Friday, December 22
Blacksburg, Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Virginia Tech
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Readies for Black Diamond Brawl
December 21, 2017 04:10 PM | Wrestling
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face No. 10 Virginia Tech in the Black Diamond Brawl on Friday, Dec. 22. The match is set for a 7 p.m. ET start inside the Cassell Coliseum.
"We are going to do what we do. We are going to wrestle the whole seven minutes, and whatever happens, happens," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "Virginia Tech is a good team. I think the Pitt match helped us a lot. We are wrestling a tough team. We all know that, but we treat everybody the same. Our preparation is not any different."
The Mountaineers (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) and the Hokies (4-1, 0-0 ACC) square off in their 21st meeting all-time on Friday. West Virginia boasts a 12-8 lead in the series, which dates back to 1951. However, it has been Virginia Tech that has claimed the last two meetings (2016-17), winning a 36-4 contest in Parkersburg, West Virginia, last season. Prior to the 2016 meeting, the two teams have not met since 2004, with the Mountaineers capturing a 39-13 victory in Blacksburg.
Friday's match marks back-to-back rivalry matches for the Mountaineers, who took on then-No. 25 Pitt in Morgantown on Dec. 9. The Mountaineers picked up a 24-10 win over the Panthers for the first time since 2015, earning a pin at 125 pounds and two major decisions at 149 and 174 pounds, respectively. The longest-running series in WVU history, West Virginia has topped Pitt three times in the last four seasons.
The 197-pound bout between WVU's Jacob A. Smith and Tech's Jared Haught features a pair of nationally ranked, local products. Smith is a native of Charleston, West Virginia, and competed for George Washington High. He was childhood teammates with Haught, who hails from Parkersburg and wrestled at Parkersburg High. Though the two competed at different weights and never met in their prep career, they've faced off three times at the collegiate level. Smith, ranked No. 5 in the nation, won a 2-0 decision at the 2015 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, while Haught, ranked No. 3, won a 6-4 decision in sudden victory at last year's Cliff Keen Invitational. The two also squared off in Parkersburg last season, with Haught earning the hard-fought 3-2 decision in tiebreaker one over Smith.
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey joined Smith in the nationally rankings this week, checking in at No. 19 in Intermat's latest top-20 poll at 125 pounds. He also appears at No. 20 via FloWrestling. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native earned his third pin of the season, most recently winning by fall over Brenden Price of Pitt.
Redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore entered the national rankings for the second straight week at 157 pounds. The Oklahoma City native moved up one spot to No. 18 via Intermat and checked in at No. 20 via The Open Mat. Unranked Moore earned a hard-fought 3-1 decision over Pitt's Taleb Rahmani, who was ranked as high as No. 17 via FloWrestling, in his last week of competition.
Of note, West Virginia has faced two teams ranked inside the USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Poll thus far, with No. 10 Virginia Tech becoming the Mountaineers' third ranked opponent of the 2017 season.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt holds a team-best 13-5 mark at 133 pounds. He also leads the team in major decisions with five. Moore paces the Mountaineers' with nine match points on the year, while Moisey sports a team-best eight takedowns in 2017 thus far.
Following a holiday break, West Virginia will take on back-to-back Big 12 foes in Oklahoma and North Dakota State on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively. The Sooners currently rank at No. 19 nationally, while North Dakota State received 2 votes during the week of Dec. 19.
Family Day is scheduled for the 7 p.m. Oklahoma match on Thursday, Jan. 4. Families can purchase four tickets and a $15 concession voucher for $25. The Mountaineers last Dollar Day of the season will follow three days later, as the team takes on Big 12 foe North Dakota State in a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 7.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
"We are going to do what we do. We are going to wrestle the whole seven minutes, and whatever happens, happens," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "Virginia Tech is a good team. I think the Pitt match helped us a lot. We are wrestling a tough team. We all know that, but we treat everybody the same. Our preparation is not any different."
The Mountaineers (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) and the Hokies (4-1, 0-0 ACC) square off in their 21st meeting all-time on Friday. West Virginia boasts a 12-8 lead in the series, which dates back to 1951. However, it has been Virginia Tech that has claimed the last two meetings (2016-17), winning a 36-4 contest in Parkersburg, West Virginia, last season. Prior to the 2016 meeting, the two teams have not met since 2004, with the Mountaineers capturing a 39-13 victory in Blacksburg.
Friday's match marks back-to-back rivalry matches for the Mountaineers, who took on then-No. 25 Pitt in Morgantown on Dec. 9. The Mountaineers picked up a 24-10 win over the Panthers for the first time since 2015, earning a pin at 125 pounds and two major decisions at 149 and 174 pounds, respectively. The longest-running series in WVU history, West Virginia has topped Pitt three times in the last four seasons.
The 197-pound bout between WVU's Jacob A. Smith and Tech's Jared Haught features a pair of nationally ranked, local products. Smith is a native of Charleston, West Virginia, and competed for George Washington High. He was childhood teammates with Haught, who hails from Parkersburg and wrestled at Parkersburg High. Though the two competed at different weights and never met in their prep career, they've faced off three times at the collegiate level. Smith, ranked No. 5 in the nation, won a 2-0 decision at the 2015 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, while Haught, ranked No. 3, won a 6-4 decision in sudden victory at last year's Cliff Keen Invitational. The two also squared off in Parkersburg last season, with Haught earning the hard-fought 3-2 decision in tiebreaker one over Smith.
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey joined Smith in the nationally rankings this week, checking in at No. 19 in Intermat's latest top-20 poll at 125 pounds. He also appears at No. 20 via FloWrestling. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native earned his third pin of the season, most recently winning by fall over Brenden Price of Pitt.
Redshirt sophomore Zachary Moore entered the national rankings for the second straight week at 157 pounds. The Oklahoma City native moved up one spot to No. 18 via Intermat and checked in at No. 20 via The Open Mat. Unranked Moore earned a hard-fought 3-1 decision over Pitt's Taleb Rahmani, who was ranked as high as No. 17 via FloWrestling, in his last week of competition.
Of note, West Virginia has faced two teams ranked inside the USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Poll thus far, with No. 10 Virginia Tech becoming the Mountaineers' third ranked opponent of the 2017 season.
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt holds a team-best 13-5 mark at 133 pounds. He also leads the team in major decisions with five. Moore paces the Mountaineers' with nine match points on the year, while Moisey sports a team-best eight takedowns in 2017 thus far.
Following a holiday break, West Virginia will take on back-to-back Big 12 foes in Oklahoma and North Dakota State on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively. The Sooners currently rank at No. 19 nationally, while North Dakota State received 2 votes during the week of Dec. 19.
Family Day is scheduled for the 7 p.m. Oklahoma match on Thursday, Jan. 4. Families can purchase four tickets and a $15 concession voucher for $25. The Mountaineers last Dollar Day of the season will follow three days later, as the team takes on Big 12 foe North Dakota State in a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 7.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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