Wrestling: WVU Opens EWL Action
January 21, 2010 03:58 PM | General
January 21, 2010
 |
||
| Colin Johnston |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team begins its four-match homestand and opens Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) action on Friday, Jan. 22, against Clarion at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 24, WVU will play host to Bloomsburg at 7 p.m. Both matches will be held at the WVU Coliseum.
In its last time out, WVU (0-6) fell to then-No. 9-ranked Lehigh, 39-3, on Jan. 15 in Bethlehem, Pa. Freshman Shane Young scored the Mountaineers’ lone win, posting a 5-4 decision over John McDonald at 125 pounds. The Mountaineers conceded 12 points to the Mountain Hawks due to two forfeits.
Sunday’s match has been designated as “Dollar Day,” with all tickets and select concessions available for purchase for just one dollar. Admission to both matches is free for WVU students with a valid student ID.
"We haven't been in this position for a long time. For a variety of reasons, we're not putting in the lineup that we expected,” coach Craig Turnbull says. “Now, we'll be either even-up or underdogs in every match we wrestle from here on out. In some ways, that'll be good for us. We're putting people into the lineup that haven't had an opportunity to compete. When different things happen like this, where we have five starters out of the lineup, there are some people in there who have worked really hard and are going to get an opportunity to gain some experience. In the long run, I think that's going to make our program better."
The Mountaineers are led by sophomore Colin Johnston, who is ranked No. 18 at 133 pounds by InterMat. Currently, Johnston owns a team-best 15-3 overall mark and is 4-2 in dual matches. Redshirt senior Donnie Jones has the second-most wins, racking up 13 at 165 pounds. Freshman Shane Young has won his last two matches, earning victories eight and nine at 125 pounds.
Clarion enters Friday’s match with a 2-4 overall record, including an 0-1 mark in the EWL. The Golden Eagles lost to then-No. 21-ranked Edinboro, 25-13, on Jan. 17. Clarion scored four-straight victories, from 133 to 157 pounds, but lost the final five bouts. Hadley Harrison, who was ranked No. 16 at the time at 157 pounds, posted a 12-0 major decision en route to his 23rd victory of the year.
Harrison leads the Golden Eagles with a 23-6 mark this season, and is rated 19th in InterMat’s latest rankings. Clarion also has received strong performances from 149-pounder James Fleming (16-5 this season) and heavyweight Quintas McCorkle (17-10 overall record).
The Golden Eagles are under the direction of fourth-year coach Teague Moore, who owns a 27-46-1 overall mark with the program. Last year, Clarion registered an 8-14 overall mark, going 1-5 in league action. Jay Ivanco, who wrestled at 125 pounds last year, took second at the league championships, and advanced to the NCAA Championships with Harrison. The two each went 0-2.
The Mountaineers’ second opponent of the week, Bloomsburg, comes to Morgantown riding a three-match losing streak. Holding an 8-5 overall record, 0-1 in EWL action, the Huskies lost to Pitt, ranked 18th at the time, 23-12, on Jan. 17. Ranked ninth at 157 pounds, Matt Moley won one of the Huskies’ three matches, posting a 17-6 major decision over Pitt’s Donnie Tasser.
Bloomsburg is led by Moley, who owns a 17-3 mark this season. Thirteen of Moley’s wins have come via bonus decision. The squad’s other ranked wrestler, Rick Schmelyun, is rated No. 12 at 165 pounds and holds a 21-6 mark this season.
Bloomsburg is under the direction of coach John Stutzman. Now in his fifth season with the program, he has guided the Huskies to a 48-37-1 overall mark. The Huskies posted a 9-7 overall mark and went 3-3 in league action. At the NCAA Championships, Moley earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at 157 pounds.
All-time, WVU is 17-3-2 against Clarion and 17-12-1 against Bloomsburg.
