BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Newberry College wrestling team opened the season with one of the No. 19 Wolves' toughest challenges of the season, dropping a 41-9 dual to the Division I No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies in Cassell Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

Virginia Tech wrestled a full-strength lineup, with five grapplers ranked in the top 12 nationally at their weight class. The Division I squad picked up five pins and a technical fall, but the Wolves acquitted themselves well in multiple classes.

After the dual started at 157 lbs., junior college transfer Lukas Gilmore (Greenville, Mich.) picked up a win via a 9-7 decision over Tech's Chris Moon, who came into the match ranked No. 19 in the Division I rankings at 165 lbs.

Newberry's other victory in the dual was an emphatic one, as Nick Lankford (Braselton, Ga.) moved into a position of dominance late in the second period, earning a win by fall at the 4:56 mark over Nick Anderson.

The 10 Wolves who wrestled Saturday will be joined by select teammates on Sunday in the Hokie Open on the Virginia Tech campus.

#12 Virginia Tech (1-0) 41; #19 Newberry (0-1) 9

157: #6 Nick Brascetta (VT) tech fall Chad Wood, 24-6 (6:26)

165: Lukas Gilmore (N) dec. #19 Chris Moon, 9-7

174: #12 Zach Epperly (VT) fall #6 Joe Pittman, 3:40

184: Austin Gabel (VT) dec. #4 Jared Holliday, 10-5

197: Jared Haught (VT) fall Cody Brundage, 3:09

285: #11 Ty Walz (VT) fall Matt Colter, 2:34

125: #4 Joey Dance (VT) fall Trung Duong, 3:25

133: Kevin Norstrem (VT) dec. Austin Williams, 12-7

141: Nick Lankford (N) fall Nick Anderson, 4:56

149: #3 Devin Carter (VT) fall Codi Rothermel, 2:02

All Newberry rankings are Division II rankings

Date: Nov. 8, 2014 • Cassell Coliseum • Blacksburg, Va.

Referee: Steven Curtis

Attendance: 1,474