Last season, at the NCAA tournament, Virginia Tech wrestling, led by head coach Kevin Dresser, turned the corner in their quest to become an elite NCAA wrestling team with staying power (and they did it primarily with products from the Commonwealth of Virginia).
Dresser has developed a culture at Virginia Tech which produces wrestlers built for success at the NCAA tournament. This culture has shined through with big-name talents like Joey Dance and Devin Carter, who heroically returned from a serious hamstring injury to make the NCAA finals last year, as well as less pedigreed athletes like Chris Penny, who enjoyed little attention as a recruit coming out of high school, but a became national semi-finalist and All American last year.
In 2014, Virginia Tech finished 8th in the nation with 49 team points, and claim a better top-to-bottom lineup this season. Two of their three 2014 All Americans return in 125 pound sophomore Joey Dance and 149 pound senior Devin Carter. Carter is a very serious national title threat at this weight. Tech’s third All American, Chris Penny, graduated, but they will more than make up for his lost points with the return of 2013 All American Nick Brascetta at 157 pounds.
In addition its core of three previous national place winners, Tech adds two major freshman talents in Solomon Chisko at 141 and Zach Epperly at 174. After impressive results wrestling unattached last year, I believe that Epperly will at least make the round of 12 in this year’s NCAA tournament.
This doesn’t even mention the five addition NCAA qualifiers that the Hokies return in 2014, all of whom, along with their 197 pound starter (I like David Reck for this slot), should find themselves in the bracket at the 2015 national championship.
With the help of Earl Smith at D1collegewrestling.net, we present Virginia Tech’s tentative lineup.
125-Joey Dance (So) 2014 NCAA 4th Place
133-Dennis Gustafson (So) 2014 NCAA Qualifier
141-Solomon Chisko (Fr)
149-Devin Carter (Sr) 2014 NCAA Runner-Up, 2012 NCAA 5th Place, 2011 NCAA Qualifier–Round of 12
157-Nick Brascetta (Jr) 2013 NCAA 8th Place, 2012 NCAA Qualifier
165-Chris Moon (Sr) 2014 NCAA Qualifier, 2012 NCAA Qualifier
174-Zach Epperly (Fr)
184-Austin Gabel (Jr) 2014 NCAA Qualifier, 2013 NCAA Qualifer
197-Jared Haught (Fr) or David Reck (So)
285-Ty Walz (Fr) 2014 NCAA Qualifier
Points breakdown
Dance, Carter, Brascetta and Epperly should combine to equal tech’s point total last year. The remaining 6 national qualifiers are good enough to claim another 15-20 points. This leaves Virginia Tech with as many as 70 team points in 2015.