This weekend, the NCAA Championships went down in Philadelphia, with collegiate wrestlers from programs across the country coming together to compete for individual and team national titles.
Virginia wrestling sent four wrestlers to the event with dreams of ending what has been a rollercoaster of a season on a high note. While the team went without hardware, the Cavaliers (6-6, 1-5 ACC) had some wrestlers make deep runs and did not go down without a fight.
Junior Keyveon Roller took to the mat first for Virginia on opening day Thursday. Roller entered as the No. 26 seed in the 125 lbs class, so he was slated to take on No. 7 seed sophomore Troy Spratley from Oklahoma State. This was Roller’s first NCAA Tournament appearance, and the lights seemed slightly too bright. Spratley dominated, jumping out to a lead in the blink of an eye and never looked back. Roller lost in a 15-0 tech fall.
Roller never found his stride in the consolation bracket, either. In his lone consolation match, he fell 11-2 to sixth-year Tanner Jordan from South Dakota State, ending his day and time at the tournament.
Fifth-year Dylan Cedeno was the only Cavalier favored to win his first match, being the No. 11 seed at 141 lbs. Cedeno took on junior Jordan Soriano of Drexel, the No. 22 seed. Cedeno controlled the match from start to finish, winning 11-1 and reminding everyone why he is an ACC champion.
Cedeno’s next match was not as easy, however, as he had to take on junior Vance VomBaur, a former All-American from Minnesota. Despite a good defensive strategy, Cedeno fell 4-0.
From there it only got worse. In a stunning turn of events, Cedeno got pinned while leading 11-2 over his first opponent in the consolation bracket, ending his season far too soon. After arriving with a legitimate chance to place, Cedeno did not even qualify for the final day. It was a rough way for him to end his illustrious career, but he can hold his head high knowing he is an ACC champion.
“The level of wrestling [Cedeno] showed was amazing and really represented the University of Virginia really well,” Coach Steve Garland said.
Junior Jack Gioffre was the other Virginia wrestler making his first NCAA Tournament appearance. However, he did not disappoint. Despite being the No. 29 seed at 149 lbs, he went toe-to-toe with No. 4 seed sophomore Paniro Johnson of Iowa State. Despite being a former Big 12 champion, Johnson could not handle Gioffre’s calculated yet aggressive style. Gioffre pushed the match to overtime, where he scored a big takedown to win the match and move on.
After his upset in the first match, Gioffre sought to keep his run going. However, the prowess of graduate student Dylan D’Emilio of Ohio State proved to be a bit too much as he lost 8-5 and also entered consolation play. His grit did not disappear, though, as Gioffre won by major decision in his first consolation battle to keep his journey going. Four bouts was all for him, however, as a close 12-9 loss in the third consolation round ended his time in the tournament.
The last Cavalier to appear in the first round was junior Nick Hamilton, who was the No. 25 seed at 165 lbs. Like Roller, Hamilton also took on a Cowboy in senior Cameron Amine, the No. 8 seed. Hamilton kept the match close, not allowing a single takedown and scrapping for points. However, in the end, he fell to Amine, 2-0.
Determined for his time at the tournament to continue, Hamilton knew he needed a win. That is what he got in a 10-3 victory over junior Cesar Alvan of Columbia. Hamilton then continued his run with a 4-2 decision over fifth-year Golden Gopher Andrew Sparks, who had entered as a top-10 seed in the class. Hamilton then extended his stay in the tournament with a 4-1 overtime win in the third consolation round.
With just one more win needed for All-American honors, Hamilton was going into the biggest match of his season. But he lost in a 5-0 decision to the No. 5 seed, ending both his and the team’s run in the tournament Friday night. Entering as the No. 25 seed in his bracket, Hamilton had a remarkable run and showed the nation why he won an ACC title in 2024.
“I could not be more proud of that young man,” Garland said. “3-2 out here, the way he competed … Beat three guys. All three were seeded ahead of him coming into the tournament.”
With the season over, Virginia can hold its head high. The Cavaliers dealt with a slew of injuries and a brutal conference schedule, yet they battled hard every time they stepped onto the mat and turned in some incredible performances.
“I’m a proud coach. A heartbroken coach but a very proud coach,” Garland said. “Our guys wrestled their absolute hearts out.”
The team will miss the loss of wrestlers like Cedeno next season, but they will return the majority of their core and will turn to guys like Hamilton, Roller and Gioffre to lead the pack.
Read More
No. 23 Virginia baseball plummets to new low in blowout defeat versus Duke
By Emory Huffman | 10 hours agoThe Cavaliers have clinched a series loss.
Live tracker: the men’s basketball offseason
By Michael Liebermann and Xander Tilock | 11 hours agoA frenetic offseason likely awaits.
No. 2 women’s tennis falls to California in hard-fought battle
By Gracie Genereux | 12 hours agoVirginia struggled across the board.
