The Hokies saw strong performances at the 2026 US Open in Las Vegas, with Ryan Burton and Bo Bassett each claiming titles on April 28. Four wrestlers from Virginia Tech placed across two divisions during the event held at The Expo World Exchange Market.
Burton, a redshirt freshman, won his first US Open title in the U20 division at 79 kilograms after entering as the No. 33 seed. He went undefeated over seven matches, including a technical fall victory over top-seeded Zane Gerlach and a decision win against Asher Cunningham of Penn State/NLWC in the finals. By winning his division, Burton earned a bye into the best-of-three World Team finals series scheduled for May 29 in Geneva, Ohio. The winner will represent the United States at the U20 Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia this August.
Incoming freshman Bo Bassett made an impact by winning both Senior and U20 crowns at 65 kilograms. In Senior competition, he defeated NCAA champion Aiden Valencia and national finalist Beau Bartlett before earning a technical fall victory over Joey McKenna to secure his first title of the weekend. Bassett then dominated the U20 bracket by winning all matches by technical fall and outscoring opponents by a wide margin. He is set to compete for spots on both Senior and U20 World Teams next month.
Caleb Henson finished as runner-up in the Senior division’s 70-kilogram final after losing a close match to Ridge Lovett amid several reviews and challenges. With this result, Henson qualifies for next month’s World Team Trials in Louisville, Kentucky with hopes of advancing to Final X for another bout against Lovett.
Jimmy Mullen also reached the podium with a fifth-place finish at 125 kilograms after going five wins and two losses during competition. Mullen avenged an earlier defeat to Koy Hopke of Minnesota along with securing four bonus wins throughout his matches.
The results highlight strong offseason progress for Virginia Tech wrestling athletes as they prepare for upcoming trials that could lead them onto world championship teams.
