The Virginia Tech wrestling team, which finished 20-4 and ranked a program-high sixth in the country, also finished in the top 10 nationally in average home attendance, as released Monday. The Hokies, who averaged 1,662 fans per home event, finished eighth nationally only behind such long-time legendary programs as Iowa, Penn State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and others.

Additionally, Tech’s record crowd of 3,378 for the Virginia match is the largest crowd in the south for a wrestling match in over 30 years (and the second-largest ever in the south). Auburn had 5,000 fans at a match against Oklahoma in 1980.

Below are the averages for the top 10 squads, attendance-wise:

1 Iowa: 8,209
2 Penn State: 5,456  
3 Minnesota: 4,600
4 Oklahoma State: 2,741
5 Iowa State: 2,390
6 Lehigh: 1,904
7 Cornell: 1,692
8 Virginia Tech: 1,662
9 Ohio State: 1,521
10 Rutgers: 1,500

The Hokies will head to Charlottesville this weekend for the ACC Championships, held Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.

The NCAA wrestling powers have released the LIVE wrestling coverage times for this weekend's NCAA Championships beginning today.

Thursday Coverage beginning at 11 AM CST on ncaa.com.  This will be a live stream of both Round 1 and Round 2 action.  Round 2 begins at 6:30 PM CST.  NCAA.com will provide up to the minute coverage all weekend.
Friday Morning Coverage begins at 9:30 AM CST for Quarterfinal Action.  Coverage will be on ESPNU and ESPN360.com.  ESPN360.com coverage will allow the viewer to watch all four matches of each weight.  ESPNU will feature one match.

Friday Night Semi Final Coverage begins at 6:00 PM CST and will be also covered by ESPNU AND ESPN360.com
Saturday Morning Medal Round Coverage begins at 10:00 AM CST and will be covered by ESPNU AND ESPN360.
Saturday Night Final Round Coverage will begin at 6:30 PM CST by ESPN!

Former Virginia Tech wrestling coach Jerry Cheynet will be inducted into the Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at the annual Hall of Fame dinner on April 17. Cheynet is one of six inductees in this year’s class.

The event begins at 4 p.m., and will held at the The Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center in Glen Allen, Va.

Cheynet is the all-time winningest coach in Tech wrestling history, compiling a 188-167-6 record from 1974-96. He is joined in this class by Jack Harcourt (Ocean Lakes HS), Kevin Michaels (Kellam HS), Mike Moyer (George Mason University/NWCA), John Pegues (Fauquier HS/Official) and F.D. “Red” Robertson (Grundy Wrestling Club).

The Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame was established in 1995 to support the mission of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in general and to implement its goals at the grassroots level by recognizing those individuals who have made significant local and statewide contributions to the sport of wrestling in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Stillwater, Okla., adjacent to the campus of Oklahoma State University and was established in 1976.

Virginia Tech wrestling signee Andrew Clement took third place at the National High School Coaches Association senior nationals at the Virginia Beach Convention Center this past weekend to earn All-America status in the top folkstyle tournament in the country.

Clement, from Grassfield High in Chesapeake, beat two opponents ranked in the top 10 nationally – two-time New Jersey champion Brendan Ard and Pennsylvania champ Caleb Kolb – to finish third in the 171-pound class. Clement recently won a Virginia Group AAA state title to make him a three-time state champion (two AA titles at Christiansburg High).

Other signees competing at the prestigious tournament that featured almost 600 state champions included Eric Spjut of Texas (130 pounds) and John Hayden Countryman of Alabama (152 pounds). Football signee Andrew Miller of Bassett, Va., also participated. Several invited walk-ons for Tech also participated.

Countryman won his fifth Alabama state title this year, capping a 267-9 career record with 182 pins. Miller won a Virginia Group AA title to cap a 47-2 season. Spjut recently won his third Texas state championship.

The entry sheets have been sent in. The pre-seeds will be done soon and the brackets will be set Friday night. Things are rolling along smoothly as Virginia Tech prepares to host the 2009 ACC Wrestling Championships Saturday at Cassell Coliseum. While a full preview and the brackets will be available by Friday night, here are a few links to keep in mind for Saturday.

The main ACC Championship page can be found here.

