With a team score of 61 points, the Virginia men's wrestling team placed third in the ACC tournament earlier this month. Unfortunately for Virginia, because no Cavalier won an ACC title in his weight class, it was their last competition of the season as they did not qualify for the NCAA championships.
"Going into the tournament, we recognized the considerable parity of the top four teams in the conference," Virginia coach Lenny Bernstein said. "So, we looked at it in terms of if we do really well, we could take the whole thing. And on the other hand, if we do really poorly, we could be fourth."
While the team did not win the fourth ACC title it was seeking, four of Virginia's 10 entrants were ACC runner-ups: Drew DiPasquale at 149 pounds, Damian Johnson at 165 pounds, Mike Grogan at 174 pounds and Kyle Narkiewicz at 184 pounds.
"Our goal was to have six guys make the finals but we had a couple set backs in the 125 pounds and 133 pounds weight classes," Bernstein said. "I had thought those guys would go through to the finals and really that's all it takes, ending up a couple guys short, to make a whole difference in the tournament."
The spread separating N.C. State's second-place finish and Virginia's third-place finish was a mere three points.
"Every bonus point counts when you are trying to win it all," freshman Eric Albright said.
Even though Virginia did not have quite the finish it would have liked, the team still has a lot to show for the year.
They finished out the regular season tied with Maryland for first in the conference. To earn their share of the top spot, Virginia defeated then-No.1 Maryland 24-14 in the last match of the regular season.
Overall, they posted a winning record. Virginia went 12-5 on the whole and 4-1 in the ACC with their only loss coming at the hands of N.C. State.
"When we started the season, we were picked to finish like 10th," Bernstein said. "So I am so pleased we had the chance to do what we did, to overachieve. Starting the season, we were a well-balanced team but we didn't have any superstars, we didn't have guys who were ranked in the top 10 in the country. On the whole, I was pretty happy with how things turned out."
Because this year's squad was comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores, the team will be returning every one of its starters for the 2006-2007 season. Additionally, Rocco Caponi will be competing again after red-shirting this year. Conor Manley, a four-year wrestler, is the team's only graduating senior.
"We will have a better team for sure next year," Bernstein said. "And it won't be only from the conference perspective, but from the national one as well. I think we definitely have a shot at fielding one of the top 15, and at least one of the top 20, teams in the country."
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