February 5, 2009
Tech hoping for record attendance as it hosts Maryland on the mats
Hokies 2-0 in the ACC thus far
BLACKSBURG – It’s Pack the Cassell Night Sunday as the Virginia Tech wrestling team, ranked 13th in the nation, will host defending ACC Champion Maryland at 5 p.m., following the men’s basketball game against NC State. Admission is free.
Virginia Tech is attempting to break the attendance record for wrestling of 1,638, which was set in 2001 when No. 1 Minnesota came to town. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster of the football staff will be at the match as the honorary coach. Coach Foster will be signing autographs following the match with the wrestling team down on the court. The first 200 fans will receive a free HokieBird Bobble Head Doll.
Three lucky fans will have the opportunity to win a scooter from Campus Cruizers. One of the contestants will take home a scooter worth an estimated $1,800. Three other fans will have the chance to win either a Nintendo Wii, IPod Nano or $100 gift card to University Bookstore/Volume II Bookstore in the Hokie Suitcase Contest.
Virginia Tech faculty and staff are invited to sign up at the marketing table to win prizes in the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Drawing.
Maryland is the defending ACC champion and is 7-7-1 after beating Navy last weekend. Maryland beat NC State and Duke, but lost to North Carolina and sits at 2-1 in the conference. Maryland’s ranked grapplers are all scheduled to compete: No. 11 Steven Bell (133), No. 11 Alex Krom (141) and No. 10 Hudson Taylor (197).
Tech and Maryland have two common opponents this season. The Hokies beat North Carolina 19-15 while the Terps lost 19-15. Both squads lost to Nebraska (Tech 26-11 and Maryland 26-13).
Virginia Tech is attempting to break the attendance record for wrestling of 1,638, which was set in 2001 when No. 1 Minnesota came to town. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster of the football staff will be at the match as the honorary coach. Coach Foster will be signing autographs following the match with the wrestling team down on the court. The first 200 fans will receive a free HokieBird Bobble Head Doll.
Three lucky fans will have the opportunity to win a scooter from Campus Cruizers. One of the contestants will take home a scooter worth an estimated $1,800. Three other fans will have the chance to win either a Nintendo Wii, IPod Nano or $100 gift card to University Bookstore/Volume II Bookstore in the Hokie Suitcase Contest.
Virginia Tech faculty and staff are invited to sign up at the marketing table to win prizes in the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Drawing.
Maryland is the defending ACC champion and is 7-7-1 after beating Navy last weekend. Maryland beat NC State and Duke, but lost to North Carolina and sits at 2-1 in the conference. Maryland’s ranked grapplers are all scheduled to compete: No. 11 Steven Bell (133), No. 11 Alex Krom (141) and No. 10 Hudson Taylor (197).
Tech and Maryland have two common opponents this season. The Hokies beat North Carolina 19-15 while the Terps lost 19-15. Both squads lost to Nebraska (Tech 26-11 and Maryland 26-13).
Live stats will be available for free at hokiesports.com and the match will be broadcast for a fee on ACC Select.
Below are both probable lineups, as submitted by the coaching staffs:
#13 Virginia Tech (17-1, 2-0 ACC)
125: #14 Jarrod Garnett (32-4)
133: Brock LiVorio (21-7) OR Will Livingston (11-8)
141: #19 Chris Diaz (27-6)
149: #20 Pete Yates (26-7)
157: Jesse Dong (24-7)
165: Matt Epperly (20-11)
174: Anthony Trongone (19-12)
184: Tommy Spellman (19-8)
197: D.J. Bruce (22-10)
285: David Marone (22-12)
Maryland (7-7-1, 2-1 ACC)
125: Brendan Byrne (16-7)
133: #11 Steven Bell (18-4)
141: #11 Alex Krom (15-4)
149: Dex Lederer (10-11)
157: Kyle John (12-14)
165: Brian Letters (17-9)
174: Bradley Nielson (1-4) OR Patrick Klenkel (4-11)
184: Owen Smith (3-4) OR Ryan Gray (2-12)
197: #10 Hudson Taylor (25-6)
285: Patrick Gilmore (19-15)
Below are both probable lineups, as submitted by the coaching staffs:
#13 Virginia Tech (17-1, 2-0 ACC)
125: #14 Jarrod Garnett (32-4)
133: Brock LiVorio (21-7) OR Will Livingston (11-8)
141: #19 Chris Diaz (27-6)
149: #20 Pete Yates (26-7)
157: Jesse Dong (24-7)
165: Matt Epperly (20-11)
174: Anthony Trongone (19-12)
184: Tommy Spellman (19-8)
197: D.J. Bruce (22-10)
285: David Marone (22-12)
Maryland (7-7-1, 2-1 ACC)
125: Brendan Byrne (16-7)
133: #11 Steven Bell (18-4)
141: #11 Alex Krom (15-4)
149: Dex Lederer (10-11)
157: Kyle John (12-14)
165: Brian Letters (17-9)
174: Bradley Nielson (1-4) OR Patrick Klenkel (4-11)
184: Owen Smith (3-4) OR Ryan Gray (2-12)
197: #10 Hudson Taylor (25-6)
285: Patrick Gilmore (19-15)
For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Wrestling).