TULSA, Okla. –
The West Virginia University wrestling team embarks on its postseason this weekend, as the Mountaineers travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship. The two-day tournament will take place on March 3-4 at the BOK Center.
Action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start. The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches will start at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET.
The first three sessions will be carried by FloWrestling, with live stats on FloArena. The championship matches will be broadcasted live on various FOX Sports affiliates around the nation. Check local listings for more information.
Brackets and official seeds will be announced following Friday evening's coaches' meeting. Pre-seeds were announced on Monday.
"We've been preparing for this weekend all year," said fourth-year coach
Sammie Henson. "We have to takeaway wins from people. It's not going to be an easy task, but I know it is there for the taking. We've had a couple guys with some close matches throughout the year that could've went either way, and this is where you have to change it. It's tournament time. Everyone is 0-0. It's a new season, and we have to go out there and steal some wins."
West Virginia heads to the Big 12 Championship for the sixth time since joining the league in 2012. The Mountaineers garnered their first Big 12 Champion last season, as Dylan Cottrell, seeded No. 2 in the 165-pound bout, defeated No. 1 seed Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State in a hard-fought 5-4 decision. With Cottrell's first-place finish, WVU claimed seventh in the 10-team tournament.
The league then added two more affiliates in July of 2017, giving the conference a 12-team field for the first-time ever. West Virginia is joined by Big 12 members Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State along with affiliate members Air Force, Fresno State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
This year, the Mountaineers have a trio of wrestlers enter the tournament seeded inside the top five of their respective weight classes.
Redshirt junior
Zeke Moisey is the No. 3 seed at 125 pounds. Ranked No. 15 in his weight class, the Northampton, Pennsylvania, native rides a 20-win season into the postseason. He owns a team-leading 20-8 mark on the year and is 6-2 vs. Big 12 opponents. The 2018 season marks the first time since 2015 that Moisey will wrestle at the conference tournament, when he placed second as a true freshman.
Redshirt senior
Jacob A. Smith was announced as the No. 4 seed at 197 pounds. The Charleston, West Virginia, native finished the regular season with an 11-6 overall mark, winning four of his last five duals. Smith, the 2017 Big 12 runner-up, checked-in at No. 22 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 22.
Redshirt freshman
Matthew Schmitt is the No. 5 seed at 133 pounds after posting an 18-10 overall mark with a 5-3 record in Big 12 action. The Platte City, Missouri, native has a team-high five major decisions on the year and comes in at No. 32 in the most recent coaches' panel rankings.
"It's an exciting time," Henson noted. "I'm excited to watch our younger guys compete at Big 12's for the first time in their careers, and I'm excited for our older guys to finish out their careers the way they want to."
Wrestlers can earn a bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by finishing within their weight's allocated spots at the Big 12 Championship. Wrestlers who do not earn a bid at their qualifying tournament may still be eligible for one of 47 at-large bids, which will be announced on March 6. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, coaches' panel rankings, results against common opponents, RPI, qualifying event placement and winning percentage.
WVU Lineup
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit
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