Saturday, December 9
Morgantown, W.Va.
2:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Pitt
WVU takes on No. 25 Pitt in a Backyard Brawl
December 08, 2017 09:10 AM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The wrestling version of the Backyard Brawl resumes this weekend, as the West Virginia University wrestling team returns to Morgantown for a dual against No. 25 Pitt on Saturday, Dec. 9. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m.
Match tickets are available at a cost of $5 for general admission and $3 for youth and seniors. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each. Tickets are available by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.
"It's going to be tough," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "It's the Backyard Brawl. We all know what that means. We are ready to battle, and I'm sure they are to. I'm ready to go out there and have a good fight."
Prior to the match, the Mountaineers will put on a free youth clinic open to any and all entrants in eighth grade and younger. All participants are admitted free, with the clinic set to begin at noon. A registration form can be found at WVUsports.com.
The Mountaineers (0-2, 0-1 Big 12) and the Panthers (1-2, 0-0 ACC) meet for the 63rd time on Saturday in the longest running series in WVU history. The two squads first squared off in 1934; 13 years after West Virginia started its program. The Panthers lead the series, 34-26-2, and the two have tied on a pair of occasions.
WVU fell to Pitt last season, 23-15, at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, as redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith recorded a pin at 197 pounds. The Mountaineers look to get back in the win column Saturday, with West Virginia collecting back-to-back victories over Pitt from 2014-15.
Smith, who ranks No. 5 nationally at 197 pounds in this week's FloWrestling and Intermat Polls, returns to the mat for the first time this season on Saturday. The Charleston, West Virginia, native spent the majority of the 2016-17 season in the top 10 before suffering a season-ending injury in the Big 12 Championship match. Smith still earned an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship as the Big 12 runner-up, but did not compete due to injury. Over the course of the season, he posted a 20-5 overall mark to go 14-2 in dual matches and 6-1 in Big 12 action.
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey, ranked No. 19 in both FloWrestling's and Intermat's latest top-20 poll, also returns to the mat for the first time since the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native has registered a 6-4 mark at 125 pounds this season, most notably earning a 4-2 mark at the Clarion Open on Nov. 5 for a fourth-place finish in his pool.
"This is the first time this season that we are going to have 99 percent of our guys compete in the starting lineup," Henson said. "We have had a lot of changes in our lineup early on. We'll have Moisey back, and we'll have Jake back, so that'll be nice."
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt holds a team-best 13-4 mark at 133 pounds. He also leads the team in major decisions and match points and is tied with freshman Nick Kiussis with four takedowns on the year.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will take a week off from competition before traveling to Blacksburg, Virginia, for a match against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday, Dec. 22.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Match tickets are available at a cost of $5 for general admission and $3 for youth and seniors. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each. Tickets are available by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum.
"It's going to be tough," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "It's the Backyard Brawl. We all know what that means. We are ready to battle, and I'm sure they are to. I'm ready to go out there and have a good fight."
Prior to the match, the Mountaineers will put on a free youth clinic open to any and all entrants in eighth grade and younger. All participants are admitted free, with the clinic set to begin at noon. A registration form can be found at WVUsports.com.
The Mountaineers (0-2, 0-1 Big 12) and the Panthers (1-2, 0-0 ACC) meet for the 63rd time on Saturday in the longest running series in WVU history. The two squads first squared off in 1934; 13 years after West Virginia started its program. The Panthers lead the series, 34-26-2, and the two have tied on a pair of occasions.
WVU fell to Pitt last season, 23-15, at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, as redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith recorded a pin at 197 pounds. The Mountaineers look to get back in the win column Saturday, with West Virginia collecting back-to-back victories over Pitt from 2014-15.
Smith, who ranks No. 5 nationally at 197 pounds in this week's FloWrestling and Intermat Polls, returns to the mat for the first time this season on Saturday. The Charleston, West Virginia, native spent the majority of the 2016-17 season in the top 10 before suffering a season-ending injury in the Big 12 Championship match. Smith still earned an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship as the Big 12 runner-up, but did not compete due to injury. Over the course of the season, he posted a 20-5 overall mark to go 14-2 in dual matches and 6-1 in Big 12 action.
Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey, ranked No. 19 in both FloWrestling's and Intermat's latest top-20 poll, also returns to the mat for the first time since the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18. The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native has registered a 6-4 mark at 125 pounds this season, most notably earning a 4-2 mark at the Clarion Open on Nov. 5 for a fourth-place finish in his pool.
"This is the first time this season that we are going to have 99 percent of our guys compete in the starting lineup," Henson said. "We have had a lot of changes in our lineup early on. We'll have Moisey back, and we'll have Jake back, so that'll be nice."
Redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt holds a team-best 13-4 mark at 133 pounds. He also leads the team in major decisions and match points and is tied with freshman Nick Kiussis with four takedowns on the year.
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will take a week off from competition before traveling to Blacksburg, Virginia, for a match against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday, Dec. 22.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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