Virginia Tech @ NC State

NC State topped Virginia Tech 20-12 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh on February 23, 2024, picking up an eight-point dual victory in ACC competition. The margin came down to one big bonus result that broke open a competitive meet.

The defining bout came at 197 pounds, where Trent Hidlay of NC State ran up an 18-3 technical fall over Virginia Tech’s Andy Smith. That tech fall produced five team points and provided the decisive scoring swing in a dual that otherwise featured close encounters. Hidlay’s bonus secured a cushion that NC State could protect down the stretch.

Outside of that bonus, the dual remained tightly contested, with neither team able to pile up multiple bonus victories. Because Hidlay delivered the lone listed bonus-point triumph, his performance was the clear turning point that separated the Wolfpack from the Hokies.

In the end NC State held on for the 20-12 win in Raleigh, a result that underscored the value of bonus-point bouts in dual meet scoring. With one high-impact victory accounting for a large portion of the team’s total, Hidlay’s technical fall was the key moment that decided the night.