Virginia Tech's Carleigh Wenzel Announces Her Return For Redshirt Senior Season

Carleigh Wenzel is back. The 6-foot guard from San Antonio, Texas, will return to the Hokies next season for her final campaign — her redshirt senior year.

Wenzel committed to Virginia Tech back in February 2021. As a true freshman, she did not play, but she then played in every game of the 2023-24 season, her redshirt freshman campaign.

In that season, Wenzel was a reserve, coming off the bench for all but one game (Clemson). Wenzel averaged 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Her high point came against Marshall in the first round of that year's NCAA Tournament, where she totaled a season-high 12 points, adding six rebounds, seven assists and two blocks.

However, with the graduation of Elizabeth Kitley and the departure of Georgia Amoore and head coach Kenny Brooks to Kentucky, Wenzel was thrust into a main role for the 2024-25 season, the first under new head whistle Megan Duffy.

In year one under the new head coach, Wenzel averaged a team-high 14.0 points and 3.6 assists. Wenzel produced several stellar performances, including games against Georgia Tech (24 points, 10 assists, first career double-double), UNC Asheville (25 points, eight rebounds), Radford (22 points, six made three-pointers) and SMU (16 fourth-quarter points).

In 2025-26, Wenzel took another jump, particularly at the end of the campaign. Though, Wenzel struggled in mid-December, posting sub-.310 shooting splits for six straight games, she found her stride in late January.

On Jan. 2 against Clemson, Wenzel poured in 24 points in 38 minutes, knocking down eight of 14 attempts from the field. Against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, she totaled 19 and 17 points. After her game against the Tigers, Wenzel did not dip below 13 points until the NCAA Tournament.

In the Hokies' first game against Virginia, Wenzel tacked on 23 points before scoring 22 a week later against N.C. State.

Her strongest performance of the season came at Virginia, where Wenzel poured in a career-high 29 points on 8-for-19. Wenzel hit the pair of winning free throws to grant the Hokies an 83-82 victory that essentially booked their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Duffy. In the Round of 64, against eight-seeded Oregon, Wenzel struggled, scoring nine points on a 2-of-12 clip from the field.

With Wenzel returning to the fold, here's what Virginia Tech's 2026-27 roster currently looks like, in regard to eligibility:

Alyssa Latham (Gr.)
Carleigh Wenzel (r-Sr.)
Carys Baker (Sr.)
Mackenzie Nelson (r-Jr.)
Samyha Suffren (r-Jr.)
Leila Wells (Jr.)
Sophie Swanson (Jr.)
Spela Brecelj (So.)
Amani Jenkins (So.)
Aniya Trent (So.)
Kate Sears (r-Fr.)
Kaleo Anderson (Fr.)
Arianna Harris-Mott (Fr.)