MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore Nick Kiussis notched his third victory over a ranked opponent this season, as the West Virginia University wrestling team fell in Big 12 action to No. 3 Oklahoma State, 40-3, inside the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, on Friday evening.
 
"Despite tonight's results, there are always positives," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "Obviously, Nick pulled out a win in overtime. In college wrestling, that is always tough. That was a guy we knew pretty well at Edinboro. That was a big win.
 
"I think Matty Schmitt wrestled well in the third period. He fixed his legs a couple times, but he just got behind a little bit. I think that match is going to tighten up at Big 12's. Same thing with Christian. It's a one takedown game with a fifth-ranked guy, so those are the positives. We just have a lot to improve on."
 
Kiussis, who is ranked at No. 20 by Intermat, squared off against No. 19 Andrew Shomers in the 165-pound bout, taking down the Edinboro transfer in sudden victory for the 6-4 decision. Shomers earned the first takedown of the match before Kiussis used a quick reversal to knot the score at 2-2 following three minutes of action. Kiussis elected to start the second on bottom, scoring another reversal for the 4-3 advantage heading into the final frame. Shomers started in the defensive position, which allowed him to escape and tie the match at 4-4 at the end of regulation. Kiussis did not back down in sudden victory though, scoring a takedown with 13 seconds left to put the Mountaineers on the board. With the win, Kiussis claimed his 30th career victory as a Mountaineer and moved to 15-5 on the season.
 
"Nick is a good scrambler, and he came out on top," Flynn said. "He did a nice job wrestling through a position."
 
The Cowboys used a trio of decisions (133, 149 and 157), a technical fall (125) and a win by fall (141) to push their lead to 20-0 before Kiussis added three points to the Mountaineers' total with four bouts remaining.
 
Trailing 20-3 in the match, freshman James Wujek sported a Mountaineer singlet for the third time in his career and wrestled No. 5 Joe Smith at 174 pounds. Smith quickly captured a 20-2 technical fall victory in the second period, increasing the Cowboys' lead to 22 at 25-3.
 
A forfeit at 184 pounds put Oklahoma State ahead by 28 in team scoring.
 
Redshirt freshman Noah Adams then dropped a 10-6 decision to No. 10 Dakota Geer at 197 pounds. Adams held a 5-4 advantage following three minutes of action, though Geer used a second-period escape, as well as a takedown, to put the score in his favor at 7-5. Adams started the third in the defensive position, earning the escape to cut his deficit to one. However, Geer sealed the deal with another takedown, riding Adams through the period for the 10-6 decision.
 
Oklahoma State capped the dual with a win by fall in the heavyweight bout, as junior Brandon Ngati snapped his five-match win streak in 2 minutes, 23 seconds to No. 2 Derek White.
 
Of note, the Mountaineers (2-10, 2-3) have now faced eight teams ranked inside the USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Top-25 Poll this season, with the Cowboys (8-0, 5-0) marking WVU's third opponent ranked inside the top 10.
 
Looking ahead, West Virginia will take on No. 16 Iowa State on Sunday, Jan. 20, at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers' annual Cradles for Cancer match for breast cancer awareness is set 1 p.m.
 
WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and will collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the WVU sports official "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine. Autographs also will take place following the match.
 
No. 3 Oklahoma State 40, West Virginia 3
125: No. 4/4/4 Nick Piccininni (OSU) tech. fall Joey Thomas (WVU), 21-5 [TF – 6:00]
133: No. 2/2/2 Daton Fix (OSU) dec. No. 11/17/15 Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 8-2
141: No. 12/12/13 Kaid Brock (OSU) wins by fall Caleb Rea (WVU), F 2:43
149: No. 5/4/5 Kaden Gfeller (OSU) dec. No. 19/-/16 Christian Monserrat (WVU), 3-1
157: Wyatt Sheets (OSU) dec. Zachary Moore (WVU), 3-0
165: No. 20/20/20 Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. No. 17/-/19 Andrew Shomers (OSU), 6-4 [SV-1]
174: No. 5/4/5 Joe Smith (OSU) tech. fall James Wujek (WVU), 20-2 [TF – 4:07]
184: No. 10/10/11 Jacobe Smith (OSU) wins by forfeit
197: No. 10/13/10 Dakota Geer (OSU) dec. Noah Adams (WVU), 10-6
HWT: No. 3/2/2 Derek White (OSU) wins by fall Brandon Ngati (WVU), F 2:23
 
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