No. 8 NC State beats No. 13 Virginia Tech, 20-12, to claim ACC regular season title

RALEIGH – The NC State wrestling team (16-2, 5-0 ACC) earned the 2024 ACC Regular Season Championship after defeating No. 13 Virginia Tech (9-4, 4-1 ACC) by a 20-12 score Friday night. For his last ever dual in Reynolds Coliseum, redshirt-senior and team captain, Trent Hidlay, tallied his 100th career win.

In front of a sold out Reynolds Coliseum, the ACC powerhouse rivals faced each other in their final dual of the season to determine the regular season conference leader. By the end of the night, NC State lifted the trophy for the sixth time in the last seven years.

Alex Faison, Trent Hidlay, Dylan Reinert, Jarrett Trombley, alongside team manager Callie Nix, all experienced their last ever dual match inside Reynolds as they were honored during the senior ceremony prior to the start of the dual.

Third-ranked Jackson Arrington faced second-ranked Caleb Henson to start the evening in the 149 pound weight class. This bout marked the first time he wrestled someone and lost this season as the only dents on his record came from medical forfeits at Cliff Keen back in Decemeber. His defeat put the Hokies on the board first but Ed Scott leveled out the score right after when he fired a decision of his own.

The Wolfpack would go on to drop the next three bouts, two of which were upsets, and give VT a daunting 12-3 lead. Dylan Fishback, with one of the toughest schedules this season, faced his 11th ranked opponent of the 2023-24 campaign and was handed his first loss to an opponent outside the top-15.

For the finale of his dual wrestling career, Trent Hidlay went out in style just as we all predicted him to do. His technical fall victory, and the only bonus point win of the night for either team, sparked the energy of the Pack, who would not drop another bout for the rest of the night. With his 18-3 win over No. 26 Andy Smith, he got his 100th career win on his senior night, the 65th bonus point win of those 100.

The heavyweight clash carried the flame for the Wolfpack when Owen Trephan won 4-1 and put his team back in striking distance with a 11-12 team score.

Jakob Camacho put the Wolfpack on top for the first time when he upset No. 3 Cooper Flynn with a 5-1 decision.

Kai Orine's gritty 2-1 decision over No. 13 Sam Latona seemed to secure the Wolfpack's title by extending the team score to 17-12. All that was left was for Ryan Jack to not let his opponent win by a major decision or more, which was a simple task for him.

Results

#8 NC State 20, #13 Virginia Tech 12

Attendance: SOLD OUT

149: #2 Caleb Henson (VT) dec. #3 Jackson Arrington (NCSU), 4-1

157: #12 Ed Scott (NCSU) dec. Rafael Hipolito (VT), 12-7

165: #22 Connor Brady (VT) dec. #12 Derek Fields (NCSU), 4-2

174: #2 Mekhi Lewis (VT) dec. #30 Alex Faison (NCSU), 9-2

184: #24 TJ Stewart (VT) dec. #7 Dylan Fishback (NCSU), 7-2

197: #2 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) tech. fall #26 Andy Smith (VT), 18-3

HWT: #15 Owen Trephan (NCSU) dec. Jimmy Mullen (VT), 4-1

125: #14 Jakob Camacho (NCSU) dec. #3 Cooper Flynn (VT), 5-1

133: #4 Kai Orine (NCSU) dec. #13 Sam Latona (VT), 2-1

141: #4 Ryan Jack (NCSU) dec. #15 Tom Crook (VT), 7-3

*Rankings based on InterMat at time of dual

Hokies fall short in dual season finale

Virginia Tech press release

RALEIGH, NC – The No. 13 Virginia Tech wrestling team (9-4, 4-1) won four matches on Friday night but fell short against No. 8 NC State (16-2, 5-0) in the regular season finale in Raleigh, 12-20. Caleb Henson, Connor Brady, Mekhi Lewis, and Thomas Stewart, Jr. led the Hokies in a conference runner-up finish for the Hokies. Tech now turns its sights to the ACC Championships in Chapel Hill, NC on March 10, 2023.

It was a top-three battle at 149-pounds to get the dual started as No. 2 Caleb Henson took the mat against No. 3 Jackson Arrington in Reynolds Coliseum. Henson would score the only takedown of the match in the first period off an Arrington attack to take the lead and wouldn't look back. Henson would add an escape in the second after starting on bottom to push his lead and would surrender only an escape in the third to put the Hokies on the board first with the 4-1 decision.

At 165-pounds it was No. 22 Connor Brady with a critical win for the Hokies over No. 12 Derek Fields. Brady would push for an aggressive hand-fighting pace, paying off in the third period. Brady would secure the go-ahead takedown with :30 left in the bout to take the upset and give the Hokies another lead in the dual.

Wrestling in the last dual of his storied career was No. 2 Mekhi Lewis at 174-pounds. Lewis faced off against No. 30 Alex Faison for the third time in their careers with Lewis pushing his series to 3-0 in dominant fashion on Friday night. Lewis would score early and rideout the first period then add another takedown in the second period along with an escape, riding time point, and a stall call to take the 9-2 decision. With the win, Lewis improved to 13-0 on the season and had not surrendered an offensive point throughout the regular season.

In another upset of the night, it was redshirt freshman No. 24 Thomas Stewart, Jr. with a controlling 7-2 victory over No. 7 Dylan Fishback at 184-pounds. In a battle of ACC Co-Wrestlers of the Week, it was the Hokie who would come out on top for his second top-10 victory in as many matches. Stewart would strike early in the first period and add another takedown in the third period to seal the match.

The Hokies now turn their sights to the ACC Championships in two weeks in Chapel Hill, NC on March 10. Follow Hokies Wrestling on X, Instagram, and Facebook for all the latest news and updates.