Colaiocco (8-5) in consolation round one and Campbell’s No. 22 seed Domenic Zaccone (4-1) in the next round. He fell to Minnesota’s No. 20 seed Tyler Wells (4-1, SV) a match later to finish 2-2 in Kansas City.
No. 20 seed Tom Crook (141) had a similar outing, falling to NC State’s No. 4 seed Ryan Jack (13-4) in the second round. He snagged a win over Colorado’s No. 31 seed Kai Owen (7-3) in consolation round two, but was majored by Missouri’s No. 21 seed Josh Edmond (15-6) a match later to finish 2-2.
No. 11 seed Cooper Flynn (125) finished 1-2 in his first NCAA Tournament appearance, falling to Oklahoma State’s No. 6 seed Troy Spratley (8-1) and Wyoming’s No. 5 seed Jore Volk (5-1) after an initial win over Chattanooga’s No. 22 seed Brayden Palmer (2-1) in the opening round.
No. 18 seed Connor Brady (165) didn’t register a win in Kansas City, falling to Binghamton’s No. 15 seed Brevin Cassella (5-0) in the first round and Northwestern’s No. 31 seed Maxx Mayfield (8-5, SV) in consolation round one.
What’s next:
Virginia Tech enters the offseason coming off its best tournament in terms of final team score since 2016.
With Lewis and Andonian out of eligibility, Tech will look to find replacements for their 2024 All-Americans in order to continue its rise as a program. The Hokies have two incoming recruits in the class of 2024 projected at 157 pounds (Frank Dibella and Matt Henrich) and one at 174 (Gage Wright). Tech also added Columbia grad transfer Lennox Wolak at 174, who lost to Lewis in the consolation semifinals, 9-6.
Seven of the 10 wrestlers the Hokies sent to Kansas City should be back next year. Brady was honored on senior day on Feb. 10 vs. George Mason despite having another year of eligibility.
Results:
125: No. 11 seed Cooper Flynn
Round one (W): dec. Chattanooga’s No. 22 seed Brayden Palmer, 2-1
Round two (L): dec. Oklahoma State’s No. 6 seed Troy Spratley, 8-1
Consolation round two (L): dec. Wyoming’s No. 5 seed Jore Volk, 5-1
133: No. 12 seed Sam Latona
Round one (L): dec. App State’s No. 21 seed Ethan Oakley, 8-7
Consolation round one (W): dec. Penn’s No. 20 seed Michael Colaiocco, 8-5
Consolation round two (W): dec. Campbell’s No. 22 seed Domenic Zaccone, 4-1
Consolation round three (L): dec. Minnesota’s No. 20 seed Tyler Wells, 4-1 (SV)
141: No. 20 seed Tom Crook
Round one (W): dec. West Virginia’s No. 13 seed Jordan Titus, 4-1
Round two (L): dec. NC State’s No. 4 seed Ryan Jack, 13-4
Consolation round two (W): dec. Colorado’s No. 31 seed Kai Owen, 7-3
Consolation round two (L): maj dec. Missouri’s No. 21 seed Josh Edmond, 15-6
149: No. 4 seed Caleb Henson, Champion
Round one (W): tech fall South Dakota’s No. 29 seed Alek Martin, 18-3 (4:41)
Round two (W): dec. Oklahoma State’s No. 20 seed Jordan Williams, 7-2
Quarterfinals (W): dec. West Virginia’s No. 5 seed Ty Watters, 8-3
Semifinals (W): dec. Nebraska’s No. 1 seed Ridge Lovett, 1-0
Finals (W): maj dec. Michigan’s No. 6 seed Austin Gomez, 15-7
157: No. 12 seed Bryce Andonian, Sixth
Round one (W): dec. Penn’s No. 21 seed Lucas Revano, 5-1
Round two (W): dec. Northern Iowa’s No. 5 seed Ryder Downey, 9-6
Quarterfinals (W): dec. NC State’s No. 4 seed Ed Scott, 13-7
