Moisey Named Student-Athlete of the Week

March 19, 2018 03:25 PM | Baseball, General, Golf, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: WVU Athletic Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following an eighth-place finish in the 125-pound pool of the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, West Virginia University redshirt junior Zeke Moisey has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

No. 13 seed Moisey earned his team-leading 26th win of the season on Friday evening, as he upset No. 7 seed Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley in the fourth round of wrestle-backs to earn All-America status for the second time in his career. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native became the first Mountaineer to earn All-America honors twice since Brandon Rader in 2006 and 2007.

Moisey, a three-time NCAA Qualifier, returned to the spotlight for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2015. He scored a team-high 5.5 points for the Mountaineers, helping WVU finish in 30th place overall with 11.5 team points. Of note, WVU placed 57th at least year's tournament, finishing 27 spots higher in this year's final standings.

The 125-pound grappler posted a 4-3 overall record at the three-day tournament. He now has a team-best eight wins in NCAA Tournament action throughout his career.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia will host James Madison in the WNIT Third Round … the Mountaineers welcome the Dukes to the WVU Coliseum on Thursday … tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: The Mountaineers went 2-0 in the opening rounds of the WNIT … on Thursday, West Virginia thrashed Bucknell, 83-50, in the first round of action … senior forward Teana Muldrow had a team-high 20 points, as four players finished in double figures … fellow senior forward Kristina King finished with 13 points, while senior guard Chania Ray added 12 … WVU shot 50 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from beyond the arc … the Mountaineers went on to top Saint Joseph's, 79-51, on Sunday in the second round … junior guard Naomi Davenport scored 18 points to lead the way … Muldrow netted her 24th career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Notes: Muldrow moved into fourth place all-time in career scoring with 1,757 career points, surpassing Talisha Hargis … she also moved into sole possession of fourth place with 947 career rebounds, breaking a tie with Lanay Montgomery … Muldrow recorded two blocks to pass Lori Wilson and move into fifth place all-time with 137 … Ray passed Christie Ammons and Mandy Ronay to move into seventh place with 444 career assists … Katrina Pardee tied Rebecca Burbridge for ninth all-time with 168 3-pointers.

This Week in Gymnastics: The No. 25-ranked Mountaineers travel to Ames, Iowa, for the 2018 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship, set for a 5 p.m. EST start inside Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum.

Last Week in Gymnastics: WVU (13-10, 0-3) tallied a season-best score and swept the competition with a first place, 196.775 showing at Towson's five-team meet on March 18 … No. 23 NC State finished second (196.55), while the host Tigers placed third (196.4), Cornell finished fourth (193.475) and William & Mary finished fifth (192.825) … WVU finished first outright on balance beam and vault with scores of 49.25, a season high, and 49.15, respectively … the team tied for first on uneven bars with a 49.15 and placed third on floor with a 49.3 … senior Zaakira Muhammad won the all-around with a career-high 39.575 … she also finished first on beam outright with a career-best 9.925 and tied for first on bars with a career-high matching 9.9 … junior Kirah Koshinski matched her vault career high of 9.95 and won the event outright … she also tied for first on floor with a 9.925.

Notes: WVU's win over NCSU was its first victory over a ranked team this season … the 2018 Mountaineers are the first team in program history to score 196.0 or better in three road meets in one season … WVU's score ranks no. 9 in program history and is the team's top road mark since 2004 … Muhammad's all-around score matches the sixth-best mark in program history and WVU's top all-around score since 2004 … senior Jordan Gillette scored a season-high 9.875 on beam and finished fourth … sophomore Abby Kaufman matched her floor career high with a 9.85 … Muhammad matched her vault career high of 9.9 and placed second … Gillette also set a career high on bars with a 9.85 … WVU is ranked in the Road to Nationals Rankings for the fourth time this season and the first time since sitting at No. 24 in the Jan. 22 rankings.

This Week in Track and Field: West Virginia is off this week.

Last Week in Track and Field: The Mountaineers opened the 2018 outdoor schedule at the 49er Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina, from March 16-17 … WVU earned three top-10 finishes at the two-day meet, highlighted by senior Sara Finfrock's victory in the women's pole vault … Finfrock earned a mark of 3.90 meters (12 feet, 9.5 inches) to claim the win … senior Rebekah Lafata placed fourth in the pole vault with a mark of 3.50 meters (11 feet, 6.75 inches) … freshman McKenna Smith took 10th place in the women's 400 meters in 57.02.

Notes: Finfrock's victory was the third of her collegiate career, including her first in an outdoor meet … the weekend meet marked the second consecutive season in which the Mountaineers opened their outdoor campaign in Charlotte … Antigone Archer, Michaela Ashford, Abby Colbert, Ellie Gardner, Mikayla Shute, Smith and Bree Warren all made their Mountaineer outdoor debuts last weekend … WVU next competes at a pair of meets from March 30-31, as the team travels to the Raleigh Relays and the Stanford Invitational.

This Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers have concluded their 2017-18 season.