Live brackets, which will be updated within minutes of the completion of a match, can be found off that page, or directly at this link.

ACC Select coverage will begin at 1 p.m., for the semifinals and will continue for the rest of the day.

Doors will open at 10 a.m., on Saturday and action begins at 11 o'clock. Tickets will be on sale at the door only and fans will be allowed re-entry with wristbands they will receive when they buy their ticket.

Virginia Tech freshman wrestler Jarrod Garnett is in the spotlight this week as he is featured on TheACC.com as part of its "Getting to Know" segment. Check out what the nationally ranked 125-pounder like to listen to before a match, find out what instrument he used to play and other interesting tidbits by visiting TheACC.com.

Several teams will be playing at home this weekend. Here’s a look at the marketing and promotions schedule for those events.

Friday: Volleyball vs NC State, 7 pm, Cassell Coliseum
The first 500 children (under the age of 18) to the match will receive a FREE Tech Autograph Book. Please go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of the concourse to pick up your autograph book. All fans are invited to participate in a HokieBird photo opportunity with the HokieBird from 6-6:45 pm (photographs will be emailed to you the following week). Please go to the Spring Road side of the concourse to participate. All fans are invited to participate in an autograph session with the volleyball team and the HokieBird following the match.

Friday: Men’s Soccer vs. Boston College, 7 pm, Thompson Field
Come out and support the seniors as they plays their final match as Hokies at Thompson Field! Free Virginia Tech gloves will be given out to the first 200 fans in attendance at the marketing booth inside the front gate. Don't forget to watch the High Techs perform at halftime!

Saturday: Volleyball vs. North Carolina, 6 pm, Cassell Coliseum
The first 200 fans to the match will receive a FREE HokieBird Bobble Head Doll. Please go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of the concourse to pick up your bobble head doll.

Sunday: Wrestling vs. George Mason, 5 pm, Cassell Coliseum
The first 200 fans will receive a free VT hat and free coupon to redeem at the concessions stand for a large popcorn and soda. Please go to the marketing table located on the Spring Road side of Cassell to receive your hat and coupon.

Additionally, the cross country teams will be in action Saturday as they host the Hokie Open Race at 9 am. The swimming & diving teams host Clemson Saturday at 11 am at War Memorial Pool. And the women’s soccer team is in action Friday night, taking on Virginia in the ACC Semifinals at 7:30 pm. Catch Jerry Massey’s call on hokietv.com.

InterMat Wrestling, one of the top wrestling Web sites around, has released its final ranking for the 2008 signing classes with Virginia Tech coming in at 14th nationally. Here’s what the site had to say about Tech’s class:

“Kevin Dresser’s rebuilding job is still in the works. After starting as many as nine true or redshirt freshmen in the line-up last season, He’ll have another incoming class of wrestlers with loads of accolades, but still are under the proverbial radar. The best of the class is either Georgia’s Peter Yates, the Beast of the East Champ, or National Prep champion Brock Livorio of Kiski Prep in Pennsylvania. Jarrod Garnett of Delaware had his senior season slowed due to injury, but is still very good. Schuyler Swanton of Florida has some good credentials, while Ohio’s Jesse Dong is a kid who finds ways to win. Virginia’s Brian Wood shoots down 81 from the Roanoke area.”

Virginia Tech associate head wrestling coach Tony Robie was inducted into the Edinboro University Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday night at the 27th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet at McComb Fieldhouse. The 10 new members bring the Edinboro Hall of Fame membership to 183 inductees.

The 2008 inductees include: former baseball standout Brad Aurila; former football standout Mike Barnes; Bob Kaufman, who made his mark in wrestling; Tyrone Mason, a former men's basketball standout; former football player Jeremy O'Day; Stephanie Radecki, a former volleyball standout; and former wrestling standouts Tony Robie and Jason Robison. In addition to the eight student-athlete inductees, the Athletic Hall of Fame will induct Jim Camp as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, and Jack Swope as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. 

For the entire story, click here.

Longtime Virginia Tech wrestling coach Jerry Cheynet, who also coached men's golf, men's soccer and women's soccer during his nearly 30-year in his tenure, will be honored by Tech head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser at Saturday's match with Chattanooga.

