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Mekhi Lewis, Tony Robie Win 2022 ACC Wrestler & Coach of the Year Awards

Mekhi Lewis VT UNC 2022 From VT

Although the Virginia Tech Wrestling program may have not achieved all they wanted to in the 2021-22 season, there is plenty to be proud of.

And with the campaign now sitting in the rearview mirror, the Hokies can add two more points of emphasis to the resumé as Mekhi Lewis was named the ACC Wrestler of the Year and Tony Robie was named ACC Coach of the Year.

Ever since he captured the 165-weight class national championship back in 2019, Lewis has emerged as a superstar in the sport. But it has been a while since he reached the championship stage with his Olympic redshirt in 2020 and his withdrawal from the tournament in 2021 due to an injury.

The Somerset, N.J. native took on a taller task this season as he moved up a division to the 174-weight class, and he was instantly successful by finishing 24-2 on the season.

After tearing through the competition in the regular season, Lewis made an impact in the ACC Championship earlier this month by taking home the conference championship and being named the ACC’s Most Outstanding Wrestler in Charlottesville, Va.

On top of that, he also returned to center stage, but fell a single point short of his second national championship by falling to the top wrestler in the land, Penn State’s Carter Starocci.

Meanwhile, adding to his legacy in Virginia Tech, head coach Tony Robie has claimed his third ACC Coach of the Year award in only his fifth season at the helm for the Hokies.

This award is starting to become comfortable in Blacksburg as seven of the previous nine receptionists have been the head coach of the Virginia Tech Wrestling program, dating back to the Kevin Dresser era.

Having been a part of the staff since 2006, Robie has seen a plethora of success during his coaching days in Blacksburg. That was no different this season as he helped lead the Hokies to an eighth place finish in the NCAA Championships.

He also produced three All-Americans in Lewis (174), Bryce Andonian (149), and Korbin Myers (133); which extended their streak to nine consecutive seasons of at least three All-Americans, a mark that is shared with Penn State, Oklahoma State, Cornell, and Iowa.

The Erie, Pa. native also led three Hokies to individual gold medals in the ACC Championships with Lewis, Myers and Nathan Traxler (HWT) taking home a conference title which included sending eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. The Hokies also finished second in the team scoring portion of the event.

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