Virginia Tech Wrestling had a successful 2024-25 season as the Hokies finished in the top 10 at NCAA Championships while Caleb Henson became the second Hokie to win an individual wrestling national championship. The Hokies have been busy this offseason landing a pair of transfers in a clear statement that Tech is looking to get back to a top 5 NCAA finish in 2025 along with trying to sweep the ACC Tournament and Dual Meet titles.
So with that said, let's dive into my projected wrestling lineups and the battles that loom at the upper-weight classes.
125: Eddie Ventresca
With Cooper Flynn transferring to Minnesota, the stage is cleared for 2023 All-American Eddie Ventresca to return to the starting lineup.
This comes after Ventresca struggled during the first half of this season before losing the starting job to Flynn who was at a top 10-15 level for the rest of the season. However, we've heard since then that Ventresca was dealing with some injuries that certainly played a role in his struggles.
A healthy Ventresca should be able to take a big jump forward to being an All-American contender rather than an All-American surprise like he was in 2023. He also should be a top contender for the 125 ACC title though NC State' Jakob Camacho will likely be the favorite and Stanford' Nico Provo will be a serious threat.
Of course, Ventresca doesn't have the floor that you'd think an All-American would have given the ups and downs he had during that 2022-23 season during which he briefly lost his starting job to Flynn and didn't beat a WrestleStat top 20 wrestler prior to beating four of them in the 2023 NCAA Championships. It's fair to wonder whether Ventresca can find the consistency to reach the level that we've only seen once from him at the 2023 NCAAs.
The potential is there for Eddie Ventresca to be an All-American again and the fact that he will be healthy this year will certainly be a plus. However, it's fair to have some concerns about whether he can find consistency at his peak level of performance.
133: Connor McGonagle
Connor McGonagle was right in the national title hunt at 133 going into the EIWA Tournament ahead of the 2023 NCAA Championships. McGonagle had consistently been in the top 5 and had a floor of All-American status for his season. That was until he suffered an injury during the EIWA Tournament that caused him to miss the NCAAs.
Last season, McGonagle lost his starting job to breakout freshman Ryan Crookham after a very difficult battle between the two. Crookham ended up finishing 3rd in the 2024 NCAAs while McGonagle had to sit on the sidelines and prepare to make a move elsewhere in pursuit of a new opportunity.
Enter the Hokies who were happy to welcome McGonagle to Blacksburg with open arms, allowing them to move Sam Latona to 141 without worry of the consequences at 133.
Now, the Hokies have an instant All-American contender who can challenge NC State's Kai Orine for the ACC title in what is McGonagle's final year of eligibility. McGonagle also beat Orine during the 2022-23 season and will be a key piece for Tech's hopes of winning both the ACC Regular Season and Tournament titles.
Fascinatingly enough, McGonagle started his career at 141, but his move to 133 launch him to new heights during that 2022-23 season. He bounced around some this past season after losing the job to Crookham, but he should be in a great spot to impress back at his best weight class full-time at 133.
McGonagle was a massive pickup for the Hokies who are adding an instant All-American contender to a lineup that already featured four returning All-American plus an additional All-American transfer in Lennox Wolak.
