Luck Announces 2014-15 Wrestling Schedule
September 24, 2014 03:09 PM | General
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| Henson |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Oliver Luck today announced the 2014-15 wrestling schedule.
“This an exciting season for the WVU wrestling program in its first year under coach Sammie Henson,” said Luck. “The Big 12 is one of the nation’s most respected and challenging conferences and I’m excited to watch Coach Henson lead the Mountaineers into a new era.”
Henson’s inaugural season will be highlighted by four homes duals, as well as trips to notable tournaments, including the Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals and Cliff Keen Invitational. In addition, the Mountaineers will face six opponents that finished in the Top-25 at the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
“We feel that we have put together an exciting and competitive schedule for the 2014-15 season,” said Henson. “It looks to be a challenging road to St. Louis, and we feel this schedule will have our men battle tested come March.”
West Virginia will open the season November 2, when they travel to East Lansing, Michigan, for the Michigan State Open. The Mountaineers will host their first dual of the season on November 13 at 8 p.m., when Arizona State comes to Morgantown. The match will mark the return of former WVU assistant Zeke Jones, who was named the head coach of the Sun Devils in the spring of 2014. West Virginia is 1-4 all-time against Arizona State and took a 20-16 victory from the Sun Devils in the last meeting between the two programs back in 1998.
The Mountaineers will head to the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland, on November 22. The 2014-15 season marks the seventh time since 2007 WVU has participated in the event. The squad finished ninth in last season’s event, led by Bubba Scheffel’s runner-up finish at 174 pounds.
On November 29, West Virginia will take on Rutgers, Northern Illinois and Cornell, as part of the Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. After the Scarlet Knights defeated the Mountaineers, 26-10, in January of 2013, the two teams enter the match-up with the all-time series tied at 2-2. Northern Illinois holds a 1-0 series lead, though the squads have not faced each other head-to-head since 1958. The Northeast Duals will mark the first time in program history West Virginia will face Cornell, who finished seventh at last season’s NCAA Championships.
A week later, the Mountaineers will head the 33rd Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Nine of the 15 top finishers at the 2014 NCAA Championships will be in attendance, including national runner-up Minnesota. It will mark the seventh time since 2007 that WVU has competed in the tournament.
After a two-week hiatus, West Virginia travels to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, on December 19 for a 7 p.m. dual with the Bald Eagles. WVU owns a 21-15 record against LHU, earning an 18-12 victory in Morgantown last season.
The Mountaineers then head west for a pair of matches, taking on Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 3 at 7 p.m. in their first-ever meeting with the Lopes. WVU will make the short trip to Tempe the following day for a re-match with Arizona State at 6 p.m. The match will mark the return of WVU assistant coach Danny Felix to his alma mater, where he was a three-time Pac-10 champion and 1995 All-American.
After returning to the east coast West Virginia will travel to Hampton, Virginia, for the Virginia Duals, hosted by the Peninsula Wrestling Club at the Hampton Coliseum on January 9 and 10. WVU last attended the tournament in 2006, defeating Rider but falling to Ohio State and Columbia.
Big 12 action will start January 16, when the Mountaineers head out on a three-match road swing starting in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where WVU will face Oklahoma State in a 7 p.m. dual match. WVU is 0-9 against the Cowboys since the first meeting between the two squads back in 1927. The Mountaineers then travel to Norman to face Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on January 18. WVU took the first match between the two teams by a score of 30-15 in 1986, but the Sooners have claimed four straight.
Rounding out the road trip is a nonconference match at Clarion in Pennsylvania. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series 21-14, including a 28-7 win last season at the WVU Coliseum.
A 6 p.m. dual with Big 12 foe Iowa State at 6 p.m. on February 7 will be the first of three consecutive home duals for the Mountaineers. Since the initial meeting in 1922, the Cyclones lead the series 14-1. WVU last claimed victory in 2003.
Ohio University is the next to come to Morgantown, with the Bobcats coming for a 1 p.m. match on February 15. The squads share a history that spans more than 90 years, with the Mountaineers leading the all-time series 34-17-1. However, the Bobcats have taken the previous two meetings.
The Mountaineers will wrap up their home slate on February 20 when they host Edinboro at 1 p.m. The Scots hold an 18-10-2 advantage over WVU since the initial meeting in 1977. West Virginia last won in 2012 by a score of 18-17.
The regular season will come to a close on February 22 at Pittsburgh, where the Mountaineers and the Panthers will square off in a 2 p.m. match. Since 1934, Pitt has taken a series lead of 33-24-2.
West Virginia will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Big 12 Championships, hosted by Iowa State March 7. Led by A.J. Vizcarrondo’s runner-up finish at heavyweight, the Mountaineers took fourth at the 2014 Big 12 Championships. Michael Morales, Cory Stainbrook and Tim Wheeling all garnered third place finishes in their respective weights.
St. Louis will host the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships March 19-21. WVU sent five grapplers to last season’s tournament in Oklahoma City including Stainbrook, Morales, Vizcarrondo and Bubba Scheffel. Vizcarrondo advanced to session III of last year’s championships out of the consolation bracket after earning a 2-0 victory over Dawson Peck of Chattanooga.
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