We Speak Sports

No. 5 Virginia Tech at No. 12 Lehigh Headlines ACC Wrestling Week 2 as Five ACC Programs Sit in the National Rankings

Published

1 day ago

November 6, 2026

Virginia Tech wrestler Mac Church lifts his opponent during a match at the Southeast Open

Virginia Tech's Mac Church lifts his opponent during a match at the Southeast Open, where he won four straight matches to claim the 165-pound open division title. Photo: @hokieswrestling

ACC wrestling opened the season with 22 bracket and pool titles, and Week 2 brings a top-15 test on the road for Virginia Tech, plus Duke, NC State and Virginia all in action across Bethlehem and Charleston. With five ACC programs ranked nationally and 50 wrestlers in the individual rankings, the conference’s early momentum is on the line this weekend.

After an opening weekend that produced 22 bracket and pool titles across three events last week, ACC wrestling returns to the mat this weekend with ranked programs and individual standouts continuing to build early-season momentum. No. 5 Virginia Tech headlines the slate Friday night, traveling to No. 12 Lehigh for a top-15 dual-meet matchup in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at 7 p.m. ET. The Hokies opened the season with five champions, four runners-up and 12 total podium finishes at the Southeast Open.

Saturday and Sunday bring additional action across the Conference, as Duke opens its 2026-27 season at WrangleMania before joining No. 15 NC State at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday in Bethlehem. Virginia competes November 7-8 at the Throwdown on the Yorktown event in Charleston, South Carolina, facing Gardner-Webb and Glenville State.

The weekend follows an impressive start for the ACC, which has five programs ranked in the latest NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll, led by Virginia Tech (No. 5), Stanford (No. 7), NC State (No. 15), North Carolina (No. 16) and Pitt (No. 21).

Upcoming Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Friday, November 6
#5 Virginia Tech at #12 Lehigh | 7 p.m. | FloWrestling

Saturday, November 7
Duke at WrangleMania | All Day | FloWrestling
Virginia vs. Gardner-Webb | 1 p.m. | FloWrestling

Noting ACC Wrestling

Five ACC programs were ranked in the latest NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll (November 4), with four teams ranked in the top 16: Virginia Tech (No. 5), Stanford (No. 7), NC State (No. 15), North Carolina (No. 16) and Pitt (No. 21).
The same five programs are also ranked in both the InterMat Dual Rankings and the WrestleStat Dual Rankings.
After the first weekend of competition, the ACC has 50 wrestlers ranked nationally in the most recent InterMat individual rankings, including at least five grapplers in eight of the 10 weight classes.
Five ACC programs place multiple wrestlers in the top 10, with 19 in the top 10 and seven ranked in the top five.
Six ACC programs have five or more wrestlers ranked in the top 33 of the most recent InterMat individual rankings: Virginia Tech (10), Pitt (10), Stanford (9), North Carolina (8), NC State (8) and Virginia (5).
Two NCAA champions return to ACC competition: Stanford’s Aden Valencia, the 2026 NCAA champion at 149 pounds, and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, the 2024 NCAA champion at 149. Virginia Tech’s Aaron Seidel also returns after reaching the NCAA semifinals at 133 pounds in his first season with the Hokies last year.
The ACC enters the 2026–27 season looking to build on one of its strongest recent performances at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Three conference programs finished among the top 12 of the 2026 NCAA team standings, led by Stanford’s sixth-place finish with 67.5 points. NC State placed 10th with 44.5 points, while Virginia Tech finished 11th with 41.5 points.
Heading into the 2026–27 season, at least two conference schools have finished among the top 20 in the NCAA team standings in 11 of the last 12 years.
For the first time, the ACC Wrestling Championship will be conducted as a two-day event. The 2027 championship is scheduled for Saturday–Sunday, March 6–7, at Victory Heights in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the University of Pittsburgh serving as host.

No. 22 New Mexico Wins First Game as a Ranked Team, Routs Nevada 31-3

Toa Fa’avae led two first-quarter touchdown drives, Scottre Humphrey ran for 107 yards and two scores, and No. 22 New Mexico won the first game in the AP poll in school history, beating Nevada 31-3.

Published

6 hours ago

November 7, 2026

We Speak Media

Nevada defenders line up against No. 22 New Mexico during the Lobos' 31-3 win Friday night at Mackay Stadium in Reno. (Nevada Athletics)

Toa Fa’avae led two first-quarter touchdown drives and No. 22 New Mexico won the first game it has ever played as an AP Top 25 team, beating Nevada 31-3 on Friday night at Mackay Stadium.

The Lobos (8-1, 5-0 Mountain West), who entered the AP poll for the first time in program history this week, scored on their opening possession when Scottre Humphrey capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Kiefer Sibley added a 31-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead, and New Mexico was never threatened. Nevada’s only points came on Jacob Fernandez’s 32-yard field goal in the final minute of the first half.

Humphrey finished with 17 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns, adding a 1-yard score in the third quarter after Brett Karhu sacked Nevada quarterback AJ Bianco, forced a fumble and Darren Agu recovered at the Nevada 5. Fa’avae completed 14 of 20 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown and ran for 34 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Keith early in the fourth quarter. Nick Romero’s 37-yard field goal closed the scoring.

New Mexico’s defense, the nation’s top scoring unit, held Nevada (3-6, 2-3) to minus-9 rushing yards and 97 total yards, forced 10 punts and sacked Bianco four times. The Lobos held the ball for 38 minutes, 36 seconds and rushed for 213 yards as a team. It was also New Mexico’s first win in Reno in the series.

Bianco completed 14 of 31 passes for 106 yards for Nevada. New Mexico remains alone in first place in the Mountain West and hosts UNLV on Nov. 14, when Nevada plays at Northern Illinois.

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