LEXINGTON, Va. March 12, 2025 — Virginia Military Institute’s wrestling and basketball teams saw Southern Conference honors while in Asheville, North Carolina, last weekend.  

VMI wrestling ended the 2024-25 season with two Keydets placing fourth in the Southern Conference Wrestling Championship March 8 at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Kimmel Arena, according to VMI Athletics.

Braxton Lewis ’26 qualified for the consolation finals but had to medically forfeit before the match. Heavyweight Josh Evans ’25 was matched with Bellarmine University's Daulton Mayer but was defeated by a 4-0 decision. As a team, the Keydets earned seventh place with 10.5 points.  

“We are very proud of these two and the grit they showed throughout the Southern Conference tournament,” head coach Jim Gibson said. “Their hard work, discipline, and determination were displayed, and their placements are a testament to hours of work they’ve put in. Josh finished his career at VMI on a high note, and we are excited for Braxton to return even stronger.” 

Also making it to the consolation semifinals was Toby Schoffstall ’27, making it to the semifinal before he was taken down. Despite dropping the first matchup, Schoffstall posted a major decision in the consolation bracket to advance to the semifinal where he was taken down by fall, VMI Athletics shared. 

Read more here. 

VMI basketball qualified for the semifinals for the first time since the 2020-21 season after a win March 8 in Asheville, according to VMI Athletics. 

Going in as the No. 7 seed, the Keydets played the tournament quarterfinals against University of North Carolina Greensboro, the No. 2 seed, coming out with a 64-57 win in order to advance to the semifinals March 9. VMI fell to Wofford College 85-65 in the semifinals.

VMI previously won two SoCon Tournament games to advance to the semifinals in 2002-03 season. Though, VMI basketball earned two tournament wins in 2011-12 as members of the Big South, VMI Athletics said. 

Read more here.

"We fought through a lot of adversity tonight, as we have all season. To hold this UNC Greensboro team to 57 points — what a defensive effort from our guys,” VMI basketball head coach Andrew Wilson told VMI Athletics after the game on March 8. “We knew this was going to be a rock fight. That's the way they play. This is a great moment for our guys. I told them in the locker room, there's not a group of kids in college basketball who deserve this moment as much as our guys, and I'm so proud of them.”  

- VMI -