Saturday, March 9
Tulsa, Okla.
All Day
West Virginia University
at
Big 12 Championship
Photo by: Brett Rojo/For The Big 12 Confer
Mountaineers Set for Big 12 Championship
March 08, 2019 05:54 PM | Wrestling
TULSA, Okla. – The West Virginia University wrestling team 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. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Brackets and official seeds will be announced following Friday' evening's coaches' meeting. Pre-seeds were announced on Monday.
"We've put in a lot of work this year, and now, I think it is just kind of maintaining, freshening them up and refining things," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "The work is done, so we are just trying to get them there in one piece."
The Mountaineers head to the Big 12 Wrestling Championship for the seventh time since joining the league in 2012. Last season, WVU maneuvered its way through a 12-team field for a ninth-place finish, as a pair of Mountaineers advanced to the final round of competition. Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt is the lone Mountaineer returning to this year's tournament who earned a spot on the podium last season. Schmitt earned a fourth-place finish in the 133-pound bracket, posting a 3-2 record at the two-day event to punch his first-ever ticket to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
WVU has a trio of grapplers pre-seeded inside the top four of their respective weight classes.
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 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. 4 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 holds a first-round bye in the 165-pound division and will face the winner of No. 5 Andrew Fogarty of North Dakota State and Macoy Flanagan of Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals.
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. Of note, Nadeau will sport a Mountaineer singlet for the first time this season, as he wrestled unattached in several open tournaments at 165 pounds.
"We have to be hungry," Flynn said. "You have to want to get to that national tournament. I think the guys that are hungry and mentally fresh will do well."
Wrestlers can earn a bid to the 2019 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 44 at-large bids, which will be announced on March 12, followed by brackets and seeding on March 13. 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 WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page on WVUsports.com.
Brackets and official seeds will be announced following Friday' evening's coaches' meeting. Pre-seeds were announced on Monday.
"We've put in a lot of work this year, and now, I think it is just kind of maintaining, freshening them up and refining things," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "The work is done, so we are just trying to get them there in one piece."
The Mountaineers head to the Big 12 Wrestling Championship for the seventh time since joining the league in 2012. Last season, WVU maneuvered its way through a 12-team field for a ninth-place finish, as a pair of Mountaineers advanced to the final round of competition. Redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt is the lone Mountaineer returning to this year's tournament who earned a spot on the podium last season. Schmitt earned a fourth-place finish in the 133-pound bracket, posting a 3-2 record at the two-day event to punch his first-ever ticket to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
WVU has a trio of grapplers pre-seeded inside the top four of their respective weight classes.
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 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. 4 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 holds a first-round bye in the 165-pound division and will face the winner of No. 5 Andrew Fogarty of North Dakota State and Macoy Flanagan of Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals.
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. Of note, Nadeau will sport a Mountaineer singlet for the first time this season, as he wrestled unattached in several open tournaments at 165 pounds.
"We have to be hungry," Flynn said. "You have to want to get to that national tournament. I think the guys that are hungry and mentally fresh will do well."
Wrestlers can earn a bid to the 2019 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 44 at-large bids, which will be announced on March 12, followed by brackets and seeding on March 13. 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
| Weight | Wrestler | Pre-Seed | Allocations |
| 125 | Devin Brown | N/A | 5 |
| 133 | Matthew Schmitt | 4 | 5 |
| 141 | Caleb Rea | N/A | 6 |
| 149 | Christian Monserrat | 4 | 7 |
| 157 | Kyler Rea | N/A | 1 |
| 165 | Nick Kiussis | 4 | 6 |
| 174 | James Wujek | N/A | 5 |
| 184 | Tucker Nadeau | N/A | 5 |
| 197 | Noah Adams | 6 | 7 |
| HWT | Brandon Ngati | 7 | 6 |
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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