Friday, March 16
Cleveland, Ohio (Quicken Loans Arena)
11:00 a.m.
West Virginia University
at
NCAA Championships
Moisey’s Near-Perfect Day Highlights Day Two at NCAAs
March 16, 2018 11:17 PM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND, Ohio – No. 13 seed Zeke Moisey (125) of the West Virginia University wrestling team became a two-time All-American on Friday evening, as he upset No. 7 seed Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley in the 125-pound blood rounds of the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Moisey, a redshirt junior, went 3-1 on the day and is 4-2 in the tournament thus far to remain in contention for seventh place, as he takes on No. 9 seed Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State on Saturday morning. Live coverage will be available on ESPNU starting at 11 a.m. ET. Live stats for all matches are available on TrackWrestling. Mat-by-mat matches also will be shown on ESPN3.
"I'm so proud of the way our men competed today," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "There were some tough matches throughout the day, but it was truly special to share that moment with Zeke for a second time. I can't imagine how he feels with all he has been through. This has been a good year, and we are moving in the right direction with the style of wrestling that Mountaineers can be proud of. Mountaineer wrestling has a bright future, and I want to thank the fans, alumni, administration and my support staff for all they do."
The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native returned to the spotlight for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2015, starting his day off with a pair of decisions over Big 12 foe Conner Brown of South Dakota State and Travis Piotrowski of Illinois. Sporting a perfect 2-0 record in Session III, Moisey advanced to the fourth round of wrestle-backs later that evening, eventually earning All-America honors for the second time in his career. He became the first Mountaineer to earn the award twice since Brandon Rader won it in 2006 and 2007.
In Session IV, Moisey squared off against Big 12 foe LaMont for the fourth time this season, picking up the 8-5 decision in the blood rounds. The familiar face did not stop the 125-pound grappler from putting on a show, as Moisey scored an early takedown for the 2-1 lead and never looked back. LaMont elected to start on bottom, escaping 20 seconds into the second period to tie the match at 2-2. Moisey then added another takedown, making the score 4-2 in his favor. He later chose to cut LaMont loose, which eventually led to a late takedown from LaMont, as he took a 5-4 lead into the final frame. Moisey started the third in the defensive position, notching an escape to tie the match once again at 5-5. He then posted his third takedown of the match with under a minute remaining, riding LaMont through the period to earn the 8-5 decision.
However, No. 8 seed Ethan Lizak of Minnesota, a 2017 NCAA finalist at 125 pounds, halted Moisey's perfect day. Unfortunately, Moisey suffered a shoulder injury 30 seconds into the first stanza, as Lizak won by fall in 1 minute, 43 seconds.
Redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith (197) and redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) recorded a 2-2 mark at the NCAA Tournament, as both of their runs also came to an end in the third round of wrestle-backs Friday afternoon. Smith dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 8 seed Nate Rotert of South Dakota State in the 197-pound wrestle-backs, while Schmitt suffered a 5-2 setback to No. 10 seed Jack Mueller of Virginia in the 133-pound consolation bracket.
The Charleston, West Virginia, native advanced to the third round of wrestle-backs with a 2-0 win over Princeton's Patrick Brucki. Smith notched an escape with two seconds into the second stanza, as he took the 1-0 advantage into the final frame. Brucki then started the third in the defensive position, but Smith rode him through the period, tacking on the riding time point for the 2-0 decision in the third round of wrestle-backs.
In the next bout, Smith went head-to-head with Rotert in a Big 12 Championship finals rematch. The two wrestlers kept it close once again, with the match knotted at three apiece in the final frame. However, Smith got caught with his third stall call, putting the score in favor of Rotert, 4-3, with under a minute to go. The clock proceeded to wind down, as Smith suffered a 4-3 setback to Rotert. Smith concluded his career as a four-time NCAA qualifier. He racked up 92 career wins in a Mountaineer singlet, just three wins shy of an appearance on WVU's all-time career wins list.
Schmitt earned his fourth pin of the season in the second round of wrestle-backs vs. Kent State's Anthony Tutolo. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Schmitt escaped to push the match into sudden victory tied at 2-2. Neither wrestler scored in the first overtime period, as Tutolo elected to start the second in the down position. Schmitt quickly went to work, earning the pin in 8 minutes, 30 seconds to advance to the third round.
However, Schmitt's tournament run came to an end, as he dropped a hard-fought 5-2 decision to Mueller. The Platte City, Missouri, native recorded a 2-2 mark at his first-ever NCAA Tournament, completing his first season in a Mountaineer singlet with a 23-14 record to rank second on the team.
Of note, WVU has qualified 13 wrestlers to the national tournament in the Henson era.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Consolation Round 2
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Conner Brown (SDSU), 10-4
133: Matthew Schmitt (WVU) wins by fall Anthony Tutolo (Kent), F 8:30 [SV-2]
197: Jacob A. Smith (WVU) dec. Patrick Brucki (Princeton), 2-0
Consolation Round 3
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), 5-0
133: No. 10 Jack Mueller (Virginia) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 5-2
197: No. 8 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Jacob A. Smith (WVU), 4-3
Consolation Round 4
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley), 8-5
Consolation Round 5
125: No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) wins by fall No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU), F 1:43
Moisey, a redshirt junior, went 3-1 on the day and is 4-2 in the tournament thus far to remain in contention for seventh place, as he takes on No. 9 seed Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State on Saturday morning. Live coverage will be available on ESPNU starting at 11 a.m. ET. Live stats for all matches are available on TrackWrestling. Mat-by-mat matches also will be shown on ESPN3.
