June 9, 2010
Tech announces newcomers to wrestling program
Group adds to already strong class

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech Athletics Department, along with head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser, announced Wednesday the addition of several athletes who have joined the program for summer workouts and will continue training with the team in the fall in hopes of earning time on the mat for the Hokies.

Leading the way is T.J. Mitchell, who won the NHSCA Senior National Championship earlier this year. The lightweight is from Collins Hill High School in Georgia, where he won state titles as both a junior and senior. He is ranked the No. 16 wrestler in the country at 125 pounds by InterMat and is projected to wrestle at 125 or 133 pounds at Tech.

Three transfers have also joined the program. Zach Neibert was one of the top high school recruits two years ago and signed with Northern Illinois. He redshirted this past year and now transfers to Tech with four years of eligibility remaining. He went 132-12 at St. Paris Graham High School in Ohio – the same school as 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Champion Brian Stephens – and won a state title as a senior at 125 pounds. He will likely go at 141 pounds for the Hokies.

Nick Vetterlein is a transfer from Wagner College, where he originally signed to play football. He redshirted last year and will have four years of eligibility remaining. Vetterlein was a football and wrestling standout for Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey where he placed fourth in the state as a senior at 189 pounds. He also led the powerhouse football team with 87 tackles his final year. He will look to go at either 174 or 184 pounds for Tech.

Robbie Wannenburg transfers in from Appalachian State University, where he redshirted last year as a freshman. He is from Lewisville, N.C., and won three NCISAA private school state titles for Forsyth Country Day School and then won a public school state title for West Forsyth High his senior year. He will train at 165 or 174 pounds at Tech.

Chris Moon is a Virginia product who won a prep national championship this past year. He wrestled at Fauquier County High (152 pounds) before transferring to Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania for his final season. He recorded 170 wins in his high school career, including 44 his senior season at Wyoming Seminary and is listed as a 165-pounder for the Hokies.

Bobby Lavelle is a Pennsylvania product who qualified for the state tournament and was a 2009 NHSCA Junior All-American at 160 pounds. He could go at either 174 or 184 pounds at Virginia Tech.

All six of these wrestlers have signed their offers of admission at Tech or are already enrolled in summer school. They join a recruiting class ranked by most publications to be in the top 12 in the country.

For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Wrestling).

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