Wrestling: WVU Ready for EWL Matches
January 22, 2008 01:50 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
January 22, 2008
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| Jared Villers |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team opens up EWL play as they host Clarion on Thursday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Friday night contest against Bloomsburg at 8 p.m. at the Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (3-3, 0-0) will look to get off to a good start as they begin their four-meet homestand this week.
Senior Jared Villers (197) leads the team with 10 wins and carries a four-match winning streak after coming off a 2-0 performance at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals against nationally ranked Minnesota and Ohio State.
WVU will begin its EWL slate against Clarion (6-8, 0-1), who is led by freshman Jay Ivanco (125) and Sal Lascari (141). Both grapplers have enjoyed stellar seasons so far for the Golden Eagles, who feature two other starters with winning records.
Last season, the Mountaineers defeated Clarion 38-6 after winning the final eight matches. The Golden Eagles have already faced stiff competition in dual meets this season after falling to No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Iowa State and No. 14 Edinboro.
Bloomsburg visits the Coliseum on Friday and hopes to duplicate their performance against the Mountaineers last season, scoring a 22-15 victory over WVU in a close contest.
The Huskies (3-5-1, 0-2) feature three nationally ranked wrestlers in senior Mike Sees (125), sophomore Matt Moley (157) and senior Mike Spaid (HWT). Spaid comes in sporting a 30-4 record, while Moley has earned EWL Wrestler of the week honors and owns a quality win against Pitt’s Matt Kocher, who is ranked No. 5 in the country.
Bloomsburg also has plenty of depth at the 125-pound weight class with Sees and freshman Ian Moser, who is 16-6 and garnered EWL honors for the week ending Dec. 16th after winning the Cleveland State University Open in his respective weight class.
WVU senior Zac Fryling, No. 18 in the latest NWCA/InterMat poll, will face Bloomsburg’s Moley in the meet’s most anticipated bout at 157 pounds. Fryling is 6-4 overall and 3-3 in duals after already facing four of the country’s best grapplers halfway through the season.
Bloomsburg is seeking its first EWL win after losing to both Pitt and Edinboro earlier in the season.
WVU head coach Craig Turnbull never underestimates the importance of each EWL match as he prepares his team for the league tournament in early March.
“Every EWL match is very important to us and has added significance,” says Turnbull. “It really helps us with individual seedings and gets us prepared for the tournament, so it is very important to us.”
Fans that can’t make it out to the Coliseum can view the match live online on a pay-per-view basis through MSNsportsNET.com. All home meets can be accessed for $9.95 per month.
