Virginia Wrestling Releases 2012-2013 Schedule

We may still be 19 days from the kickoff of football season, but who says we can't think ahead to winter sports? (especially if Joe Lunardi could release updated Bracketology in August). The Virginia wrestling team announced their 2012-2013 schedule today, and it's a doozy.

From a team dual meet perspective, the schedule is similar to the 2011-2012 version with a few upgrades. The obvious one here is the neutral-site meeting with Iowa, a storied program with 23 national titles to its name, including championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The early-season battle against elite competition will provide a test unlike anything the Cavaliers have seen in recent regular season dual-meets.

Additionally, Coach Steve Garland has added two team tournaments, slotting the Virginia Duals back on the schedule and landing a slot in the National Dual Meet Championship. While the NCAA title is calculated based on the individual performances of each team's wrestlers, this event follows a tournament format in which a champion is crowed based on a series of dual-meets.

The conference part of the schedule doesn't get any easier. While the ACC's six wrestling teams participate in a full round robin, UVA catches 3 of its 5 matches on the road, including both other perennial competitors for the ACC title, Virginia Tech and Maryland.

"This year's schedule is very challenging. There is really no other way to describe it," Coach Garland told VirginiaSports.com. "We have drastically overhauled our schedule. It is much tougher than last year and we are excited to challenge our guys.

Last year, UVA shared the regular-season conference title with the Terps and Hokies and went on to grab second place in the ACC Tournament. The Hoos followed that up with a 28th place performance at the NCAA Championships. Matt Snyder, Nick Nelson and Jon Fausey all claimed ACC titles for Virginia; Nelson and Fausey will return this season, when the tournament will be hosted by the University of Maryland.