Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Big 12 Pre-Seeds Announced
March 04, 2019 07:30 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Pre-seeds for the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, set for March 9-10, at the BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were announced by the league office on Monday.
All 12 schools will place a wrestler in each weight class. The seeds, as voted on by the conference coaches and approved at the pre-championship coaches meeting on Friday, will compete over two days for 53 automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the 2019 Big 12 Championship team title.
The Mountaineers, who finished ninth at the 2018 Big 12 Championship, have a trio of wrestlers seeded inside the top five of their respective weight classes.
Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed at 133 pounds. The Platte City, Missouri, native finished the regular season with a 14-4 overall mark, winning three of his last four duals. Schmitt, a fourth-place finisher at last year's event, checks in at No. 16 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on March 1. The 133-pound grappler is scheduled to square off with Sean Cannon of Northern Colorado in the first round.
Redshirt senior Christian Monserrat was announced as the No. 4 seed at 149 pounds. Ranked No. 17 in his weight class, the Methuen, Massachusetts, native rides a 20-win season into the postseason. He owns a team-leading 20-5 mark on the year and is 8-2 vs. Big 12 opponents. Monserrat looks to make his first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, as he holds a first-round bye at the conference championship. The 149-pound wrestler will take on the winner of No. 5 seed Khristian Olivas of Fresno State and Dante Rodriguez of Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals.
Sophomore Nick Kiussis is the No. 5 seed at 165 pounds after posting an 18-8 overall mark and a 7-3 record in Big 12 action. The Brunswick, Ohio, native has topped three opponents ranked inside Intermat's Top-20 Poll this season and comes in at No. 26 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings. Kiussis will face Logan Schumacher of Iowa State in the first round of the 165-pound pool for the second time this season. The two wrestlers met head-to-head on Jan. 20, as Kiussis claimed the 3-2 decision in Morgantown.
Redshirt freshman Noah Adams enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed at 197 pounds. The Coal City, West Virginia, native has 14 wins on the year, including five victories by major decision and two by fall. No. 26 in his weight class, Adams has topped a pair of opponents ranked inside various wrestling publications this season. The 197 pounder will square off with North Dakota State's Cordell Eaton for the second time this season, as Adams walked away with the 5-2 decision at the South Beach Duals on Dec. 30.
Junior Brandon Ngati captured the No. 7 seed in the heavyweight division. The Gaithersburg, Maryland, native posted 11 wins on the year to come in at No. 30 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings. Ngati will wrestle South Dakota State's Blake Wolters in the first round for the second time in as many weeks, as Ngati picked up the 5-3 decision in sudden victory on Feb. 24.
Additionally, redshirt junior Devin Brown (125), redshirt sophomore Kyler Rea (157) and freshmen Caleb Rea (141), James Wujek (174) and Tucker Nadeau (184) will compete unseeded in their respective weight classes at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
WVU embarks on its postseason this weekend, as the Mountaineers travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship. The two-day tournament will take place on March 9-10 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 8 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 AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, as well as various FOX Sports affiliates around the nation. Check local listings for more information.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
All 12 schools will place a wrestler in each weight class. The seeds, as voted on by the conference coaches and approved at the pre-championship coaches meeting on Friday, will compete over two days for 53 automatic qualifying bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, as well as the 2019 Big 12 Championship team title.
The Mountaineers, who finished ninth at the 2018 Big 12 Championship, have a trio of wrestlers seeded inside the top five of their respective weight classes.
Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed at 133 pounds. The Platte City, Missouri, native finished the regular season with a 14-4 overall mark, winning three of his last four duals. Schmitt, a fourth-place finisher at last year's event, checks in at No. 16 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on March 1. The 133-pound grappler is scheduled to square off with Sean Cannon of Northern Colorado in the first round.
Redshirt senior Christian Monserrat was announced as the No. 4 seed at 149 pounds. Ranked No. 17 in his weight class, the Methuen, Massachusetts, native rides a 20-win season into the postseason. He owns a team-leading 20-5 mark on the year and is 8-2 vs. Big 12 opponents. Monserrat looks to make his first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, as he holds a first-round bye at the conference championship. The 149-pound wrestler will take on the winner of No. 5 seed Khristian Olivas of Fresno State and Dante Rodriguez of Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals.
Sophomore Nick Kiussis is the No. 5 seed at 165 pounds after posting an 18-8 overall mark and a 7-3 record in Big 12 action. The Brunswick, Ohio, native has topped three opponents ranked inside Intermat's Top-20 Poll this season and comes in at No. 26 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings. Kiussis will face Logan Schumacher of Iowa State in the first round of the 165-pound pool for the second time this season. The two wrestlers met head-to-head on Jan. 20, as Kiussis claimed the 3-2 decision in Morgantown.
Redshirt freshman Noah Adams enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed at 197 pounds. The Coal City, West Virginia, native has 14 wins on the year, including five victories by major decision and two by fall. No. 26 in his weight class, Adams has topped a pair of opponents ranked inside various wrestling publications this season. The 197 pounder will square off with North Dakota State's Cordell Eaton for the second time this season, as Adams walked away with the 5-2 decision at the South Beach Duals on Dec. 30.
Junior Brandon Ngati captured the No. 7 seed in the heavyweight division. The Gaithersburg, Maryland, native posted 11 wins on the year to come in at No. 30 in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings. Ngati will wrestle South Dakota State's Blake Wolters in the first round for the second time in as many weeks, as Ngati picked up the 5-3 decision in sudden victory on Feb. 24.
Additionally, redshirt junior Devin Brown (125), redshirt sophomore Kyler Rea (157) and freshmen Caleb Rea (141), James Wujek (174) and Tucker Nadeau (184) will compete unseeded in their respective weight classes at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
WVU embarks on its postseason this weekend, as the Mountaineers travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship. The two-day tournament will take place on March 9-10 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 8 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 AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, as well as various FOX Sports affiliates around the nation. Check local listings for more information.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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