Last Week in Wrestling: Three Mountaineers competed in the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, last week … redshirt junior Zeke Moisey finished the three-day tournament with a 4-3 overall record, earning an eighth-place finish in the 125-pound pool … No. 13 seed Moisey posted his team-leading 26th win of the season on Friday evening, as he upset No. 7 seed Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley in the fourth round of wrestle-backs to earn All-America status for the second time in his career … redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith (197) and redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) both recorded a 2-2 mark at the NCAA Tournament, as their runs came to an end in the third round of wrestle-backs on Friday afternoon … West Virginia finished in 30th place overall with 11.5 team points.

Notes: WVU has qualified 13 wrestlers to the national tournament in the Sammie Henson era … with three Mountaineers qualifying for the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, West Virginia boasts 179 national qualifiers since 1979, when the NCAA implemented the current qualification system … of note, WVU placed 57th at least year's tournament, finishing 27 spots higher in this year's final standings … the Mountaineers have earned All-America accolades 31 times at the NCAA Championships and have posted 16 top-25 finishes at the event since 1929 … Moisey, a native of Northampton, Pennsylvania, became the first Mountaineer to earn All-America honors twice since Brandon Rader won it in 2006 and 2007 … the 125-pound grappler now has a team-best eight wins in NCAA Tournament action throughout his career ... Smith, a four-time NCAA Qualifier, racked up 92 career wins in a Mountaineer singlet, just three wins shy of an appearance on WVU's all-time career wins list … Schmitt, a native of Platte City, Missouri, recorded a 2-2 mark at his first-ever NCAA Tournament, completing his first season in a Mountaineer singlet with a 23-14 record to rank second on the team.

Coach Sammie Henson following the 2018 NCAA Championships: "I'm so proud of the way our men competed. There were some tough matches throughout the day, but it was truly special to share that moment with Zeke for a second time. I can't imagine how he feels with all he has been through. This has been a good year, and we are moving in the right direction with ta style of wrestling that Mountaineers can be proud of. Mountaineer wrestling has a bright future, and I want to thank the fans, alumni, administration and my support staff for all they do."

This Week in WVU Baseball: West Virginia concludes its opening homestand on Tuesday vs. La Salle before beginning Big 12 play at Oklahoma this weekend … the Mountaineers host La Salle on Tuesday, March 20, at 3 p.m. ET at Monongalia County Ballpark … it is a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concessions available for just $1, and fans can play Baseball Bingo … tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum or on game day at Monongalia County Ballpark … this weekend, WVU travels to Oklahoma to open conference play from March 23-25 … first pitch on Friday, March 23, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT at L. Dale Mitchell Park … the series continues on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT, before the finale at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on Sunday.

Last Week in WVU Baseball: Last week, West Virginia went 2-3, wrapping up a five-game, seven-day roadtrip with a midweek series loss at Tennessee Tech before a weekend series win over Canisius at home … WVU lost at Tennessee Tech, 8-0 on March 13, its first shutout of the season … the midweek series concluded with a 9-1 defeat on March 14 as Jimmy Galusky hit his fifth home run of the year … the midweek contests were the Mountaineers' first of the season and the only time this year they will play two midweek contests in a week … in its home opener, West Virginia walked off against Canisius, 10-9 on March 16, as Isaiah Kearns singled home the game-winning run in the ninth after Brandon White hit a three-run home run in the seventh … the next day, the Mountaineers shut out the Golden Griffins, 2-0, to win the series, as Chase Illig homered in the first and the pitching staff held CC to three hits … WVU rallied in the ninth inning in Sunday's series finale, but could not complete the sweep in a 4-3 loss.

Notes: West Virginia is 9-9 on the season and is 2-1 at home after playing its first home games of the season this weekend … WVU has won three consecutive weekend series … the Mountaineers have scored in the first inning in seven of their first 18 games, while they have scored first on 11 occasions … WVU has hit a home run in all but three games this season … West Virginia improved to 4-0 in home openers at Monongalia County Ballpark, with three walk-off wins … Jimmy Galusky hit his fifth home run of the season and 10th of his career on March 14 … Brandon White hit his first career home run and Andrew Zitel hit his first home run of the season and second of his career on March 16 … Isaiah Kearns recorded his first career walk-off hit on Friday … Shane Ennis improved to a team-best 3-1 on the season on Friday … Alek Manoah shut out Canisius in 7.0 innings and earned his first win of the year on March 17 … Chase Illig hit his seventh career home run and fourth of the season on Saturday … Sam Kessler recorded his fourth save of the season … Braden Zarbnisky has reached base in a career-high 14 consecutive games, a streak that began with the final three games of the 2017 season … Zitel saw his career-long and team-best hitting streak of nine consecutive games come to an end on March 13 … Darius Hill's hitting streak came to an end at nine consecutive games on Saturday.

This Week in Swimming and Diving: Junior Jake Armstrong, redshirt junior Tristen Di Sibio and freshman David Dixon compete in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, from March 21-24, at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Last Week in Swimming and Diving: Sophomore Morgan Bullock and junior Emma Harris represented WVU at the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, from March 14-17, at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio … Bullock earned honorable mention All-America honors, as she finished in 15th place in the 200 butterfly (1:54.77) … she also finished in 40th place in the 200 individual medley (1:58.44) and 44th place (53.53) in the 100 butterfly … Harris placed 27th in the 200 breaststroke (2:10.32) and 45th in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.28).

