BROOKINGS, S.D. – Five Mountaineers won decisions, but it wasn’t enough as the West Virginia University wrestling team (6-9, 0-3) dropped an 18-15 Big 12 contest at No. 24 South Dakota State (13-5, 6-1) at Frost Arena in Brookings, South Dakota, on Friday evening.
The Jackrabbits also won five bouts, but used a pair of bonus-point victories in taking the win.
Starting the match at heavyweight, A.J. Vizcarrondo used the riding time point to secure a 2-1 decision and put the Mountaineers up 3-0. No. 13/14 Zeke Moisey made it back-to-back wins for West Virginia, winning a 4-1 decision over Ben Gillette at 125. Moisey used a first period takedown to make it 2-0 before riding Gillette through the second. He added an escape in the third to win the decision and push the Mountaineers’ lead to 6-0.
The Jackrabbits took wins at 133, 141 and 149 for a 12-6 advantage. No. 16 Dylan Cottrell nearly upset No. 6 Cody Pack at 157, dropping an 11-5 decision in sudden victory after Pack secured a takedown and four near fall points. The win pushed SDSU’s advantage to 15-6.
Connor Flynn ended the skid for WVU at 165, claiming a win over Luke Zilverberg. Flynn scored an early takedown and a second-period escape to lead 3-0 after five minutes of action. Zilverberg got on the board with a takedown in the third, but Flynn escaped then countered with two points of his own to extend his lead to 6-2. He added riding time to take the 7-2 decision as WVU cut the deficit to six, down 15-9.
Ross Renzi dropped a close 7-5 decision to SDSU’s David Kocer at 174 to give the Jackrabbits an 18-9 lead. The Mountaineers bounced back with a win by Bubba Scheffel at 184. Scheffel registered a pair of takedowns, adding a penalty point for stalling and an escape in the third for a 6-3 decision over Brady Ayers. The win put the Mountaineers within six, down 18-12.
No. 9/10 Jacob A. Smith won a 5-4 decision over No. 14 Nate Rotert, scoring takedowns in the first and third periods for the win. However, it wasn’t enough as the Jackrabbits took the match, 18-15.
West Virginia will travel to Ames, Iowa, for its second Big 12 dual of the weekend at No. 16 Iowa State. The Mountaineers and the Cyclones will square off on Sunday in a 3 p.m. ET match at Hilton Coliseum.
No. 24 South Dakota State 18, West Virginia 15
HWT: A.J. Vizcarrondo (WVU) dec. Alex Macki (SDSU), 2-1
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Ben Gillette (SDSU), 4-1
133: Brance Sims (SDSU) dec. Cory Stainbrook (WVU), 8-4
141: Seth Gross (SDSU) major dec. Tony DeAngelo (WVU), 13-1
149: Alex Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Zachary Moore (WVU), 20-2
157: No. 6 Cody Pack (SDSU) dec. No. 16 Dylan Cottrell (WVU), 11-5 SV-1
165: Connor Flynn (WVU) dec. Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 7-2
174: David Kocer (SDSU) dec. Ross Renzi (WVU), 7-5
184: Bubba Scheffel (WVU) dec. Brady Ayers (SDSU), 6-3
197: No. 10 Jacob A. Smith (WVU) dec. No. 14 Nate Rotert (SDSU), 5-4
