Event: UC Davis at Virginia Duals
Where: Hampton Coliseum – Hampton, Va.
When: Friday and Saturday all day
Who to watch: Sophomore Rory McBryde came up big for the Aggies at the Menlo tournament as he finished in first place at the 184-pound weight class. He helped lead the Aggies to a third-place finish out of 15 teams at the tournament.
The Eagle River, Ala. native did not wrestle much last year, only competing in one dual at San Francisco State and one other tournament.
He is one of the many inexperienced wrestlers for this years’ squad, but is quickly becoming a more featured wrestler for the young Aggie squad.
Did you know: This weekend marks the first time the Aggies have competed in the Virginia Duals since 1994.
Preview: The Aggies will be looking to make a strong impression against a tough field, which features nine ranked teams including yet another shot at No. 4 Oklahoma State.
The Aggies are coming off some strong tournament performances after two tough losses to Arizona State and Oklahoma State to begin the season.
First, the Aggies come in 13th place out of 25 at the Reno tournament.
Ricky Alcala finished second at the heavyweight slot and Barrett Abel finished third in the 149-pound class.
The Aggies continued their solid play at the Menlo Tournament by finishing in third place. Randall Watts and McBryde both finished first in their respective weight divisions.
UC Davis’ performance in the past few tournaments has given some much needed experience to the young group of guys.
The Aggies will get even more experience this weekend as they face a tough field in a well-known tournament. They are looking for strong performances out of their veterans as well as their rookies at the Virginia Duals.
-Kyle Hyland
