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BLACKSBURG - The 12th-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling squad used five pins and a technical fall to open its 2014-15 season with a 41-9 victory over Newberry College Saturday afternoon inside Cassell Coliseum.

Nick Brascetta kicked things off with a 24-6 technical fall at 157 pounds, making his returning to the mat after a redshirt year last season. The junior used eight takedowns and two nearfall combinations to roll to the win. Newberry got on the board at 165 pounds when Lukas Gilmore used a takedown and three nearfall points at the end of the second period to propel him to a 9-7 upset win over 19th-ranked Chris Moon. Zach Epperly, ranked 12th in the country at 174 pounds, made his collegiate debut after redshirting a year ago. The Christiansburg native made quite a statement, locking a cradle up early in the second period before pinning sixth-ranked (D-II) Joe Pittman at the 3:40 mark.

At 184 pounds, Austin Gabel used four takedowns and riding time to down fourth-ranked (D-II) Jared Holliday 10-5. At 197 pounds, Jared Haught used a quick reversal and head lock to pick up the pin just nine seconds into the second period to beat Cody Brundage for his first college win. Ty Walz picked up his first pin of the year, sticking Matt Colter at the 2:34 mark to stretch Tech’s lead to 26-3. The run of pins continued at 125 pounds as fourth-ranked Joey Dance took care of Trung Duong, pinning him at the 3:25 mark.

At 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Kevin Norstrem raced out to an early lead thanks to back points and took care of Austin Williams with a 12-7 decision in his college debut. Newberry’s Nick Lankford picked up a second-period pin at 141 pounds, beating Tech’s Nick Anderson and then third-ranked Devin Carter ended the day with a pin of Codi Rothermel, coming at the 2:02 mark.

Tech (1-0) will be back in action on Sunday, hosting the annual Hokie Open inside the Rector Field House on campus. Action starts at 10 a.m. and runs throughout the day on 14 mats. Admission is $15 for the day and tickets can be purchased ahead of time at this link. Bring the printed ticket if you buy online. At the door, only cash will be accepted.

#12 Virginia Tech (1-0) 41; #19 Newberry (0-1) 9
157: #6 Nick Brascetta (VT) tech fall Chad Wood, 24-6 (6:26)
165: Lukas Gilmore (N) dec. #19 Chris Moon, 9-7
174: #12 Zach Epperly (VT) fall #6 Joe Pittman, 3:40
184: Austin Gabel (VT) dec. #4 Jared Holliday, 10-5
197: Jared Haught (VT) fall Cody Brundage, 3:09
285: #11 Ty Walz (VT) fall Matt Colter, 2:34
125: #4 Joey Dance (VT) fall Trung Duong, 3:25
133: Kevin Norstrem (VT) dec. Austin Williams, 12-7
141: Nick Lankford (N) fall Nick Anderson, 4:56
149: #3 Devin Carter (VT) fall Codi Rothermel, 2:02

All Newberry rankings are Division II rankings

Date: Nov. 8, 2014 • Cassell Coliseum • Blacksburg, VA
Referee: Steven Curtis
Attendance: 1,474

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