SEVEN HILLS, Ohio – The West Virginia University wrestling team will face four opponents at the South Beach Duals, at the Broward County Convention Center, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, from Dec. 29-30.
 
The Mountaineers (1-4, 1-1 Big 12) will take on Virginia (4-4, 0-0 ACC) at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29, before rounding out the first day of competition with a 1 p.m. tilt against Michigan State (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten). The squad will cap the two-day event with an 11 a.m. match vs. No. 20 North Dakota State (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) on Sunday, Dec. 30, followed by a dual with No. 13 Purdue (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten) at 1 p.m.
 
Live video and stats will be available through TrackWrestling.com. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
 
"We are excited to test ourselves again," first-year coach Tim Flynn said. "Our young team has a good attitude and are eager to compete. We came back the day after Christmas and got a few workouts in, so we are ready to compete down in South Beach this weekend."
 
West Virginia has faced four teams ranked inside the USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Top-25 Poll this year, with No. 20 North Dakota State and No. 13 Purdue becoming the Mountaineers' fifth and sixth top-25 opponent, respectively, of the 2018-19 season.
 
WVU most recently dropped a 24-9 dual to No. 14 Virginia Tech on Dec. 19, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown. Redshirt freshman Joey Thomas (125), true freshman Luke Martin (141) and redshirt senior Christian Monserrat (149) each won by decision for the Mountaineers.
 
Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt returns to the lineup at 133 pounds following an eight-week hiatus due to injury. Schmitt is 6-0 on the year, recording one dual win against Big 12 foe Northern Colorado to open the season on Nov. 1, as well as a 5-0 record in the 133-pound open division at the Hokie Open (Nov. 4) At 149 pounds, Monserrat remains undefeated in dual action and leads the squad with 16 match points and 10 takedowns.
 
West Virginia and Virginia will square off for the 15th time on Saturday, as WVU boasts a 12-2 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1921; the same year West Virginia started its program. However, it was Virginia who claimed the last meeting, as the Cavaliers picked up a 41-6 win in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Nov. 2, 2013. Prior to the 2013 meeting, the two teams have not met since 2002, when the Mountaineers captured a 44-3 victory in Morgantown.
 
The Cavaliers enter the week with four wrestlers ranked at their respective weight classes in the latest InterMat rankings. Jay Aiello is the seventh-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds, while Cam Coy is No. 18 at 165 pounds and Sam Krivus is No. 17 at 141 pounds. New to the rankings is Jack Mueller, who returned to the lineup in the dual at Missouri on Dec. 20 and ranks fifth at 125 pounds following his first dual appearance this season.
 
Michigan State holds a 5-1 lead in the all-time series, though WVU claimed a 23-12 win in the squads' most recent meeting in 2012. Michigan State is 2-0 on the season, defeating Buffalo on Nov. 28 and Big Ten foe Indiana on Dec. 7. The Spartans last competed at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20, placing 10 wrestlers in the top six en route to a second-place team finish. Individually, No. 9 Rayvon Foley (125) and No. 15 Cameron Caffrey (184) are tied for the team lead with 15 wins on the year.
 
The Mountaineers went head-to-head with the Bison for the first time in program history last season, notching the 19-12 victory over NDSU in Morgantown. North Dakota State is 5-1 on the year, with its lone loss coming against No. 21 Wyoming on Dec. 8. Individually, a trio of Bison check-in to the latest Intermat rankings at their respective weight classes. Brent Fleetwood is No. 10 at 125 pounds, Cam Sykora is No. 19 at 133 pounds and Andrew Fogarty is No. 17 at 165 pounds.
 
Purdue holds a 1-0 all-time series advantage, though the squads have not faced each other head-to-head since 1954. Purdue, who is ranked at No. 13 by the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Top25 Poll, reached its highest team ranking in nearly 10 years on Dec. 18. Coach Tony Ersland's squad has been ranked among the nation's top 25 in 20 consecutive polls and 31 total polls during his five-year tenure. For a fourth straight week, five Boilermakers are listed among the top 20 at their respective weight classes. In all, six different Purdue wrestlers have been nationally ranked this season.
 
Following the South Beach Duals, the Mountaineers start the new year with a Big 12 road match against Oklahoma, on Jan. 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET. WVU will meet OU for the 10th time in program history, as the Mountaineers upset the Sooners, 24-12, last season at the WVU Coliseum, their first win over Oklahoma since 1986.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.