Another national title for Virginia Tech wrestling was added to the trophy case Saturday night, as fourth-ranked Caleb Henson claimed the 149-pound weight class national title by defeating sixth-ranked Austin Gomez of Michigan 15-7 at T-Mobile Center.
The sophomore from Cartersville, Georgia becomes just the second Hokie to accomplish the feat on the mat, joining Mekhi Lewis (2019; 165 pounds) and the first national champion hailing from Georgia. Henson is also just the fourth Hokie and just the fifth time for a Hokie to make an NCAA finals appearance.
Henson was relentless all bout from the first whistle. The Hokie would surrender the first takedown but would work a quick escape before hitting a bodylock off a Gomez attack for the five-point move to put him up 6-3. Henson would add four more points with a suck back for four back points to increase the lead still in the first period.
Gomez would get an escape before Henson countered a cement mixer to go up 13-4 with 1:17 riding time at the end of the first. The Hokie would rack another escape to start the third to increase his lead even more. Another attack by Gomez would cut the lead but the Hokie worked another escape to lead 15-7 at the end of the second period. Gomez would elect neutral to begin the final frame.
Despite numerous scoring attempts the score stood at 15-7 as the Hokie star and newly minted champion defeated Michigan’s multiple-time All-American and 2024 Olympian on an unforgettable Saturday night in T-Mobile Center.
Last season, Henson would win his first bout then rattle off five victories on the backside to find the podium after a second-round loss. This year, Henson would take the direct path to the podium and began his championship run with a dominant win over No. 29 Alek Martin of South Dakota State with a 18-3 tech fall in the opening round with an offensive burst of five takedowns and two-point nearfall to pick up the victory.
The Hokie would advance to the Round of 16 to face a familiar foe from their high school careers in No. 20 Jordan Williams of Oklahoma State. Henson would tally two takedowns and an escape in a controlling bout, making his way to the quarterfinals.
Waiting for him was Big 12 champion, No. 7 Ty Watters of West Virginia with the winner securing All-American honors and a ticket to the semifinals. Henson would strike first with a takedown, but Watters would keep it interesting with a reversal to bring the score within one in the third period. The Hitman would keep on the gas and garner an escape before racking another takedown to ice the bout and advance to the semifinals while picking up his second All-America status in the process.
Awaiting in the semifinals was No. 1 and former national finalist, Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett. The two had one previous meeting, a controversial 4-3 victory for the Cornhusker in this year’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals back in December.
Henson could pick no better time to flip the script as the stakes could not be higher. It was a chess match of a first period with multiple scoring attacks from Henson and heavy handfighting but just couldn’t find a score as the opening period ended. Henson would select neutral to begin the second and it was more of the same with Henson just seconds from scoring yet again as time expired. With their previous matchup in mind – a riding time point proved to be the difference in Las Vegas – Lovett elected to begin the third period on top.
The Hokie would strike with an escape to take the lead with just under one minute remaining. Henson would still threaten with potential attacks, but the escape would be the lone score, sending him to the finals for the first time in his young career.
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