Dance named ACC Wrestler of the Week

The Christiansburg product took home the 125 pound title at the Cliff Keen Invite last week

December 8, 2016

GREENSBORO, N.C. – After going 5-0 and taking home the 125-pound title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last week, senior Joey Dance has been named ACC Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced on Thursday.

The Christiansburg, Virginia native defeated three ranked opponents on his way to claiming only the second Cliff Keen individual championship in program history. Dance is also the second Hokie this season, along with classmate Ty Walz, to earn a conference weekly honor.

Dance’s decision over No. 10 Jose Rodriguez of Ohio State, 4-3, helped lift the Hokies to a third-place team finish in the tournament. He also defeated No. 18 Markus Simmons of Iowa State (4-0) and No. 14 Sean Russell of Edinboro (4-2) on the way to the title. His win over Russell was his second of the year.

Dance, ranked second nationally at 125 this week by InterMat, also scored a fall (4:07) over Vladyslav Kazakov of Nebraska-Kearney and a technical fall (19-4, 5:48) over Devin Brown of West Virginia.

The Hokies return to action on Sunday, Dec. 18 when they travel to Parkersburg, West Virginia for a 2 p.m. non-conference dual against West Virginia.

For updates on Virginia Tech wrestling, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Wrestling