FOREST, Va. – The Roanoke College wrestling team was selected Thursday by coaches in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) as the preseason favorite to capture the conference title for the fourth straight year.
In the preseason poll, Roanoke received six first-place votes and 36 points. Washington and Lee earned one first-place vote and 31 points, while Averett followed with 26 points.
The Maroons enter the year with a dominant conference dual record: 7-0 in the ODAC last season, 13-0 over the past two years, and 18-1 since the league restarted duals.
On the individual front, six Roanoke wrestlers were picked to win their weight-class titles in the preseason projections. Graduate student Mac Cafurello was selected at 125 pounds, senior Jude Robson at 133 pounds, junior national champion Mark Samuel at 141 pounds, junior Taylor Smith at 149 pounds, junior Casey Smith at 157 pounds, and sophomore Xavier Preston at 174 pounds.
Samuel captured the national title at 141 pounds last season, becoming the second straight Roanoke wrestler to win a national championship.
The Maroons will look to carry that momentum into the new season as they aim to add another ODAC crown to the program’s growing legacy.