Virginia Tech Wrestling 2024-25 Early Lineup Look
Virginia Tech Wrestling 2024-25 Early Lineup Look
A breakdown of the potential starting lineup for the 2024-25 Virginia Tech Wrestling Team.
Virginia Tech finished 7th at the 2024 NCAA Tournament and will bring a strong squad back next season. The Hokies have a unique blend of veterans returning to the lineup as well as some new faces that could make an immediate impact. Check out the article below to better get to know Virginia Tech’s 2024-25 team and learn what to expect from the Hokies at the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Projected 2024-25 Virginia Tech Wrestling Lineup:
125: Eddie Ventresca
133: #13 Connor McGonagle
141: #18 Sam Latona
149: #1 Caleb Henson
157: Rafael Hipolito
165: #15 Connor Brady
174: #7 Lennox Wolak
184: #7 TJ Stewart
197: #11 Andy Smith/Sonny Sasso
285: #12 Hunter Catka/Jimmy Mullen
125: Eddie Ventresca
Ventresca finished 7th place at the 2023 NCAA Tournament and entered last year ranked #4 in the country at 125 pounds. However, Ventresca did not have the season he hoped for and lost his first 3 matches of 2023, ultimately going 2-6 before his season ended with injury in early December. Despite the disappointing year, Ventresca is a dangerous wrestler when at his best and has notable career wins over Killian Cardinale, Eric Barnett, Patrick McKee, Stevo Poulin, Cooper Flynn, and Greg Diakomihalis. 125 will be wide-open again this year and if Ventresca gets back to 100%, he’s an All-American contender.
Hear from Eddie Ventresca after he earned All-American honors at the 2023 NCAA Tournament:
133: #13 Connor McGonagle
Similar to Ventresca, McGonagle entered last season with high hopes but ultimately had a disappointing season. McGonagle was forced to transfer out of Lehigh after losing his starting spot to eventual 3rd place All-American Ryan Crookham. McGonagle and Crookham met early in the season at the Journeymen Classic with Crookham winning a tight, 6-3 overtime match. Right after that, Crookham defeated national champ Vito Arujau cementing himself as the starter and forcing McGongale to look for a new team.
Even though McGonagle didn’t start last season, we should still expect big things from him next year for the Hokies. McGonagle entered last season ranked #6 in the country and has career wins over Kai Orine, Micky Phillippi, Michael Colaiocco, Angelo Rini, and Wyatt Henson. McGonagle has all the skills to reach the podium this year at NCAAs and score significant team points for Virginia Tech.
Connor McGonagle’s close loss to Ryan Crookham
141: #18 Sam Latona
Latona has earned All-American honors at 125 (6th in 2021) and 133 (7th in 2023), and will now look to end his college career a 3-time All-American up at 141. Latona should have the length to transition up to 141 pounds successfully, but it’s hard to predict how he’ll fare against an entirely new group of competitors. 141 will be a deep-weight class next year with a potential of 2 NCAA champs (Jesse Mendez and Andrew Alirez) and 5 total All-Americans returning. Latona is capable of reaching the podium again but it certainly won’t be an easy task.
149: #1 Caleb Henson
Caleb Henson is the returning national champion at 149 pounds and will look to repeat his incredible performance at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. After placing 5th as a true freshman in 2023, Henson clearly jumped levels last season on his way to winning NCAAs. However, Henson will be challenged by a number of strong contenders including Ridge Lovett, Shayne Van Ness, and Jackson Arrington who have all past wins over Henson. Now a junior, the Hokies will depend on Henson’s leadership and some big-time points at the NCAA Tournament if they hope to bring home a team trophy.
Caleb Henson’s win in the 2024 NCAA Finals over Austin Gomez:
157: Rafael Hipolito
Rafael Hipolito is a redshirt freshman that Hokie fans should be excited to watch for the next four years. Hipolito will replace 3-time All-American and human highlight reel Bryce Andonian at 157 pounds so he has big shoes to fill. The word out of Blacksburg is that Hipolito wrestles a similar, exciting style to Andonian and they expect big things from the freshman next season. Last year in redshirt, Hipolito was 12-4 wrestling at 157 and 165 but was 6-1 at 157 with his only loss coming to All-American Ed Scott (12-7). 157 is a deep weight class this season with a total of 6 past All-Americans in the field. Hipolito isn’t a likely All-American but he does have upside that makes him an interesting prospect in the 157-pound field.
