The Keydets will open the season at the Hokie Open, hosted by Virginia Tech at the Salem Civic Center on Nov. 7. It will mark the third consecutive year VMI has participated in the event, and will be followed on the squad’s slate by the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia, Pa. on Nov. 21.
VMI then takes part in its first dual of the year, a rematch from last year’s contest with Franklin & Marshall, located in Lancaster, Pa. Last season, the Keydets won in a rout, 33-10, sparked by a technical fall by David Yost, and this year’s battle is set for Saturday, Dec. 4. Coach John Trudgeon’s squad then remains in Pennsylvania for the following day, as the team is scheduled to participate in the Nittany Lion Open, hosted by Penn State in State College, Pa. No current Keydets have ever competed at that event, as VMI has not attended the meet since 2007.
VMI then has a single dual, taking on Gardner-Webb (Dec. 10), before competing at the Southern Scuffle (Dec. 29-30) and the Virginia Duals (Jan. 7-8). The home opener finally comes on Friday, Jan. 14, as the Keydets welcome the Wolfpack of N.C. State to the Thunderdome, before VMI travels to Charlottesville for an intriguing tri-meet. The Keydets will wrestle not only host Virginia, but will also take on the University of Pennsylvania on Jan. 16.
The next dual is a return home to the Thunderdome, as the George Mason Patriots come to Cocke Hall on Jan. 20. They will be followed by The Citadel Bulldogs, who will open VMI’s Southern Conference season on Jan. 28. All told, the Keydets will have three of their five home matches in a two-week span, stretching from Jan. 14 through Jan. 28.
SoCon action continues the following Friday, as VMI travels to Davidson (Feb. 4) before participating in the All-Academy Championships, hosted by The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. on Feb. 6. Last year’s All-Academies were incomplete, as Army was unable to travel to the meet due to severe winter weather on the east coast. This year, however, all teams are expected to return for the much-anticipated meet.
Three of VMI’s final four duals are Southern Conference matchups, with a trip across the Blue Ridge Mountains to Liberty (Feb. 13) being the lone exception. Appalachian State enters Cocke Hall on Feb. 11, as does UNC Greensboro on Feb. 18. Finally, the Keydets wrap up their regular season in Chattanooga, Tenn., taking on Chattanooga on Feb. 20. The SoCon Championships will be in Boone, N.C. on March 5, while the NCAA Championships, which VMI’s Josh Wine has qualified for two of the previous three seasons, will be held March 17-19 in Philadelphia, Pa.
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