MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Under the direction of first-year coach Tim Flynn, the West Virginia University wrestling team made its first public appearance of the 2018-19 season, as the squad hosted wrestle-offs on Saturday afternoon, at the WVU Shell Building, in Morgantown.
 
"I thought today went great," Flynn said. "I thought the kids wrestled hard, and their shape looks pretty good for the beginning of the year. I didn't really see any ill affects with the weight cutting, so it looked like they were prepared. They wrestled hard. I'm quite happy with today, but college wrestling is such a long season. You can't get real high or real low at any point during the season. You have to stay calm, and you have to get treatment if you're hurt. They'll eat and sleep right tonight, and then we'll work out tomorrow."
 
WVU's grapplers competed in a round-robin style tournament to determine the starters for the 2018-19 season, as a mixture of established veterans and talented newcomers competed in front of an estimated 320 Mountaineer fans for the first time this year.
 
Nineteen of West Virginia's true freshmen competed on Saturday afternoon. Additionally, the list of returnees included Devin Brown (125), Joey Thomas (125), Joe Wheeling (141), Kyler Rea (149), Christian Monserrat (149), Zachary Moore (157), Luke Sorboro (157), Hunter Jones (157), Nick Kiussis (165), Hunter DeLong (174), Noah Adams (197), David Smith (HWT), Sean Mullican (HWT) and Brandon Ngati (HWT).
 
Monserrat and Smith each recorded a 3-0 record in their respective brackets, with hopes of securing themselves a spot in Flynn's starting lineup. Kiussis and Wheeling each picked up two victories apiece to win their brackets, while Adams pinned freshman Jack Malone in under two minutes to claim his lone victory of the day. Moore and Jones also recorded two victories apiece, but split their head-to-head matches at 157 pounds.
 
Of note, Kiussis won by fall at 165 pounds twice.
 
Additionally, freshmen KJ Fenstermacher (125), Caleb Rea (133), Josh Ramirez (174) and Jackson Moomau (184) sported a Mountaineer singlet for the first time, as they each collected a pair of victories to win their respective brackets.  
 
West Virginia officially kicks off its 2018-19 season against Big 12 affiliate Northern Colorado on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. ET, at the WVU Coliseum. It is the first of two Dollar Nights planned for the year. All tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. Additionally, Mountaineer Maniac students in attendance will receive free food and a giveaway item.
 
Fans can purchase tickets by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVUGAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum. All tickets are general admission.
 
With the exception of the two Dollar Nights, tickets purchased online are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more. At the WVU Coliseum ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until first serve on game day. Fans are encouraged to order tickets in advance online at WVUGAME.com to avoid lines at the gate.
 
Tickets for WVU students are free with a valid student I.D.
 
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
 
2018-19 Wrestle-Off Results
 
125
KJ Fenstermacher (WVU) dec. Devin Brown (WVU), 3-1 [SV-1]
KJ Fenstermacher (WVU) dec. Joey Thomas (WVU), 2-1
Joey Thomas (WVU) dec. Devin Brown (WVU), 5-4 [TB-2]
 
133
Caleb Rea (WVU) tech. fall Marco Frederico (WVU), 15-0 [TF – 2:03]
Caleb Rea (WVU) tech. fall Lucas Seibert (WVU), 20-2 [TF – 4:20]
Lucas Seibert (WVU) dec. Wyatt Lutz (WVU), 4-3
Wyatt Lutz (WVU) major dec. Marco Frederico (WVU), 17-3
 
141
Joe Wheeling (WVU) major dec. Tim Hritsko (WVU), 11-0
Joe Wheeling (WVU) dec. Luke Martin (WVU), 8-3
Caleb Morris (WVU) major dec. Trey Anderson (WVU), 9-1
Luke Martin (WVU) dec. Caleb Morris (WVU), 4-3
Tim Hritsko (WVU) dec. Trey Anderson (WVU), 5-2
Caleb Morris (WVU) dec. Tim Hritsko (WVU), 12-9
 
149
Christian Monserrat (WVU) wins by fall Alexander Hart (WVU), F 2:29
Christian Monserrat (WVU) major dec. Alex Hornfeck (WVU), 11-1
Christian Monserrat (WVU) dec. Kyler Rea (WVU), 6-1
Alex Hornfeck (WVU) dec. Matthew Raines (WVU), 4-2
Seth Hogue (WVU) tech. fall Jackson Wrobel (WVU), 18-3 [TF – 7:00]
Kyler Rea (WVU) dec. Seth Hogue (WVU), 4-1
Matthew Raines (WVU) wins by fall Alexander Hart (WVU), F 1:16
Seth Hogue (WVU) dec. Matthew Raines (WVU), 8-6
Alex Hornfeck (WVU) tech. fall Jackson Wrobel (WVU), 17-0 [TF – 5:55]
Alex Hornfeck (WVU) dec. Seth Hogue (WVU), 9-2
 
157
Zachary Moore (WVU) dec. Brock Godzin (WVU), 12-7
Hunter Jones (WVU) dec. Zachary Moore (WVU), 5-4 [TB-2]
Zachary Moore (WVU) dec. Hunter Jones (WVU), 3-1 [SV-1]
Hunter Jones (WVU) dec. Luke Sorboro (WVU), 9-2
Brock Godzin (WVU) dec. Luke Sorboro (WVU), 6-5
 
165
Nick Kiussis (WVU) wins by fall Jacob Starkey (WVU), F 2:12
Nick Kiussis (WVU) wins by fall Tucker Nadeau (WVU), F 2:09
Tucker Nadeau (WVU) dec. Jacob Starkey (WVU), 12-10
 
174
Josh Ramirez (WVU) wins by fall James Wujek (WVU), F 5:57
Josh Ramirez (WVU) dec. Hunter DeLong (WVU), 9-5
Hunter DeLong (WVU) major dec. Shane Connolly (WVU), 14-2
James Wujek (WVU) dec. Shane Connolly (WVU), 8-4
 
184
Jackson Moomau (WVU) tech. fall James Wujek (WVU), 18-0 [TF – 7:00]
 
197
Noah Adams (WVU) wins by fall Jack Malone (WVU), F 1:48
 
HWT
David Smith (WVU) dec. Sean Mullican (WVU), 4-2
David Smith (WVU) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 1-0
David Smith (WVU) wins by fall Brandon Ngati (WVU), F 3:19
Brandon Ngati (WVU) dec. Sean Mullican (WVU), 5-2
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.