Where do I begin? This was a win that was three years in the making and it was important for a few reasons.

1. There have been a lot of twists and turns between Feb. 11, 2017 and last night. Feb. 11, 2017 was not just the last time we had beaten NC State, we also had a different head coach. Shortly after beating Nebraska in the National Duals, Dresser left to take the Iowa State job. Since then, Robie has been steadily building the program and RTC to his liking, with some valuable assistance along the way from Frayer. For the most part, everyone that wrestled in the lineup last night were Robie's "guys". Guys that were either recruited solely by Robie and Co. or have only known a VT wrestling room with Robie leading it. Here's a look at the box score from that night in 2017:

#5 Virginia Tech 20, #8 NC State 14
184: #10 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. #5 Zack Zavatsky; 9-3 - 3-0
197: #3 Jared Haught (VT) dec. #25 Malik McDonald; 8-2 - 3-3
285: #5 Ty Walz (VT) major dec. Michael Boykin; 13-4 - 3-7
125: #4 Joey Dance (VT) major dec. #23 Sean Fausz; 12-3 - 3-11
133: #16 Jamal Morris (NCSU) dec. #30 Dennis Gustafson; 5-4 - 6-11
141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) tech fall Brendan Ryan; 21-6 - 11-11
149: #6 Solomon Chishko (VT) dec. #10 Sam Speno; 8-3 - 11-14
157: #16 Sal Mastriani (VT) dec. #24 Thomas Bullard; 12-6 - 11-17
165: Chad Pyke (NCSU) dec. David Bergida; 13-7 - 14-17
174: #5 R-Jr. Zach Epperly (VT) dec. #33 Nick Reenan; 5-3 - 14-20

Man, Nick Reenan and Thomas Bullard are STILL around! With Bullard even competing for the Pack last night. McFadden was redshirting that season and ZZ graduated in 2019. Point being, this was a statement win for the Tony Robie Era. His guys, his culture, his program. His first win against the conference rival was a hurdle that he has now successfully cleared. I know that this win, his first against the Wolfpack, meant a lot to him.

2. I've said this before on this board but the Cody Brewer Effect can be seen in Latona and Myers. Two guys with two objectives: push the pace and score, score, score. Korbin put on another low single/ankle pick clinic. He's majored three top 15 guys in a row. As for Sam, he took advantage of the one time Camacho glanced at the clock. I thought Camacho was doing a good job getting Sam tied up, preventing any chance at a high c or sweep attempt, up to that point. The minute his mind went elsewhere, Sam was ready.

3. Bryce Andonian is the most exciting VT wrestler in program history.

4. I've gotten the sense that fans and posters on this board wishes Mekhi could turn into Spencer Lee and pin every opponent he faces. He's a national champion and we expect a lot out of him, I understand that. This is the guy that beat Marinelli, Wick and Cenzo (a guy who he nearly pinned) consecutively. I think we should just enjoy the Mekhi ride while it lasts. He goes and wins matches every single time. His strength, speed, defense is what we should enjoy more than how many team points he scores. Plus, he seems like an awesome teammate. I think he's really enjoying his college experience and representing VT. We all know he still prefers folkstyle to freestyle more and I think a part of that is the team aspect. Who was the first guy to greet Sam after sealing the dual? Mekhi Lewis. All the guy does is win matches and is an awesome teammate. What more could you want out of your first national champion and the face of your program?
[Post edited by AllenHokie732 at 02/07/2021 10:10AM]