Photo by: Brett Rojo/For The Big 12 Confer
Kiussis Receives At-Large Bid to Nationals
March 12, 2019 04:55 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore Nick Kiussis of the West Virginia University wrestling team was selected to receive an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as announced by the NCAA on Tuesday.
With Kiussis' ticket punched, WVU will send five Mountaineers to the national tournament for the first time since 2014. The 165-pound grappler will join redshirt senior Christian Monserrat (149), junior Brandon Ngati (HWT), redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt (133) and redshirt freshman Noah Adams (197), as they each earned automatic bids based on their performances at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship last weekend.
Schmitt will compete on the national stage for the second time in his career, while Kiussis, Monserrat, Ngati and Adams make their first-ever appearance at nationals. The NCAA Championships will be held on March 21-23, at PPG Paints Arena, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Kiussis carries an 18-10 record into the national tournament, including three wins over opponents ranked inside Intermat's Top-20 Poll this season. Kiussis earned his first victory over a ranked opponent on Dec. 29, defeating then-No. 18 Cam Coy of Virginia in a 9-2 decision at the South Beach Duals. Entering the Big 12 Championship, he was ranked No. 26 in the NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings and No. 28 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
The at-large selections were 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.
The complete seeding list and brackets will be revealed during the NCAA Wrestling Selection Show broadcast online (NCAA.com) on Wednesday, March 13, at 6 p.m. ET. The first round starts at noon ET on Thursday, March 21. Early sessions will be broadcasted on ESPNU, while second round, semifinal and championship matches will be shown live on ESPN. All six sessions also will be available on ESPN3, with live stats on TrackWrestling.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
With Kiussis' ticket punched, WVU will send five Mountaineers to the national tournament for the first time since 2014. The 165-pound grappler will join redshirt senior Christian Monserrat (149), junior Brandon Ngati (HWT), redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt (133) and redshirt freshman Noah Adams (197), as they each earned automatic bids based on their performances at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship last weekend.
Schmitt will compete on the national stage for the second time in his career, while Kiussis, Monserrat, Ngati and Adams make their first-ever appearance at nationals. The NCAA Championships will be held on March 21-23, at PPG Paints Arena, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Kiussis carries an 18-10 record into the national tournament, including three wins over opponents ranked inside Intermat's Top-20 Poll this season. Kiussis earned his first victory over a ranked opponent on Dec. 29, defeating then-No. 18 Cam Coy of Virginia in a 9-2 decision at the South Beach Duals. Entering the Big 12 Championship, he was ranked No. 26 in the NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings and No. 28 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
The at-large selections were 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.
The complete seeding list and brackets will be revealed during the NCAA Wrestling Selection Show broadcast online (NCAA.com) on Wednesday, March 13, at 6 p.m. ET. The first round starts at noon ET on Thursday, March 21. Early sessions will be broadcasted on ESPNU, while second round, semifinal and championship matches will be shown live on ESPN. All six sessions also will be available on ESPN3, with live stats on TrackWrestling.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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