Notes: Bullock became the 12th woman in program history to earn All-America status … Bullock and Harris were WVU's first female national qualifiers since Rachael Burnett and Mandie Nugent in 2013 … Harris' 100 breast performance was a personal best and the second-fastest in program history … Armstrong, Di Sibio and Dixon are all set to make their NCAA-meet debuts this week … Armstrong qualified for the 100 breast, where he successfully defended his Big 12 title on Feb. 23 and enters ranked ninth nationally in the event; he will also participate in the 200 breast … Di Sibio also qualified for the 100 breast and will compete in the 200 breast after winning the Big 12 championship in the event at the conference meet on Feb. 24 … Dixon qualified for the 200 fly and also will compete in the 200 and 400 individual medleys … the Mountaineer trio are the first men to qualify for the national meet since Andrew Marsh in 2016 ... preliminary sessions are set to begin at 11 a.m. ET each day, with finals sessions scheduled for 7 p.m.

This Week in Tennis: West Virginia (4-7, 0-2 Big 12) returns to Morgantown for a pair of matches this weekend … the Mountaineers will take on Duquesne on Friday, March 23 … the match is slated to begin at 1 p.m. … WVU will then welcome Big 12-foe Iowa State on Saturday, March 24 … first serve is set for noon ET … the first 25 fans in attendance for Saturday's match will be given a WVU Tennis visor … the team also will host a free kids clinic after the match … the two matches will be held at the WVU Tennis Courts, located by the WVU Coliseum, or Summit Tennis Academy depending on the forecasted weather conditions.

Last Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers opened Big 12 play with a swing through the Sooner State, where they dropped a pair of matches … the squad began the weekend with a 4-2 loss at No. 50 Oklahoma … Paula Goetz and Lyn Yuen Choo claimed a 6-2 win in doubles play, but WVU couldn't hang on as OU secured the doubles point … in singles play, Goetz defeated Camila Romero, 6-4 and 6-2, at No. 5 and Giovanna Caputo defeated Skyler Miller, 6-3 and 6-4, to earn WVU's two points … on Sunday, WVU fell to No. 19 Oklahoma State, 4-1 … the freshmen tandem of Caputo and Courteau earned a win in doubles play, but OSU won on courts No. 1 and No. 2, to secure the doubles point … in singles play, Caputo earned her second win of the weekend, besting Sami Court, 6-0 and 6-0, to tie the match at 1-1 … the Cowgirls won the next three matches to win the match, 4-1.

Notes: Caputo is tied for first in the Big 12 in singles wins in conference play thus far … she also leads the team with seven singles wins a piece … two doubles pairs, Sofia Duran and Christina Jordan and Choo and Goetz, have registered five wins tie for the team lead.

This Week in Golf: West Virginia resumes play at The Hayt on Monday in the third and final round … the Mountaineers then head to Greenville, South Carolina, to compete at the Furman Intercollegiate … the Paladins will host the event at the Furman University Golf Course from Saturday through Monday … the field is made up of USC Aiken, Akron, Charleston Southern, Dartmouth, Francis Marion, Furman, Gardner-Webb, Harvard, High Point, James Madison, Marshall, North Florida, Presbyterian, Samford, Temple, USC Upstate, Virginia Tech, Wichita State, Winthrop and Yale.

Last Week in Golf: The Mountaineers spent spring break in Florida and South Carolina before returning to competition … WVU is in the midst of The John Hayt Invitational, hosted by North Florida at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida … teams played 36 holes on Sunday … Max Sear, Etienne Papineau, Matthew Sharpstene, Tristan Nicholls and Mark Goetz are representing the Mountaineers … after posting a 296 in the first round, the Mountaineers teamed for a 298 in the second to total a 594 for 18 over-par … No. 24 North Carolina leads the field at seven under par with a 569, followed by Jacksonville at five under par with a score of 571 … Liberty is in third with a two-round score of 574 for four under … Sharpstene is leading WVU, tied for 19th at 73-72-145 for one over.

Notes: Hosted by No. 25 North Florida, the 15-team field at The Hayt features No. 7 Auburn, No. 49 Tennessee, No. 24 North Carolina, Liberty, Central Florida, Washington, Lipscomb, Jacksonville, No. 43 Purdue, Furman, Coastal Carolina, No. 39 Louisville and North Texas … Max Sear enters the event boasting a team-best 72.47 scoring average … he has five top-20 finishes in tournament play on his resume this season, most recently taking 18th at the Seminole Intercollegiate at the end of February … Etienne Papineau is averaging 73.21 strokes per round ... his best finish came in the fall at The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational, when he tied for second to lead the team to a runner-up finish at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport … after setting a program record with a low round of 64 at Martin Downs in February, Sharpstene ranks second on the team with a scoring average of 73.05 … Tristan Nicholls and Mark Goetz are currently averaging 74.63 and 73.87 strokes per round, respectively.