"I'm so proud of the way our men competed today," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "There were some tough matches throughout the day, but it was truly special to share that moment with Zeke for a second time. I can't imagine how he feels with all he has been through. This has been a good year, and we are moving in the right direction with the style of wrestling that Mountaineers can be proud of. Mountaineer wrestling has a bright future, and I want to thank the fans, alumni, administration and my support staff for all they do."
The Northampton, Pennsylvania, native returned to the spotlight for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2015, starting his day off with a pair of decisions over Big 12 foe Conner Brown of South Dakota State and Travis Piotrowski of Illinois. Sporting a perfect 2-0 record in Session III, Moisey advanced to the fourth round of wrestle-backs later that evening, eventually earning All-America honors for the second time in his career. He became the first Mountaineer to earn the award twice since Brandon Rader won it in 2006 and 2007.
In Session IV, Moisey squared off against Big 12 foe LaMont for the fourth time this season, picking up the 8-5 decision in the blood rounds. The familiar face did not stop the 125-pound grappler from putting on a show, as Moisey scored an early takedown for the 2-1 lead and never looked back. LaMont elected to start on bottom, escaping 20 seconds into the second period to tie the match at 2-2. Moisey then added another takedown, making the score 4-2 in his favor. He later chose to cut LaMont loose, which eventually led to a late takedown from LaMont, as he took a 5-4 lead into the final frame. Moisey started the third in the defensive position, notching an escape to tie the match once again at 5-5. He then posted his third takedown of the match with under a minute remaining, riding LaMont through the period to earn the 8-5 decision.
However, No. 8 seed Ethan Lizak of Minnesota, a 2017 NCAA finalist at 125 pounds, halted Moisey's perfect day. Unfortunately, Moisey suffered a shoulder injury 30 seconds into the first stanza, as Lizak won by fall in 1 minute, 43 seconds.
Redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith (197) and redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (133) recorded a 2-2 mark at the NCAA Tournament, as both of their runs also came to an end in the third round of wrestle-backs Friday afternoon. Smith dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 8 seed Nate Rotert of South Dakota State in the 197-pound wrestle-backs, while Schmitt suffered a 5-2 setback to No. 10 seed Jack Mueller of Virginia in the 133-pound consolation bracket.
The Charleston, West Virginia, native advanced to the third round of wrestle-backs with a 2-0 win over Princeton's Patrick Brucki. Smith notched an escape with two seconds into the second stanza, as he took the 1-0 advantage into the final frame. Brucki then started the third in the defensive position, but Smith rode him through the period, tacking on the riding time point for the 2-0 decision in the third round of wrestle-backs.
In the next bout, Smith went head-to-head with Rotert in a Big 12 Championship finals rematch. The two wrestlers kept it close once again, with the match knotted at three apiece in the final frame. However, Smith got caught with his third stall call, putting the score in favor of Rotert, 4-3, with under a minute to go. The clock proceeded to wind down, as Smith suffered a 4-3 setback to Rotert. Smith concluded his career as a four-time NCAA qualifier. He racked up 92 career wins in a Mountaineer singlet, just three wins shy of an appearance on WVU's all-time career wins list.
Schmitt earned his fourth pin of the season in the second round of wrestle-backs vs. Kent State's Anthony Tutolo. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Schmitt escaped to push the match into sudden victory tied at 2-2. Neither wrestler scored in the first overtime period, as Tutolo elected to start the second in the down position. Schmitt quickly went to work, earning the pin in 8 minutes, 30 seconds to advance to the third round.
However, Schmitt's tournament run came to an end, as he dropped a hard-fought 5-2 decision to Mueller. The Platte City, Missouri, native recorded a 2-2 mark at his first-ever NCAA Tournament, completing his first season in a Mountaineer singlet with a 23-14 record to rank second on the team.
Of note, WVU has qualified 13 wrestlers to the national tournament in the Henson era.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Consolation Round 2
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Conner Brown (SDSU), 10-4
133: Matthew Schmitt (WVU) wins by fall Anthony Tutolo (Kent), F 8:30 [SV-2]
197: Jacob A. Smith (WVU) dec. Patrick Brucki (Princeton), 2-0
Consolation Round 3
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. Travis Piotrowski (Illinois), 5-0
133: No. 10 Jack Mueller (Virginia) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 5-2
197: No. 8 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. Jacob A. Smith (WVU), 4-3
Consolation Round 4
125: No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 7 Taylor LaMont (Utah Valley), 8-5
Consolation Round 5
125: No. 8 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) wins by fall No. 13 Zeke Moisey (WVU), F 1:43
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