AMES, Iowa – Four Mountaineers came away with wins, as the West Virginia University wrestling team dropped a heartbreaking match to Iowa State, 25-17, at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Mountaineers (3-5, 2-3 Big 12) won three straight bouts to take an 11-0 lead over the Cyclones (6-5, 1-2 Big 12) before dropping four straight matches in the heavyweights to give Iowa State the team win.
 
"I'm really proud of our lower weights and how they fought today," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "They competed against some of the best guys in the country and prevailed. I'm disappointed in the results. We had a good shot at winning this dual, and we didn't pull through."

Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey gave West Virginia five team points right out the gate, as he earned his second tech. fall victory of the season over Iowa State's Sinjin Briggs at 125 pounds. Moisey, ranked 14th nationally, notched a trio of takedowns to go along with eight nearfall points in the first period to take a 14-2 lead. It didn't take long for Moisey to tack on four more nearfall points in the second, eventually earning the tech. fall in 5 minutes, 13 seconds.

At 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt took down his first ranked opponent of the season in No. 20 Ian Parker. Following two scoreless periods, Parker escaped for the 1-0 lead to start the third. Schmitt continued to battle, though, earning a takedown with 17 seconds remaining to go up 2-1 in the match. However, the riding time was in favor of Parker, making the match score 2-2 at the end of regulation. The two entered sudden victory, with Schmitt notching another takedown with 25 seconds to go for the 4-2 decision.  
 
Junior Christian Monserrat made it three in a row for the Mountaineers, as he collected a 9-7 decision in sudden victory over No. 16 Kanen Storr. With the match tied at 4-4, Monserrat chose to start in the defensive position to start the second. He quickly escaped before Storr notched a takedown to make the score 6-5 at the end of the frame. Storr then used an escape to start the third, but it was Monserrat who tied it at 7-7 on a takedown with four seconds left in regulation. Entering sudden victory, Monserrat tallied his third takedown of the match to claim the 9-7 decision over Storr, collecting his first win over a ranked opponent this season.
 
Holding an 11-0 lead, the Cyclones claimed back-to-back wins by decision at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, to cut their deficit to four at 11-7.
 
Following a 10-minute break, freshman Nick Kiussis (165) pinned Logan Breitenbach in 1 minute, 30 seconds to add six more points to the Mountaineers total at 17-7. With the win, the Brunswick, Ohio, native earned his second pin of the weekend and now has a team-high five pins on the year.
 
However, the momentum began to shift in favor of Iowa State, as redshirt senior Parker VonEgidy fell to Danny Bush in 1:07 at 174 pounds. Down 17-13, the Cyclones prevailed and collected three straight wins at 184, 197 and 285 pounds, respectively, for the 25-17 team win.
 
Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will take a week off from competition before they travel to Colorado for a pair of Big 12 matches at Air Force and Northern Colorado on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, respectively.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
 
Iowa State 25, West Virginia 17
125: No. 16/14/13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) tech. fall Sinjin Briggs (ISU), 18-2 [TF-5:13]
133: Matthew Schmitt (WVU) dec. No. 19/20/13 Ian Parker (ISU), 4-2 [SV-1]
141: Christian Monserrat (WVU) dec. No. 12/16/- Kanen Storr (ISU), 9-7 [SV-1]
149: No. -/-/19 Jarrett Degen (ISU) major dec. Kyler Rea (WVU), 17-5
157: Chase Straw (ISU) dec. Zachary Moore (WVU), 13-6
165: Nick Kiussis (WVU) win by fall Logan Breitenbach (ISU), F 1:30
174: Danny Bush (ISU) win by fall Parker VonEgidy (WVU), F 1:07                        
184: Dane Pestano (ISU) dec. Brenden McRill (WVU), 9-4
197: Sam Colbray (ISU) dec. No. 12/13/15 Jacob A. Smith (WVU), 6-5 [SV-1]
285: Marcus Harrington (ISU) win by fall Brandon Ngati (WVU), F 1:05
 
*Rankings are listed as followed: FloWrestling/Intermat/The Open Mat*