CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Virginia wrestling has been hard at work in the offseason, adding three new faces for the 2025-26 season.   

The Hoos finished 6-6 in the 2024-25 season, going 1-5 in the conference.  Despite some strong individual performances at the NCAA Championships, additions will be crucial to keep up. The new faces include a pair of Campbell Camels who have put up excellent numbers in the SOCON and in the NCAA Championships in what is a strong wrestling conference. 

Virginia native Dom Baker won 54 matches in three seasons at Campbell.  He qualified for the NCAA championships in 2024, and finished third at the 2025 SOCON Championships.  Going into his final year, Baker adds a veteran presence at 174 alongside senior Mason Stefanelli.  Baker is a former three-time state champion at the high school level.   

Baker’s Campbell teammate, Wynton Denkins, joins him at Virginia.  In two seasons at Campbell, he won 48 matches, including 33 last year, in which he qualified for the NCAA championships.  He was ranked #30 nationally last year at 149.  Virginia’s other three wrestlers at 149 are all first-years and/or redshirt freshmen.  A standout like Denkins is a welcome addition to Steve Garland’s options at that spot. 

The final new Cavalier, added from the high school ranks, is 2025 Florida state champion Willie White.  The three time all-American posted a perfect 61-0 record in his championship winning season.  White joins a deep roster at 157, and will likely slot in at 165.  He will be able to learn alongside veterans senior Nick Sanko, and junior Michael Murphy.  If White continues his development in college, all signs point to stellar numbers in the ACC, at the national level, and perhaps at the International level, like one of his new Virginia coaches, Ian Parker.