Following a two-week hiatus from competition due to a setback against No. 8 Michigan, the Virginia wrestling squad returned to the mat for duals on Friday and Saturday. The Cavaliers (4-1, 0-0 ACC) kicked things off at home with a 25-11 victory over Pennsylvania before making a short trip to Lexington, Va., on Saturday where […]
Following a two-week hiatus from competition due to a setback against No. 8 Michigan, the Virginia wrestling squad returned to the mat for duals on Friday and Saturday. The Cavaliers (4-1, 0-0 ACC) kicked things off at home with a 25-11 victory over Pennsylvania before making a short trip to Lexington, Va., on Saturday where they triumphed over VMI 40-3. These two victories renewed Virginia’s momentum, demonstrating noticeable improvement this season.
Friday against Pennsylvania
The Cavaliers began strong against the Quakers (0-2, 0-0 Ivy), with junior Nick Hamilton, ranked 15th in the 165 lbs category, securing a 7-3 decision to put Virginia ahead first. However, Pennsylvania answered back as senior Nick Icontrera, the highest-ranked wrestler in the matchup at No. 6, earned a 6-3 victory.
After that, it was all Cavaliers. Graduate Justin Phillips achieved a 7-0 win to set Virginia back on track. Freshman Max Shulaw continued the streak with a dominant 10-0 major decision against Quaker freshman Jackson Zimmerman. Senior Gabe Christenson kept his stellar performance going with a tech fall victory. Suddenly, Virginia held a significant 15-3 advantage.
The dual became more competitive after the initial success, with Pennsylvania sophomore Max Gallagher winning by tech fall over junior Keyveon Roller. The Cavaliers responded effectively as sophomore Gable Porter clinched the next match with a 5-0 decision. But the Quakers countered again when sophomore Evan Mougalian secured a 9-6 decision win against junior Kyren Butler. With only two matches remaining, Virginia led 18-11. Both teams were still in contention for the win.
Nevertheless, the Cavaliers had the Gioffre brothers still to compete. Juniors Jack and Michael Gioffre were the final two wrestlers for Virginia, and they delivered. The duo won collectively with a score of 15-5, as Jack Gioffre triumphed over ranked freshman Cross Wasilewski and Michael Gioffre achieved a major decision victory against freshman Paul Ognissanti. The brothers secured the dual victory for the Cavaliers with a final score of 25-11.
This win over the Quakers provided an excellent start to the weekend for Virginia and propelled them into their second dual with great momentum. Coach Steve Garland appreciated the team’s performance against a strong competitor.
“We’ve been analyzing film and observing all their wrestlers, and they are formidable across the board,” Garland remarked. “To execute the way we did, to secure the matches we won and manage some upsets on paper [was tremendous].”
Saturday against VMI
The Cavaliers picked up right where they left off against the Keydets (4-2, 0-0 Southern). Hamilton commenced the day with a 12-5 decision win over junior Ryan Vigil. Senior Rocco Contino extended the Cavaliers’ lead with an early pin of freshman Logan Chambers.
Although the Keydets marked their presence when junior Braxton Lewis won 9-8 against junior Griffin Gammell, Virginia responded with Shulaw achieving his second major win of the day by injury default in the second period. This gave the Cavaliers a commanding 15-3 lead after just four matches.
The victories kept accumulating as the dual progressed. Christenson secured an 11-3 major decision win, soon followed by another major decision victory from Roller. Another victory, via regular decision, from Porter expanded the lead to 26-3, effectively clinching the dual for Virginia.
To add further insult to VMI’s situation, Butler triumphed by a 22-6 tech fall, pushing the lead to 31-3. The Gioffre brothers were next, and they replicated their Friday performances. Jack Gioffre achieved a 9-3 decision win, while Michael Gioffre concluded the dual with a pin of sophomore Eric Doran just a minute in, finalizing the score at 40-3.
With another successful weekend behind them, Virginia appears much stronger than last season, showcasing depth with significant wins across the board. As conference play approaches in a few weeks, the Cavaliers will strive to keep their momentum for a successful run in the ACC. Securing multiple bonus-point victories will be beneficial, highlighting Virginia’s resilience in wearing down opponents.
The Cavaliers will return to the mat later this month at the Sheridan Tournament in Bethlehem, Pa. The tournament is set to begin on Dec. 20, marking Virginia’s first tournament since Nov. 2.
