Adams Named Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

January 28, 2019 02:02 PM | General, Golf, Men's Swimming & Diving, Rifle, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

Varsity Sports Report

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After helping the Mountaineer wrestling team win two-of-three matches on the road on Jan. 25 and 27, West Virginia University redshirt freshman Noah Adams has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

The 197-pound grappler opened the weekend with a pair of decisions on Friday and finished with a win by fall over a top-20 opponent in Wyoming's Cale Davidson on Sunday. The Coal City, West Virginia, native opened Friday's doubleheader with a 9-2 decision over CSU Bakersfield's Mark Penyacsek and capped the night with a 9-4 decision over Big 12 foe Utah Valley's Ashton Seely. Adams then finished the weekend with a second-period pin (4:17) over No. 18 Cale Davidson of Wyoming for a perfect 3-0 record for the week

Adams averaged six points per match last week, while scoring a total of five takedowns and three reversals in his three matches. Adams is now 13-10 on the season and has two victories over ranked foes. He also is 4-4 in Big 12 action.

This Week in Women's Basketball: West Virginia will play in a pair of Big 12 contests … the Mountaineers start the week in Austin, Texas, with a rematch against No. 12 Texas at the Frank Erwin Center … tipoff is set for 8 p.m. EST on FS1 … the team returns home on Sunday to host Kansas in the first meeting between the two … game time is set for 3 p.m. on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh … in celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, the WVU gymnastics team, rowing team, volleyball team, swimming & diving team and women's basketball managers will host pregame clinics.

Last Week in Women's Basketball: The Mountaineers picked up a pair of wins to move to 5-3 in Big 12 play … WVU grabbed a 68-65 win over Texas Tech at the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday … redshirt junior Tynice Martin had 23 points in the win, going 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, including some crucial free throws down the stretch … senior forward Naomi Davenport had 13 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Lucky Rudd went a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe on her way to 14 points … West Virginia downed K-State in a 60-30 victory at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday … Davenport led the way with 16 points and 15 rebounds in the win … Martin had 13 points and Rudd added 12.

Notes: With the wins, WVU moved to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in Big 12 play … the Mountaineers have now won four straight at home ... Davenport collected her team-leading fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds against TTU … it was the 11th of her career and the 12th by the Mountaineers this season … in addition to Davenport, Martin (3), freshman forward Kari Niblack (3) and senior center Theresa Ekhelar (1) all have double-doubles this season … WVU allowed just 30 points against K-State … it is the fewest allowed by the Mountaineers in a conference game in program history … it marks just the second time since 2006 WVU has allowed just 30 points … it also was the fewest allowed in a Big 12 game this season and the fewest allowed in a Power 5 Conference game this year.

This Week in Gymnastics: The Mountaineers stay in Morgantown and return to the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 2, for a 7 p.m. meet against No. 7 Denver and Iowa State … it's Military Appreciation Day, and free admission will be provided to all past and present military members who show their I.D. ... Family and guest of the military members will receive group-rate tickets of $3 at the door … additionally, select concessions will be available for $1 each, and red, white and blue light-up wands will be given to the first 500 fans.

Last Week in Gymnastics: WVU (8-2, 0-1) swept its third week in as many weeks with a 194.925 showing in its home season opener on Jan. 27, at the WVU Coliseum … Kent State finished second (194.45) and George Washington placed third (194.125) … the Mountaineers finished first on vault (48.875) and floor exercise (49.25), second on balance beam (48.275) and third on uneven bars (48.525) … senior Kirah Koshinski scored 9.9 on vault and floor for the event wins … classmate Jaquie Tun tied for the floor win and also tied freshman Esperanza Abarca for first on bars with a season-high 9.8 score … senior Carly Galpin tied for first on balance beam with a season-best 9.8 … junior Abby Kaufman finished second in the all-around with a 38.775 total.

Notes: WVU's win over George Washington was its first since 2014 … Koshinski continues to rank No. 2 in program history with 37 career scores of 9.9 or better … she shows 21 career vault scores of 9.9 or better and needs two more scores to tie TeShawne Jackson (2000-03) for the program record … additionally, with 16 career floor scores of 9.9 or better, she ranks No. 3 in program history, needing one more mark to move into a second-place tie with Kristen Macrie (1999-02) … Koshinski has won floor in all four meets this year … Abarca has tallied a team-best 9.8 on bars in each meet this season … Kaufman and freshman Rachel Hornung finished fourth on floor with season-best 9.825s.

