Niceville, FL - The Hofstra wrestling team began its stay at the Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals with a pair of defeats to opponents ranked inside the top 10 of the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division I Coaches Poll. The Pride fell 35-3 to #8 Virginia Tech before suffering a 42-4 defeat to #6 Arizona State from Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.

Michael Leandrou gave Hofstra (2-5) its first win of the day against the eighth-ranked Hokies at 149 pounds. Trailing 1-0 against Kylan Montgomery entering the third period, Leandrou escaped from the bottom position to tie the score before taking Montgomery to the mat with a single-leg takedown. He fought through Montgomery's defense and scored the two points with 21 seconds left. Leandrou kept his opponent on the mat and earned his first dual match win of the season by 3-1 decision.

Virginia Tech (4-2) jumped out to a 15-0 lead with wins by major decision at 125, tech fall at 133, and decision at 141, before Leandrou put Hofstra on the board with three team points at 149 pounds. The Hokies would win the remaining matches to pick up its fourth team win of the season.

Against #6 Arizona State (3-0), #25 Charles Small was victorious at 184 pounds, winning by 10-1 major decision over Jacob Ortiz. He scored takedowns against Ortiz in every period and allowed his opponent an escape point in the third period en route to his eighth win of the season. The Sun Devils would win the first seven matches of the contest before Small's win, and they would secure major decision wins at 197 and 285 pounds to close out the dual.

Arizona State and Virginia Tech squared off in the dual immediately following the Hofstra-Arizona State dual, and the Sun Devils pulled out a 23-13 win over the Hokies.

The Pride will return to the mat tomorrow (Dec. 21) for the second day of the Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals. Depending on matches with the other teams in the Blue Pool, Hofstra will face one of #2 Penn State, #11 Cornell, or #22 Northern Iowa.

NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 1-3 all-time against Virginia Tech and 0-1 all-time against Arizona State in dual matches.
-Hofstra has now wrestled against four nationally-ranked opponents this season.
 
#8 Virginia Tech 35, Hofstra 3
125: #16 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) maj. dec. Jacob Moon (Hofstra), 11-2
133: #4 Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) tech fall Ty Cymmerman (Hofstra), 18-2 (7:00)
141: #31 Collin Gerardi (Virginia Tech) dec. Justin Hoyle (Hofstra), 4-1
149: Michael Leandrou (Hofstra) dec. Kylan Montgomery (Virginia Tech), 3-1
157: #22 Connor Brady (Virginia Tech) dec. Joe McGinty (Hofstra), 6-3
165: Clayton Ulrey (Virginia Tech) WBF Mario Biancamano (Hofstra), 0:55
174:  #4 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) tech fall Ericson Velasquez (Hofstra), 16-0 (3:10)
184: #9 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) dec. #25 Charles Small (Hofstra), 6-3
197: Dakota Howard (Virginia Tech) dec. #26 Trey Rogers (Hofstra), 5-3
285: #14 Nathan Traxler (Virginia Tech) dec. #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra), 7-1
 
#6 Arizona State 42, Hofstra 4
125: #3 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) WBF Dylan Acevedo-Switzer (Hofstra), 4:11
133: #14 Michael McGee (Arizona State) wins by forfeit.
141: #15 Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) dec. Justin Hoyle (Hofstra), 14-9
149: #5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) tech fall Michael Leandrou (Hofstra), 17-0 (4:40)
157: #3 Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) tech fall Joe McGinty (Hofstra), 18-3 (4:17)
165: #6 Anthony Valenca (Arizona State) WBF Mario Biancamano (Hofstra), 0:27
174: Zane Coleman (Arizona State) dec. Ross McFarland (Hofstra), 5-2
184: #25 Charles Small (Hofstra) maj. dec. Jacob Ortiz (Arizona State), 10-1
197: #8 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State) maj. dec. #25 Trey Rogers (Hofstra), 14-3
285: #3 Cohlton Schulz (Arizona State) maj. dec. #20 Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra), 12-3