Cheynet served as the head wrestling coach from 1975-95, compiling a record of 188-161-6, the most wins by any coach in the program's history. He was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 1993 after the Hokie grapplers captured the CAA championship. In addition, Cheynet directed the golf team from 1980 through 1983, leading the team to a state intercollegiate title in 1980.

Cheynet has played a huge role in the development of the Hokies' men's soccer program. He took over the head coaching role in the program's third year at the varsity level in 1974. As the head coach, he compiled a record of 238-213-37 during his career at Tech. Cheynet was honored in 1997 as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.

In 2002, Cheynet took over as interim head coach of the Virginia Tech women's soccer team after the departure of Sam Okpodu.

A native of Wichita, Kan., Cheynet attended Kansas State University and competed in soccer and wrestling. He received All-America honors in wrestling during his senior year with the Wildcats. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1966 and received a master's from KSU in 1967.

All former Tech wrestlers who competed under him are encouraged to make it back to Blacksburg for Saturday's special event. The match begins at 7 p.m., at Cassell Coliseum and admission is free.

Come out to see the wrestling team host UNC Greensboro on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum, and you could be a part of the biggest promotion of the year!

Sign up at the marketing table located on the concourse near the Spring Road entrance for your chance to enter the Roll The Dice Contest. Once lucky contestant will have the chance to roll three dice. If all three dice come up with the VT logo, you have won $10,000.

It is also VT Faculty/Staff night, with numerous prizes to go around.

For tennis fans, come to the women’s match against Ohio State at noon, and if you are among the first 75 in attendance, receive a free pair of VT winter gloves.

Visit the promotions page here for more information.

Freshman Tommy Spellman was recently named the Virginia Tech Athlete of the Week and the ACC Wrestler of the Week after helping the Hokies record an upset win over rival Virginia on Jan. 27th by score of 18-16. At 184 pounds, the Newton, N.J., native beat 10th-ranked Rocco Caponi 5-2 to lead the Hokies effort. Caponi entered the match with a 30-1 record. Spellman also picked up a 3-1 sudden-victory win over UNC's Nick Tenpenny the day before. Here is a brief Q&A with Spellman:

• What were your thoughts going into the match against the No. 10-ranked Rocco Caponi?

“I was just excited to have the opportunity to wrestle a guy that was ranked that high in the nation. Going into the match, my game plan was to slow him down and keep it close until the end. I felt as though he got tired late in the match and I scored a late takedown to win.”

• Was there a turning point during the match when you thought you could pull off the upset? What did it feel like afterwards?

“I believe the turning point was in the second period. I was able to ride him for over a minute and pick up a riding-time point, which I knew would be important. Then when I could feel him getting tired, I got a boost of energy. I felt great afterward that I could contribute to the team’s huge upset.”

• How big of a win was this for the team as a whole? Was there a bout that shifted the momentum to where you guys were confident you could win?

“This was a big win for the team. To have a team as young as we are beat a team like UVA, it proved that we can compete with the best in the ACC. There were many huge bouts that we were not supposed to win on paper, but that we did, such as Kevin O'Connor beating 15th-ranked Brent Jones at 197 and Chris Diaz coming back from an eight-point deficit to pick up a crucial pin. The entire team wrestled very well.”

• What are your thoughts on being named the ACC Wrestler of the Week?

“It is a great honor to be named ACC Wrestler of the Week and I am very thankful, but there is still a lot of season left so it is certainly nothing to dwell on.”

Former Virginia Tech All-American David Hoffman will take over as Dan Wirnsberger's top assistant on the Bucknell wrestling staff, Wirnsberger announced on Monday. Hoffman's promotion comes after he spent his first season with the Bison coaching the varsity lightweights and helping guide 133-pounder David Marble to an appearance at the NCAA Championships in 2007.

Hoffman, a Spring City, Pa. native, graduated from Tech in 2006 where he was a four-time NCAA Championship qualifier and an All-American his senior year. During his career with the Hokies, Hoffman compiled a record of 116-32, including 19 major decisions, five technical falls and 38 falls. He also earned Freshman All-America honors from Amateur Wrestling News in 2002.