After a two-week break following duals with Pennsylvania and VMI, Virginia wrestling returned to action Friday, traveling to Bethlehem, Pa., for the Sheridan Invitational, hosted by Lehigh. 14 Cavaliers wrestled at the tournament — two of them competing unattached — and eight placed.
Junior Kyren Butler’s masterful performance in the 141-lbs weight class proved the highlight. Butler was absolutely dominant, winning his first three matches by a combined score of 36-9 and cruising to the championship. Once there, he eked out a 4-1 win over Indiana sophomore Henry Porter to be crowned champion of his class. The title came in Butler’s first tournament appearance of the season, a good sign for the upcoming Southern Scuffle.
One other Cavalier made his way into a championship match — junior Griffin Gammell. Competing at 184, Gammell got a bye to the quarterfinals, a round which also featured freshman Jack Lesher and graduate student Justin Phillips. However, unlike his teammates, Gammell won his quarterfinal bout with a convincing 12-3 victory over Brown junior Nicholas Oliveiri. He won his semifinal match 5-1 but came up just short of going all the way, getting pinned in the championship match by Rutgers junior Brian Soldano.
Many other Cavaliers posted solid performances at the tournament, though, most notably including junior Kyle Montaperto and freshman Max Shulaw. They each earned third place in their respective classes, 133 and 197. While Montaperto lost his first match to Lehigh junior Ryan Crookham, the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 133, he battled back through the consolation bracket by winning three straight matches to claim third. Shulaw had a similar story, dropping his first match and winning four consecutive matches, three of them by bonus points, to claim bronze.
That resilience is incredibly promising for conference play, which looms just a few weeks away. Coach Steve Garland liked what he saw at the tournament, and he hopes it will continue.
“Kyren Butler broke through and got a big tournament championship, and we’re really happy for him,” Garland said. “Kyle and Max came back really strong as well and had some good wins to take third. This was great prep for us heading into the Southern Scuffle.”
But there was more, with the team claiming four fourth-place finishes in junior Nick Sanko, sophomore Michael Murphy and freshmen Jack Myers and Anthony Rossi.
Having such depth will prove critical down the line, as the injury bug tends to hit teams around the time conference play arrives, testing whether they have multiple quality wrestlers at each class. Considering many of the everyday wrestlers for the Cavaliers, like juniors Michael and Jack Gioffre, junior Nick Hamilton and senior Gabe Christenson, did not compete, placing eight wrestlers against impressive competition is no small task.
One unfortunate event slightly dampened the success. Fifth-year Ethan Weatherspoon had to forfeit both of his matches due to medical reasons. While Shulaw has held it down at 197 so far this season, relying on a freshman in one of the biggest weight classes might hold the Cavaliers back if Weatherspoon cannot get healthy soon. However, sophomore Steven Burrell Jr. will be another option if injuries continue to nag Weatherspoon.
The Cavaliers will take a couple of weeks off for the holidays, then they will be back in action Jan. 4-5 in the Southern Scuffle, held in Chattanooga, Tenn.
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