Rafael Hipolito’s win over NCAA Qualifier Will Miller at the 2023 Keystone Classic:
165: #15 Connor Brady
Four-time NCAA Qualifier Connor Brady is currently in the transfer portal but if he returns to Blacksburg, he will likely man the starting spot for the Hokies at 165 pounds next year. Brady has been a consistent, quality starter for Virginia Tech but has never broken into the tier of challenging for All-American honors. Brady will need to wrestle above what he’s shown so far if he’s going to score any significant points for Virginia Tech at the NCAA Tournament.
If Brady doesn't come back to Blacksburg next year, the Hokies don't have a clear option for 165. Redshirt junior Ty Finn is the most likely to man the starting spot in Brady's absence. Finn has been solid as the backup at 165 over the past few years but doesn't have any notable wins to suggest he'd score points at the NCAA Tournament.
174: #7 Lennox Wolak
Columbia transfer Lennox Wolak will spend his final year of eligibility in Blacksburg after earning 6th place All-American honors last season. That finish may have taken some wrestling fans by surprise, but Wolak was fantastic all year and wrestles an incredibly entertaining style. Wolak’s inside trips and upper body skills are some of the best in the country and he’s poised to earn All-American honors again in 2025.
Watch Lennox Wolak’s signature inside trip at the 2024 EIWA Championships:
184: #7 TJ Stewart
Stewart had a fantastic freshman season finishing 7th at the NCAA Tournament while recording notable wins over Chris Foca and Dylan Fishback. Beyond those wins, Stewart only lost close bouts to Bernie Truax and Isaiah Salazar. Stewart has some of the best offense in the country at 184 pounds and has the potential to climb up the podium this year. Hokie fans should be excited about Stewart’s sophomore season and if he jumps a level, there’s a chance he could challenge for a national title.
Check out TJ Stewart’s ridiculous lat drop in round one of the 2024 NCAA Tournament:
197: #11 Andy Smith/Sonny Sasso
The final two weights for Virginia Tech could feature some interesting roster battles. At 197, Andy Smith has started the last two years for Virginia Tech and reached the round of 12 last season with notable wins over Zach Glazier, Nick Stemmet, and Cole Urbas. Smith fell just one win shy of All-American honors and if he’s the starter, he’ll be an All-American threat.
While Andy Smith is a quality starter, Sonny Sasso was the #26 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and had a solid redshirt season last year. Sasso recorded ranked wins over Nick Stemmet, Levi Hopkins, Evan Bates, and Bobby Striggow. However, Sasso also suffered losses to Cole Urbas, Evan Bockman, Tanner Sloan, Silas Allred, Jacob Cardenas, JT Davis, Michael Beard, and Christian Knop. With those losses in mind, Sasso will have to jump a level to prove himself as the clear starter at 197.
285: #12 Hunter Catka/Jimmy Mullen
The Hokies will have another roster battle at heavyweight between 3-year starter Hunter Catka and top recruit, redshirt freshman Jimmy Mullen. Catka had the best year of his career last season finishing just one win shy of All-American honors in the round of 12 at the NCAA Tournament. It’s also worth noting that Catka defeated Mullen at the Keystone classic in a close, 4-1 match.
Despite Catka’s experience and the head-to-head result, we shouldn’t underestimate Mullen. I expect him to be given every opportunity to be the starter at 285 and if he is, I believe he has the potential to earn All-American honors. Mullen was the #11 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and U17 world silver medalist in 2021. Beyond that, Mullen looked phenomenal at the US Open in April where he bonuses his way through a bracket that included top recruits Koy Hopke (Minnesota), Nicholas Sahakian (Arizona State), and Aden Attao (Oregon State).
Catka’s win over Mullen at the 2023 Keystone Classic:
Mullen’s win over Nicholas Sahakian in the 2024 US Open U20 Freestyle Finals:
What Will Virginia Tech Finish At The 2025 NCAA Tournament?
Hokie fans should have high expectations for the 2024-25 season considering the number of All-American threats they have. Virginia Tech will be a tough dual meet team, and if everything goes right at the NCAA Tournament, they have the firepower to challenge for a team trophy (top 3). While they have a high ceiling, many of their top wrestlers aren’t “guaranteed" All-Americans and the Hokies could drop to around 10th place if guys like Ventresca, McGonagle, Latona, and Wolak don’t reach the podium. Regardless of their finish, Virginia Tech will be an exciting team to watch next year and have the potential to bring home a lot of hardware at the 2025 NCAA Tournament.