This Week in Track & Field: The Mountaineers travel to Akron, Ohio, for the Akron Invitational, from Thursday, Jan. 31, to Saturday, Feb. 2 … competition at the Stiles Athletic Field House is set to begin on 5 p.m. on Thursday and continue at 4 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Last Season in Track & Field: WVU earned three wins and a total of 11 top-eight finishes at the Penn State National Open, from Jan. 25-26, in University Park, Pennsylvania … redshirt senior Madelin Gardner won the women's pole vault invitational with a meet-record mark of 4.25 meters (13 feet, 11.25 inches), while redshirt senior Antigone Archer (9:57.07) and redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson (2:48.70) won the women's 3,000 meters and 1,000 meters, respectively.

Notes: Gardner ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 and tied for No. 10 nationally in the pole vault with a season-best mark of 4.31 meters (14 feet, 1.75 inches) … Gardner won her third competition in as many tries on Saturday at Penn State … additionally, Jackson earned a victory for the third consecutive weekend … WVU will compete at the Akron Invitational for the seventh consecutive season … last year, the Mountaineers earned two wins at the meet, as well as a school-record performance by Gardner, who earned a career-best mark of 4.37 meters (14 feet, 4 inches) in a second-place finish … McKenna Smith won the women's 400 meters (blue division) in 57.08, while Shamoya McNeil finished first in the women's triple jump (gold division) with a mark of 12.82 meters (42 feet, 0.75 inches) … West Virginia earned a total of 10 top-five finishes at Akron last year.

This Week in Wrestling: West Virginia (4-12, 3-5 Big 12) will wrap up its home slate on Friday, Feb. 1, with a nonconference match against Army (5-2, 5-0 EIWA) at 8 p.m. ET ... the Mountaineers and the Black Knights meet for just the third time overall, with the all-time series knotted at one win apiece ... it is Senior Day, and WVU will celebrate the careers of Joe Wheeling and Christian Monserrat following the match ... it's also Mountaineer Kids Club Day, and fans will have an opportunity to receive the Mountaineers' autographs one last time ... direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wresting schedule page on WVUsports.com.

Last Week in Wrestling: The Mountaineers won two-of-three matches on the road last week, picking up a pair of wins in Orem, Utah, on Friday … West Virginia captured a 21-16 victory over CSU Bakersfield, followed by a 26-13 win over Big 12 foe Utah Valley … Monserrat (149), redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157), sophomore Nick Kiussis (165) and redshirt freshmen Joey Thomas (125) and Noah Adams (197) each posted a 2-0 record on the evening ... West Virginia then snapped its two-match win streak on Sunday, as WVU dropped a 33-15 match to No. 11 Wyoming at the UniWyo Sports Complex, in Laramie, Wyoming … Moore (157) and Adams (197) each earned a pin at their respective weight classes, while Monserrat claimed an 8-4 decision at 149 pounds to cap the dual with a Mountaineer victory.

Notes: The Mountaineers have now faced 10 teams ranked inside the USA Today/NWCA Coaches' Top-25 Poll this season … Kiussis and Monserrat each have a team-leading 18 wins on the year … Monserrat also leads the team with 14 dual wins and 47 match points … the first of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2018-19 season was released on Jan. 24, with five Mountaineers appearing in the top 33 of their respective weight classes ... the final rankings will be used in determining qualifiers for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which will be held in Pittsburgh, at PPG Paints Arena, from March 21-23 … redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt ranks 14th at 133 pounds, while Monserrat sits in 20th in his respective pool of 149 pounds ... Kiussis ranks 18th at 165 pounds, and junior Brandon Ngati (HWT) and Adams (197) each enter the coaches' panel rankings for the first time in their careers at No. 32 in their respective weight classes ... wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn allocation spots for their qualifying tournaments for the championships.

This Week in Rifle: The No. 2-ranked Mountaineers do not compete this week.

Last Week in Rifle: WVU (12-0, 7-0 GARC) defeated No. 9 Navy, 4706-4660, on Jan. 26, at the Bill McKenzie Rifle Range … WVU swept the Midshipmen, winning smallbore, 2332-2307, and air rifle, 2374-2353 … senior Ginny Thrasher finished first in air rifle with a 597 total, and junior Morgan Phillips won smallbore with a 587 mark.

