Former Woodland High wrestler and current Virginia Tech sophomore Caleb Henson earned a 15-7 bonus-point win over Michigan’s Austin Gomez to win the 149-pound NCAA championship Saturday night in Kansas City. Penn State won the team national championship, while Henson’s Virginia Tech Hokies finished 7th.
Henson became the second wrestler in Virginia Tech history to win the individual national championship and the first national champion in NCAA wrestling history from the state of Georgia.
Henson, seeded fourth in the tournament, earned five consecutive wins in the national tournament, with victories over opponents from South Dakota State, Oklahoma State, and Maryland. He beat the number one seed from Nebraska Ridge Lovett 1-0 in the semifinals.
By reaching the national championship match, Henson has secured an invitation to the U.S. Olympics trials, which will be held April 19th and 20th at Penn State.