MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team (5-8, 0-2) will host No. 17 Pitt (9-4, 1-2 ACC) in the 61st edition of the Backyard Brawl, set for 1 p.m. on Sunday at the WVU Coliseum.
The match will be broadcasted live on WVUsports.com with live stats available on TrackWrestling.com. Admission for the match is $1, with select concessions also available for $1 as part of Dollar Day. Tickets can be purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the WVU Ticket Office. In addition, the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free Big 12 t-shirt.
The meet marks the Mountaineers’ third straight match against a top-20 opponent, as well as their third-consecutive meeting with an ACC foe.
“Coming off a weekend battling two top-10 teams, our schedule starts February off with Pitt,” said WVU coach Sammie Henson. “Our men are looking forward to a competing on SuperBrawl Sunday. We look to have a lot of fan support and give the fans something to cheer about. Consistency wins!”
Sunday will be the 61st all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Panthers. The squads first met in 1934, with Pitt earning a 28-10 triumph. Since then, the Panthers have taken a 33-25-2 lead in the series.
Led by a pin from Jacob A. Smith at 197, West Virginia upset then-No. 18 Pitt, 24-14, in Pittsburgh last season. It marked the Mountaineers' first victory in the series since 2007 and was WVU's second win over a ranked opponent during the 2014-15 season.
Sunday’s match is the Mountaineer's seventh dual against a ranked opponent. WVU has previously taken on then-No. 3 Michigan, then-No. 20 Oregon State, then-N0. 5 Oklahoma State, then-No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 10 Virginia Tech and No. 3 NC State. The Mountaineers, who were ranked as high as 19th at the beginning of the season, have faced five of the top-10 teams in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. Though unranked at the time of the meeting, Stanford has also recently entered the rankings at No. 22. WVU is also slated to take on No. 16 Iowa State next weekend.