Notes: WVU has not lost a regular-season match since falling at Alaska-Fairbanks on Feb. 1, 2015, 4705-4706 … Thrasher's air rifle mark was her second-best of the season and top score since shooting a season-high 599 on Oct. 14 … sophomore David Koenders shot a season-high 596 air rifle and finished second overall … Thrasher, Koenders, junior Milica Babic and sophomore Sarah Osborn counted toward the Mountaineers' smallbore and air rifle scores … Phillips also shot toward the smallbore total, and freshman Jared Eddy contributed to air rifle … with the win, WVU improved to 28-8 all-time against Navy.

This Week in Swimming & Diving: The Mountaineers are off this week … WVU next competes at the 2019 Big 12 Championship, from Feb. 27-March 2, in Austin, Texas.

Last Week in Swimming & Diving: The WVU women's team closed the regular season with a 152-148 loss at Iowa State on Jan. 26, in Ames, Iowa … junior Morgan Bullock led the team with three individual wins (100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley) … senior Averly Hobbs won both events on springboard, winning 1-meter with a score of 288.90 and 3-meter with a 306.45 … West Virginia won five consecutive events at one point to force a winner-take-all in the final event of the meet, the 400 freestyle relay … with the loss, the Mountaineers finish the season with a 3-3 record in dual meets, including 1-1 inside the Big 12 Conference.

Notes: The Mountaineers and Cyclones met for the sixth consecutive season last weekend … despite the loss, WVU won nine of 16 events against ISU … both the men's and women's teams earned Scholar All-America Team status by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) last week, which marked the 22nd semester for the women's team and third in a row for the men … entering the conference meet, sophomore David Dixon ranks No. 16 nationally in the men's 200 butterfly (1:42.95), Bullock ranks No. 36 in the nation in the women's 200 butterfly (1:57.31) and redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio sits No. 37 nationally in the men's 100 breaststroke (53.52) … Di Sibio (200 breaststroke) and senior Jake Armstrong (100 breaststroke) are set to defend their Big 12 individual championships at the conference meet … both teams finished second at the Big 12 Championship last season.

This Week in Tennis: WVU opens the season on Saturday, Feb. 2, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as it takes on Duquesne at 4 p.m. ... West Virginia battles Pitt on Sunday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m., to conclude its season-opening road trip.

Last Fall in Tennis: The Mountaineers last competed on Nov. 9-11, at the Florida State All-Conference Showdown in Tallahassee, Florida ... West Virginia also competed in four other tournaments last fall, including the Hokie Fall Invite, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic Regionals, the Louisville Tennis Classic and hosted the Martha Thorn Mountaineer Invitational ... freshman Anastasiia Bovolskaia led the team with an overall record of 18-15 and a singles record of 12-5 this fall ... senior Abigail Rosiello (8-5) and sophomore Anne-Sophie Courteau (8-7) led the team in doubles victories.

Notes: WVU holds a 111-107 all-time record over 2019 opponents, including a 26-3 record against Duquesne and a 28-7 record against Pitt ... this season marks the second consecutive year the Mountaineers will square off with Duquesne ... last season, WVU bested the Dukes in Morgantown, 4-2 ... West Virginia last competed against Pitt in 2017, when it fell to the Panthers in Pittsburgh, 1-6 ... senior Paula Goetz leads the team with an overall record of 65-80 ... Goetz also leads WVU in singles wins (31) and doubles wins (34) ... sophomore Giovanna Caputo is second on the team with 24 singles wins ... junior Christina Jordan is second on the team in doubles wins (26).

This Week in Golf: Following the winter hiatus, the Mountaineers will start the spring season this week … WVU travels to Reunion Resort in Orlando, Florida, for a head-to-head matchup with rival Penn State on Sunday … senior Max Sear, sophomore Matthew Sharpstene, junior Etienne Papineau, sophomore Mark Goetz and junior Philipp Matlari will represent the Mountaineers against the Nittany Lions … six golfers will compete for each team with the top-five scores counting … additionally, senior Tristan Nichols and freshman Kurtis Grant will compete at the Georgia Southern Individual Tournament.

Last Week in Golf: The Mountaineers were off last week.

Notes: WVU and Penn State compete for the Athletic Directors Trophy, a battle that started in 1971 with Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia … the event was abandoned in 1972 after three of the four teams cut their golf programs … the event was reinstated between WVU and Penn State in 2017 … Penn State is 2-0 thus far.