Week 3 of college wrestling will feature a number of big matchups including No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 25 North Carolina, No. 6 NC State vs. No. 17 Rutgers and No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 24 Oregon State. The big weekend headliner though — beyond the NWCA All-Star Classic exhibition which will also be this weekend in Rec Hall — will be the top-ten battle between No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. No. 8 Missouri in Blacksburg.
The dual marks the first homecoming for reigning NCAA champion Caleb Henson at 149 pounds, but it also features ranked bouts up and down the lineup. Here's what you need to know about this dual and what we could learn from the results of this epic non-conference clash.
First, the ranked starters on each team:
| WEIGHT | MISSOURI | VIRGINIA TECH |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 12 Noah Surtin | No. 13 Eddie Ventresca |
| 133 | No. 29 Kade Moore | No. 10 Connor McGonagle |
| 141 | No. 13 Josh Edmond | No. 18 Sam Latano |
| 149 | No. 24 Logan Gioffre | No. 1 Caleb Henson |
| 157 | No. 32 J Conway | No. 25 Rafael Hipolito |
| 165 | No. 14 Cam Steed | No. 19 Connor Brady |
| 174 | No. 1 Keegan O'Toole | No. 4 Lenny Wolak |
| 184 | No. 12 Colton Hawks | No. 5 TJ Stewart |
| 197 | No. 4 Rocky Elam | No. 13 Andy Smith |
| 285 | No. 20 Seth Nitzel | No. 15 Jimmy Mullen |
These are not the 20 athletes guaranteed to start in this bout, but these are the ranked wresters at each weight right now. For example, Missouri's No. 12 Noah Surtin has not wrestled yet this year, as Gage Walker competed in his place during Missouri's dual against Northern Colorado.
With Walker expected to slide in for Surtin again, the Hokies will have the edge in what would have normally been a coin-flip match. Bonus points, though, will still be tough for Tech. Walker wrestles hard and narrowly avoided the major against Round of 12 finisher Stevo Poulin last weekend. Ventresca will need to ready to roll if he wants to run up the scoreboard against a gritty Tiger.
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No. 4 Rocky Elam at 197 pounds also did not wrestle for Missouri last weekend, and if he's out again this weekend, true freshman Aeoden Sinclair could get his first shot against a ranked opponent. Sinclair beat Northern Colorado's Franklin Cruz 19-11 last weekend but now will be expected to face either No. 13 Andy Smith or redshirt freshman Sonny Sasso. Smith has not wrestled yet this season, while Sasso is 5-0 with five first period pins from the Southeastern Open and the Hokies' dual against Chattanooga. Both would provide a good test for Sinclair, who will ultimately be expected to redshirt but can wrestle in five varsity duals under new NCAA rules without losing a year of eligibility.
On paper, both 125 pounds and 197 pounds favor Tech, though Sinclair, in particular, could be a problem for the Hokies. But, even if both those matches go to Virginia Tech, the dual will still be a nail-bitter.
Critical matches come at the lightweights
The last time these two teams wrestled, Missouri claimed the win, headlined by a pin from Kade Moore over All-American Sam Latona at 133 pounds. This year, Latona is expected to wrestle No. 12 Josh Edmonds instead, after bumping up to 141 pounds. Edmonds, a 2024 Round of 12 finisher, is steady and consistent, someone who wrestles close matches as is evidenced by his 9-8 loss against Tech's Tom Crook at this dual last year. Latona (and Moore) on the other hand, are more unpredictable.
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— Virginia Tech Sports Network (@HokiesAudio)
Two-time All-American Sam Latona joins the show to discuss why he returned for one final year, the transition to 141 and much more.
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Instead of Latona, Moore will now face Virginia Tech transfer Connor McGonagle at 133 pounds who, ironically, beat Latona at the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic before joining the Hokies. He's 2-1 to start the year following wins over Jager Eisch and Easton Cooper and a loss to Tyler Wells of Minnesota, but a win over Moore would give McGonagle a solid ranked victory for his resume. He'll be the favorite on paper, though Moore showed what he can do to Hokies when he's at full force.
Champs at 174 and 149 pounds pace their respective squads
Regardless of how Tech performs at 133 and 141 pounds in those significant battles, the Hokies know they have a killer rolling out at 149 pounds. Caleb "The Hitman" Henson is expected to return to the mat for the first time this season in front of a home crowd in this dual, and his opponent, No. 24 Logan Gioffre, will give him a solid first feel for the season ahead. Henson beat Gioffre 6-4 in this dual last year which does not give him a lot of wiggle room. But Henson has a different kind of confidence now. He's a national champion looking to repeat, and bonus points in his first match back would be one way to send that message.
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Missouri will also field one retuning national champ in this dual, though the Tiger champ — Keegan O'Toole — comes at 174 pounds. O'Toole, who won NCAAs in 2022 and 2023, is already 5-0 on the year with 100% bonus, though he may have the most difficult match of the night. The Tiger champ will likely take on No. 4 Lenny Wolak, an All-American transfer from Columbia in the only top-five battle of the dual. Wolak is 2-0 with two pins, though O'Toole is a different kind of test. Missouri will need a win from O'Toole, potentially with bonus, to stay in this bout, but Wolak won't want to give up those points in his first home dual in Blacksburg.
New starters set for tight matches up and down the lineup
Hokie fans will also get to see redshirt freshmen Rafael Hipolito and Jimmy Mullen likely take the mat as well, with Hipolito expected to wrestle No. 32 J Conway at 157 pounds and Mullen — who pinned last year's starter and Round of 12 finisher Hunter Catka at the Mountaineer Invite — potentially set to wrestle No. 20 Seth Nitzel. Both matches are coinflips on paper, but Mullen, in particular has been racking up bonus points in his early matches so far this season and will likely come out with big moves and aggression in his bout. His style just lends itself to bonus points.
Virginia Tech could also field redshirt freshman Mac Church at 165 pounds, though No. 19 Connor Brady is ranked at the weight already. Brady qualified for the national tournament in each of the last four seasons, though he has not yet wrestled this year, while Church is 7-2 with his only losses to Andrew Sparks and All-American Payton Hall. Whoever steps into the role for Virginia Tech is likely to wrestle No. 14 Cam Steed from Missouri who will be favored regardless of the competition. Steed, also a redshirt freshman, is 4-0 on the year with 100% bonus, and bonus points here would be big for the Tigers.
And he's still flexing 💪😤🐯
— Mizzou Wrestling (@MizzouWrestling)
If Virginia Tech wins all of the duals its favored to win on paper — including 184 pounds with No. 5 TJ Stewart over No. 12 Colton Hawks — the Hokies would tie with Missouri. The Tigers' two expected replacements of Gage Walker and Aeoden Sinclair shake up that prediction, but this dual could still come down to upsets and bonus points.
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