Thursday, November 1
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 P.M.
West Virginia University
vs
Northern Colorado
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Flynn’s Inaugural Season Begins on Thursday
October 31, 2018 05:56 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In its first season under coach Tim Flynn, the West Virginia University wrestling team opens the 2018-19 season with a Big 12 match against Northern Colorado on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m., the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown.
Thursday's match will be streamed live for free on WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App. Fans also can watch the stream live via Roku and Apple TV by searching for the "West Virginia Mountaineers" channel. Tony Onarato and Michael Minnich will have the call.
Additionally, the match will be broadcasted live on FloWrestling.com. Live stats will be available for the match through TrackWrestling.com. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Thursday marks the first of two Dollar Nights planned for the season. 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.
"I'm hoping to win, but I just want to see our guys compete hard and really put it out there," Flynn said. "We're still getting to know them, and we're still trying to evaluate them. I just want to see them compete really hard. It's the first match for me here, and it's the first match of the season. We're excited for tomorrow night at the Coliseum."
WVU Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Shane Lyons named Flynn the school's ninth wrestling coach in April 2018. Flynn came to West Virginia from Edinboro, where he spent the past 21 years building the Fighting Scots into a wrestling powerhouse. He compiled a 223-95-5 career record at Edinboro to become the school's all-time winningest coach and a member of its Hall of Fame.
His accomplishments at Edinboro totaled 150 national qualifiers, 38 All-Americans, 64 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) champions and 97 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champions. He led the Fighting Scots to five top-10 finishes at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, 14 top-20 finishes and 18 top-25 finishes.
West Virginia recorded a 6-7 overall mark in 2017-18, earning a ninth-place finish at the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship and placing 30th at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with one All-American.
With 25 newcomers joining 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, the team is excited to see what it can do. Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt, a 2018 NCAA Qualifier, is the only Mountaineer to return to the lineup nationally ranked. Schmitt sits at No. 18 by the Open Mat, No. 19 by FloWrestling and No. 20 by Intermat.
The Mountaineers hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series, defeating the Bears, 24-16, in Greeley, Colorado, last season. West Virginia also rolled to a 35-4 victory over Northern Colorado in its first-ever meeting at the Hoosier Duals, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Dec. 8, 2014. Previously competing in the Western Wrestling Conference, Northern Colorado joined five other schools as affiliate members of the Big 12 during the 2015-16 academic year.
The Bears are coming off one of their most successful seasons in program history, after sending four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. UNC returns two of its qualifiers in Rico Montoya (133) and Jacob Seely (197). The duo received recognition from multiple wrestling publications' preseason rankings.
Intermat ranked Montoya No. 11 in the 133-pound weight class, marking his highest spot in the preseason. He also was ranked No. 13 by TrackWrestling and No. 14 by W.I.N. Magazine and FloWrestling. The Open Mat also placed him at No. 20. Seely was listed at No. 17 by TrackWrestling and No. 20 by the Open Mat and Intermat.
At NCAAs, UNC tied for 38th, its highest finish since the program returned to the Division I ranks. UNC went 1-6 in Big 12 duals and 3-10 overall during the 2017-18 season.
Looking ahead, WVU will hop on I-79 South to compete in the Hokie Open on Sunday, Nov. 4, at the Berglund Center, in Roanoke, Virginia. Action is slated to begin at 9 a.m., with 17 wrestlers competing at the event.
West Virginia's Probable Lineup:
Northern Colorado's Probable Lineup:
Rankings are listed as follows: The Open Mat/FloWrestling/Intermat
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Thursday's match will be streamed live for free on WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App. Fans also can watch the stream live via Roku and Apple TV by searching for the "West Virginia Mountaineers" channel. Tony Onarato and Michael Minnich will have the call.
Additionally, the match will be broadcasted live on FloWrestling.com. Live stats will be available for the match through TrackWrestling.com. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Thursday marks the first of two Dollar Nights planned for the season. 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.
"I'm hoping to win, but I just want to see our guys compete hard and really put it out there," Flynn said. "We're still getting to know them, and we're still trying to evaluate them. I just want to see them compete really hard. It's the first match for me here, and it's the first match of the season. We're excited for tomorrow night at the Coliseum."
