Virginia Tech Wrestling: Caleb Henson falls to Ridge Lovett in National Finals Bout
No. 1 Caleb Henson fell to Nebraska No. 2 Ridge Lovett, Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center, in a tight 1-0 loss in the 149-pound title bout.
Henson breezed past the competition over the past few days, with each of his previous four victories coming by at least three points.
His path to the finals included wins over No. 33 Teague Travis (4-0), No. 17 Jaden Abas (5-1), No. 8 Jordan Williams (8-5 SV) and No. 13 Dylan D’Emilio (6-2).
Last season, the junior was nominated for the 2024 ACC Wrestler of the Year and was an ACC finalist in his weight class. He finished the season with a 30-2 record.
Henson finished this season with a near-perfect 27-1 record, including an ACC championship win over North Carolina’s Lachlan McNeil, clinching the victory with a 4-1 sudden victory earlier this month.
Lovett finished the season with a 28-2 record. This marked Lovett’s fourth consecutive NCAA Championship qualification, as he also qualified in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024.
As of now, Nebraska is in second place in the NCAA Team Championships, while Penn State claimed the 2025 NCAA National Championship earlier today. The Nittany Lions won their 12th title under legendary head coach Cael Sanderson.
Earlier Saturday, two more Tech wrestlers were in the consolation bracket at the NCAA Championships. No. 3 Eddie Ventresca defeated No. 8 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh, 10-4, to take fifth place in the 125-pound weight class.
Fellow Hokie Connor McGonagle finished sixth in the 133-pound class, earning All-American honors. McGonagle, a graduate student, transferred to Tech for his final year of eligibility after spending time at Lehigh.
Saturday was a historic day for Henson, as he became the only Hokie to reach the National Championship bouts in back-to-back seasons. He joins former Hokie Mekhi Lewis as the only two Hokies to reach the National Championship finals twice in their careers.
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Connor is a recent graduate from the esteemed Sports Media and Analytics program at Virginia Tech. He first found himself writing for recruiting database Rivals.com for just about two years before moving to Virginia Tech On SI. Connor has interviewed some of the highest-ranking members of Virginia Tech Athletics and looks to one day be a full-time writer covering Manchester United, his favorite soccer team.