Semifinals (L): loss by fall Penn State’s No. 1 seed Levi Haines, 6:49
Consolation semifinals (L): loss by fall Cornell’s No. 3 seed Meyer Shapiro, 3:55
Fifth-place match (L): loss by fall Ohio’s No. 7 seed Peyten Keller, 3:23
165: No. 18 seed Connor Brady
Round one (L): dec. Binghamton’s No. 15 seed Brevin Cassella, 5-0
Consolation round one (L): dec. Northwestern’s No. 31 seed Maxx Mayfield, 8-5 (SV)
174: No. 1 seed Mekhi Lewis, Fourth
Round one (W): maj dec. Arizona State’s No. 33 seed Cael Valencia, 14-3
Round two (W): dec. Rutgers No. 16 seed Jackson Turley, 5-2
Quarterfinals (L): dec. Penn State’s No. 9 seed Carter Starocci, 4-0
Blood round (W): dec. Iowa’s No. 12 seed Patrick Kennedy, 8-4
Consolation quarterfinals (W): dec. Army’s No. 18 seed Ben Pasuik, 4-0
Consolation semifinals (W): dec. Columbia’s No. 7 Lennox Wolak, 9-6
Third-place match (L): dec. Michigan’s No. 4 seed Shane Griffith, 4-0
184: No. 7 seed TJ Stewart, Seventh
Round one (W): win by fall Penn’s No. 26 seed Maximus Hale, 0:55
Round two (W): dec. Michigan State’s No. 23 seed Layne Malczewski, 10-3
Quarterfinals (L) dec. Minnesota’s No. 2 seed Isaiah Salazar, 6-4
Blood round (W): dec. Cornell’s No. 14 seed Chris Foca, 3-2
Consolation quarterfinals (L): dec. Penn State’s No. 6 seed Bernie Truax, 5-1
Seventh-place match (W): tech fall Navy’s No. 25 seed David Key, 20-4 (6:50)
197: No. 26 seed Andy Smith
Round one (W): dec. Iowa’s No. 7 seed Zach Glazier, 4-1 (SV)
Round two (L): dec. Nebraska’s No. 10 seed Silar Allred, 4-2
Consolation round two (W): dec. Penn’s No. 24 seed Cole Urbas, 7-1
Consolation routh three (W): dec. Stanford’s No. 18 seed Nicholas Stemmet, 8-2
Blood round (L): maj dec. Lehigh’s No. 4 seed Michael Beard, 8-0
285: No. 26 seed Hunter Catka
Round one (L): dec. Campbell’s No. 7 seed Taye Ghadiali, 8-2
Consolation round one (W): maj dec. Army’s No. 23 seed Lucas Stoddard, 11-0
Consolation round two (W): maj dec. Iowa’s No. 25 seed Bradley Hill, 11-2
Consolation round three (W): dec. Navy’s No. 17 seed Grady Griess, 6-2
Blood round (L): dec. Missouri’s No. 6 seed Zach Elam, 1-0
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Much appreciated the details & back stories that are hard to come by before, during, and after year-end tournaments. The typical message board jive is fun to read but hard to correlate. I couldn’t tell if we were doing above or below expectations until 3rd day conclusion when Caleb achieved & I suppose his 15 points put us ahead of NCSt. Blah blah just to say thank you again.
Thanks, Jack, for keeping us informed during another exciting wrestling season. Unfortunately, I don’t see anyone challenging Penn State for overall supremacy, but the Hokies are holding their own in the ACC and on the national stage.
Jack, excellent commentary ALL SEASON LONG!
What an exciting finals for Hensen. Thank you for the write up of all the matches. You have made it so easy to follow VT wrestling this year by making me feel as if I were at the matches. Congratulations on your upcoming Graduation.
He was a great guy to live with too! Congrats, Jack!
I was waiting for this article. Thanks! Very thorough. Even a look forward to next year.