WVU Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Shane Lyons named Flynn the school's ninth wrestling coach in April 2018. Flynn came to West Virginia from Edinboro, where he spent the past 21 years building the Fighting Scots into a wrestling powerhouse. He compiled a 223-95-5 career record at Edinboro to become the school's all-time winningest coach and a member of its Hall of Fame.
His accomplishments at Edinboro totaled 150 national qualifiers, 38 All-Americans, 64 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) champions and 97 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champions. He led the Fighting Scots to five top-10 finishes at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, 14 top-20 finishes and 18 top-25 finishes.
West Virginia recorded a 6-7 overall mark in 2017-18, earning a ninth-place finish at the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship and placing 30th at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with one All-American.
With 25 newcomers joining 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, the team is excited to see what it can do. Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt, a 2018 NCAA Qualifier, is the only Mountaineer to return to the lineup nationally ranked. Schmitt sits at No. 18 by the Open Mat, No. 19 by FloWrestling and No. 20 by Intermat.
The Mountaineers hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series, defeating the Bears, 24-16, in Greeley, Colorado, last season. West Virginia also rolled to a 35-4 victory over Northern Colorado in its first-ever meeting at the Hoosier Duals, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Dec. 8, 2014. Previously competing in the Western Wrestling Conference, Northern Colorado joined five other schools as affiliate members of the Big 12 during the 2015-16 academic year.
The Bears are coming off one of their most successful seasons in program history, after sending four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year. UNC returns two of its qualifiers in Rico Montoya (133) and Jacob Seely (197). The duo received recognition from multiple wrestling publications' preseason rankings.
Intermat ranked Montoya No. 11 in the 133-pound weight class, marking his highest spot in the preseason. He also was ranked No. 13 by TrackWrestling and No. 14 by W.I.N. Magazine and FloWrestling. The Open Mat also placed him at No. 20. Seely was listed at No. 17 by TrackWrestling and No. 20 by the Open Mat and Intermat.
At NCAAs, UNC tied for 38th, its highest finish since the program returned to the Division I ranks. UNC went 1-6 in Big 12 duals and 3-10 overall during the 2017-18 season.
Looking ahead, WVU will hop on I-79 South to compete in the Hokie Open on Sunday, Nov. 4, at the Berglund Center, in Roanoke, Virginia. Action is slated to begin at 9 a.m., with 17 wrestlers competing at the event.
West Virginia's Probable Lineup:
| Weight | Name | Year | Hometown |
| 125 | KJ Fenstermacher | r-Fr. | Northampton, Pa. |
| 133 | No. 18/19/20 Matthew Schmitt | r-So. | Platte City, Mo. |
| 141 | Joe Wheeling | r-Sr. | Waterford, Pa. |
| 149 | Christian Monserrat | r-Sr. | Methuen, Mass. |
| 157 | Zachary Moore | r-Jr. | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| -OR- | Hunter Jones | r-So. | Charleston, W.Va. |
| 165 | Nick Kiussis | So. | Brunswick, Ohio |
| 174 | Josh Ramirez | Fr. | New Orleans, La. |
| 184 | Jackson Moomau | Fr. | Maysville, W.Va. |
| -OR- | Hunter DeLong | So. | Parkersburg, W.Va. |
| 197 | Noah Adams | r-Fr. | Coal City, W.Va. |
| HWT | David Smith | r-Jr. | Charleston, W.Va. |
Northern Colorado's Probable Lineup:
| Weight | Name | Year | Hometown |
| 125 | Michael Johnson | r-So. | Lamar, Colo. |
| -OR- | Sean Cannon | Jr. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 133 | No. 20/14/11 Rico Montoya | Sr. | Las Vegas, N.M. |
| -OR- | Chris Sandoval | So. | Greeley, Colo. |
| 141 | Owen Lamb | r-So. | Wellington, Colo. |
| 149 | Mason Hulse | Fr. | Boone, Iowa |
| 157 | Jordan Robison | So. | Frisco, Texas |
| 165 | Macoy Flanagan | r-So. | Platteville, Colo. |
| 174 | Seth Bogulski | r-So. | Aurora, Colo. |
| 184 | Dalton Robertson | Jr. | Keensburg, Colo. |
| 197 | No. 20/-/20 Jacob Seely | r-Jr. | Grand Junction, Colo. |
| HWT | Robert Winters | r-So. | Stafford, Va. |
Rankings are listed as follows: The Open Mat/FloWrestling/Intermat
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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