Moisey to Wrestle for National Championship
March 20, 2015 09:33 PM | General
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| Freshman Zeke Moisey meets with the media after pinning No. 6 Thomas Gilman of Iowa to advance to the NCAA finals. |
| WVU Athletic Communications photo |
ST. LOUIS – Taking down his fourth seeded wrestler of the tournament, true freshman Zeke Moisey won by fall over No. 6 seed Thomas Gilman to qualify for the finals of the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Friday evening.
Moisey will take on No. 4 seed Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State for a 125-pound national championship on Saturday evening. The event will start with the Parade of All-Americans at 7:35 ET with the finals starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“You need to stay consistent and stay in the moment,” said WVU coach Sammie Henson. “Zeke is wrestling on full throttle and moving the best I have seen him all year. This says a lot about our program and where we are headed. I’ve said it before – we have the best coaching staff in the country from administrators, to trainers and coaches. We are a family.”
A native of Northampton, Pennsylvania, Moisey entered the tournament unseeded and unranked in most polls. He was one of three unseeded wrestlers and also one of three true freshman to qualify for this year’s semifinals. Moisey will be the first unseeded wrestler in the NCAA finals since 2003, and the first Mountaineer to do so since Greg Jones in 2005 when he won the national championship at 184 pounds.
Moisey took his shots on Gilman early, scoring two on the takedown before Gilman escaped to pick up a point. He then hit Gilman with a nearside cradle, putting him to the mat for the win in 52 seconds.
A redshirt freshman, Tomasello is a familiar foe for Moisey, as they wrestled in high school before facing off twice in their first collegiate season. The two first met on November 2 at the Michigan State Open, where Tomasello took a 19-6 major decision from Moisey. A rematch came on December 5 at Cliff Keen, with Tomasello winning a 15-10 decision.
Moisey had a tough road in earning his spot in the national finals. He defeated No. 15 seed Chasen Tolbert of Utah Valley in a 14-6 major decision in the first round before upsetting No. 2 seed Nahshon Garrett of Cornell in a 5-2 decision. Moisey then beat Big 12 foe and No. 7 seed Eddie Klimara in a 5-2 decision to earn his spot in the semifinals.
West Virginia is currently in a tie for 17th place with 23.5 points midway through the semifinals. The Mountaineers’ last top-25 finish came in 2005 when they took 18th overall.
Moisey’s NCAA Tournament Run
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) major dec. No. 15 Chasen Tolbert (UVU), 14-6
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 5-2
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 7 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 5-2
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) pinned No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), 0:52
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