When it comes to wrestling, not everything that happens in Vegas necessarily has to stay in Vegas.

When it comes to Virginia Tech, the Hokies took only seven wrestlers to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but they took away a handful of medals and, more importantly, a sure bet that the experience that some of their guys on the younger side gained will prove invaluable.

The Hokies’ placewinners were Caleb Henson, second at 149; Bryce Andonian, fourth at 157; freshman Sonny Sasso, sixth at 197, and Sam Fisher, eighth at 184. 

“I feel like we wrestled pretty good in some spots,” Virginia Tech coach Tony Robie said. “Just like any event or any tournament, you kind of have to look at it individually and evaluate it individually.”

Henson, a returning All-America, breezed to the finals with a technical fall, major decision and two decisions, the semifinal win a 5-0 shutout over All-America Kyle Parco of Arizona State. Henson then dropped a 4-3 nailbiter to Nebraska’s top-ranked Ridge Lovett.

“I think Caleb had a really good performance despite losing in the finals. It’s good to get our hands on that guy (Lovett) and feel him…he’s tricky, for sure, and very, very good,” Robie said. “It benefits us to wrestle him one time because that’s obviously a potential NCAA finals match.

“I was pleased, like I always am, with Caleb’s attack rate and how he competes; that was a positive.”

Sasso, the true freshman from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, was teched by NCAA runner-up Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State in the opening round but battled back on the back side to place sixth, losing 8-5 to Big Ten champ Silas Allred of Nebraska.

“Sonny Sasso did a great job; he got thrown out there as a true freshman in a loaded weight class and I think he beat three guys ranked in the top 25,” Robie said. “He had a tough draw out of the gate and even if he wrestles his best match that’s a tough match. He didn’t wrestle his best in that match, but I felt like something clicked for him on the back side and he got on a roll and started figuring things out.

“That was the whole intention of taking him out there was to see where he’s at and allow him to see where he’s at; he came out of that weekend with a lot of confidence.”

Overall, the trip west was a good measuring stick, Robie said. 

“I feel like if we had Latona (Sam, 133) and Mekhi (Lewis, 174), our results would have been a lot better and our team finish would have been a lot better,” he said. “We probably would have felt good about how we performed.”

With an improving Stanford team on the docket on Dec. 17 in Blacksburg and huge dual meets the day after New Year’s at Missouri and Jan. 7 at Cornell, Robie is looking to settle on a starting 10. 

“We’re still trying to get our lineup figure out,” he said. “We could potentially see some changes in our lineup over the course of the next couple of weeks. I do think that once we get to full strength from an injury standpoint and maybe get some guys in there that haven’t been in there for part of the season, I think we’ll have a really solid team.

“We have a team, and I said this from the start, that can be a really good tournament team and I think the better the tournaments the more that helps us with some of our high-end guys and high-end point-scorers,” Robie added.

Here Come The Cardinal

The 10th-ranked Hokies entertain #24 Stanford on Sunday; the Cardinal tallied 85.5 points at the Cliff Keen, good for a seventh-place finish just behind Cornell and Oregon State.

“They looked really good in Las Vegas,” Robie said. “Their 25 (Vegas champ Nico Provo) obviously is much improved and had a great tournament. I was impressed with 33 and 41, guys maybe not ranked super high but they’ve got some skill. Obviously, 57 (Daniel Cardenas) and 65 (Hunter Garvin) are two of their stronger guys, in addition to 25.

“Bryce was able to wrestle Cardenas in Vegas and won, but that’s gonna be a tough match, a match that we need to win,” Robie continued. “It’s gonna be interesting. Sasso wrestled their 97 (Nick Stemmet) out there (at Vegas), so that will be a good rematch to see, potentially. We’re gonna have to be on our game.”

Latona and Lewis haven’t competed since the NWCA All-Star match on Nov. 21, but Robie expects them to be in the lineup on Sunday.

Midlands Challenge Looming

The Midlands might not be listed on the Hokies’ schedule, but Robie said “eight or nine” guys will be competing at Northwestern on Dec. 29-30. 

“We will send some of the guys who did not attend the Cliff Keen,” he explained. “As of right now we plan on sending Cody Howard (184), who is back in the fold after the first semester; him and T.J. Stewart plan on going at 184.

“We’re sending Latona at 33 and then some of our younger, unattached guys, Sasso, (Jimmy) Mullen (285), (Mac) Church (141). Tom Crook is planning on going at 141 unattached, so we’re excited to see how he can do when he gets down to weight. (Rafael) Hipolito’s (157) going as well as Cooper Flynn and Hunter Mason. We have a pretty good crew going out there.”

A Varying Holiday Schedule

Down time over the holidays won’t be the same for everyone on the VT roster. “It depends on which direction they’re going. If they’re going to the Midlands, they’re not gonna get quite as long a break,” Robie said.

“If they’re not, they’ll get a little bit longer break. I think it’s important that they’ll have an opportunity to go home and spend time their family and decompress a little bit,” Robie said. “From just a relaxation standpoint, we feel confident about our guys getting the work in that they need to get in if they’re not here, but taking four or five or six days at home is a positive thing if you train and if you can maintain your conditioning for the back half of the season.

“The season’s long and these guys definitely need some breaks.”