The Virginia Way is a popular hashtag phrase used by the University of Virginia's wrestling program whenever it publishes a post on Twitter.
And for Justin McCoy, that way will land at a familiar, but not so familiar, destination next month. On Sunday, the former Chestnut Ridge star and current Cavaliers' sophomore finished as the 157-pound runner-up in the Atlantic Coast Conference championships which were held at N.C. State. Seeded second, McCoy defeated Virginia Tech's Connor Brady, 8-6, in the semifinals before dropping a 12-3 major to top-seeded and former NCAA finalist Hayden Hidlay of the host Wolfpack. As an ACC finalist, McCoy also earned all-conference honors.
The semifinal win was good enough to take McCoy to his second straight NCAA Division I Tournament, which will be held in St. Louis in three weeks.
McCoy is 9-2 this season with both losses to Hidlay. He has been ranked between 15th and 20th at the weight by most publications and was 16th by Intermat prior to the conference tournament.
"The season has gone pretty well so far," McCoy said just a couple of hours after the ACC Tournament. "It's been a little different having a shorter season, but there's some pros and cons to it. I've definitely cherished every match that I've been able to compete in just because it's a short season. I think I've wrestled well, but I'm definitely always looking to improve. I know I have to get better to beat the top kids in the country."
Familiar in that it will be a second time in as many tries to reach college wrestling's marquee event, but not so familiar in that it will be McCoy's first time to step on one of the eight mats at the national championships. After placing fourth in the ACC tourney last year, McCoy was ready to go for the NCAA meet in Minneapolis. However, the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States forced the cancellation of most anything sports related throughout the late winter and spring.
Wrestling can be as much mental as physical, and McCoy hopes a better mindset in 2021 can help him get to where he wants to go.
"An area I think I've improved is my confidence," he said. "I've realized that I can wrestle with anyone in the country, and score from any position. But that's still something I need to keep improving on, especially against the best guys. I think I've also gotten better at re-attacks off of my opponent's offense."
With Covid-19 protocols still limiting attendance and changing the overall atmosphere of events, McCoy has taken it in stride.
"It really has been a lot different without fans. It's a little disappointing, but I try to make the best of it. I just try to focus on myself and what I need to do."
That will be the case in St. Louis, where crowds are expected to be capped at 25-percent of the capacity of the Enterprise Center. Nonetheless, McCoy is set to make final preparations for what he hopes could land him his first NCAA medal.
"I think a lot of the work has already been put in," he said. "My coaches and I will likely break down a lot of film on myself and make sure I'm crisp and ready to go. I'm sure we will also break down film on my first-round opponent."
The brackets for the NCAA Division I Tournament will be released on March 10.
McCoy's former Chestnut Ridge teammate, Jared McGill, also competed in the ACC Tournament on Sunday. A redshirt freshman at Pitt, McGill lost a pair of close bouts to finish his collegiate season. At 174 pounds, McGill dropped an 8-6 overtime decision in the quarterfinals and then was defeated 3-1 by one of McCoy's college teammates, Vic Marcelli, in the consolation semifinals.
