Friday, February 7
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
South Dakota State
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Mountaineers Host Jackrabbits Friday
February 06, 2020 04:43 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team will return to the mat for the first time in two weeks on Friday, Feb. 7, as it hosts South Dakota State in its first home conference match of the season. The bout is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum.
Fans can watch the match live at WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App. Tony Onarato and Michael Minnich will have the call. Live stats will be available for the match through TrackWrestling.com.
The match against the Jackrabbits has been designated WVU's annual Cradles for Cancer match for breast cancer awareness. WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the official WVU sports "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine.
The Mountaineers will recognize four seniors – Hunter Jones, Brandon Ngati, Kyler Rea and David Smith – for their contributions to the program prior to Friday's contest. The first 150 fans in attendance will receive a free Nike dri-fit t-shirt, with autographs taking place following the match.
"We've had almost three weeks of really solid training since our last match, so I'm anxious to see how we compete," WVU coach Tim Flynn said. "We are excited to be back at the WVU Coliseum to honor four outstanding young men in front of our home crowd and to continue our fight against breast cancer."
Friday's match marks the first home Big 12 Conference match of the season for the Mountaineers. WVU (3-8, 0-3 Big 12) has fallen in all four meetings between the two teams since South Dakota State (8-5, 4-2 Big 12) joined the Big 12 as an affiliate member in 2016. Last season, WVU dropped a hard-fought match to SDSU, 22-19, in Brookings, South Dakota.
The Mountaineers will be well-rested heading into the contest after having a two-week break since falling to Oklahoma, 22-18, on Jan. 19, in Norman. Sophomore Caleb Rea and junior Nick Kiussis each recorded a pin in the match, but the Mountaineers could not overcome an early deficit in the loss. The Sooners jumped out to an early 8-0 lead after earning a decision at 125 and a technical fall at 133 to begin the match before Caleb Rea earned the biggest upset of the season for the Mountaineers with a pin over No. 4 Dom Demas at 141. Demas, the 2019 Big 12 Champion at 141, was ranked as high as No. 1 (The Open Mat) heading into the match. Following a pair of Oklahoma wins at 149 and 157, Kiussis cut the Sooners' lead to three after earning WVU's second pin of the day at 165. Oklahoma clinched the match with wins at 174 and 184, respectively, before redshirt sophomore Noah Adams defeated his second straight ranked foe with a 6-1 decision against No. 13 Jake Woodley at 197. Ngati closed the match with a 2-1 win in double overtime.
Adams, Kiussis and Ngati each earned a spot in the first NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings of the year on Jan. 24. Adams led the way for West Virginia, sitting at No. 2 in the opening rankings to make him the highest-ranked Big 12 wrestler across all weight divisions. Kiussis is ranked No. 25 at 165, while Ngati sits at No. 33 at 285.
South Dakota State enters Friday's match with an 8-5 record after earning its first shutout over a Division I opponent in 14 years with a, 42-0, win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 2. The bout marks the first of a two-match road swing for SDSU, as the Jackrabbits will head to Athens, Ohio, to take on Ohio on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Damion Hahn is in his second season as the head coach of the Jackrabbits. Hahn has an overall record of 11-15 and is 6-9 in Big 12 play during his tenure.
Senior Zach Carlson leads South Dakota State with 18 wins, including a 10-3 record in dual matches. Carlson is ranked No. 15 at 184 in the NCAA Coaches Panel. He is joined in the rankings by teammates Tanner Cook (No. 23 / 165), Henry Pohlmeyer (No. 10 / 149), Tanner Sloan (No. 17 / 197) and Danny Vega (No. 22 / 125).
Friday's match will likely feature a pair of ranked bouts, as WVU's Kiussis (No. 25) faces No. 25 Cook at 165, while No. 2 Adams (WVU) looks for his 25th consecutive win of the season against No. 17 Sloan at 197.
Looking ahead, WVU will make its final road trip of the regular season next weekend, as it heads to the Hawkeye State for a pair of conference bouts. The Mountaineers begin the swing through Iowa on Friday, Feb. 14, with a match against No. 15 Northern Iowa, before heading to Ames to take on No. 18 Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 15. Both matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Fans can watch the match live at WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App. Tony Onarato and Michael Minnich will have the call. Live stats will be available for the match through TrackWrestling.com.
The match against the Jackrabbits has been designated WVU's annual Cradles for Cancer match for breast cancer awareness. WVU Medicine will sponsor the match and collect donations for the WVU Cancer Institute. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and can get the official WVU sports "pink" t-shirt with a donation of $10 or more to WVU Medicine.
The Mountaineers will recognize four seniors – Hunter Jones, Brandon Ngati, Kyler Rea and David Smith – for their contributions to the program prior to Friday's contest. The first 150 fans in attendance will receive a free Nike dri-fit t-shirt, with autographs taking place following the match.
"We've had almost three weeks of really solid training since our last match, so I'm anxious to see how we compete," WVU coach Tim Flynn said. "We are excited to be back at the WVU Coliseum to honor four outstanding young men in front of our home crowd and to continue our fight against breast cancer."
Friday's match marks the first home Big 12 Conference match of the season for the Mountaineers. WVU (3-8, 0-3 Big 12) has fallen in all four meetings between the two teams since South Dakota State (8-5, 4-2 Big 12) joined the Big 12 as an affiliate member in 2016. Last season, WVU dropped a hard-fought match to SDSU, 22-19, in Brookings, South Dakota.
The Mountaineers will be well-rested heading into the contest after having a two-week break since falling to Oklahoma, 22-18, on Jan. 19, in Norman. Sophomore Caleb Rea and junior Nick Kiussis each recorded a pin in the match, but the Mountaineers could not overcome an early deficit in the loss. The Sooners jumped out to an early 8-0 lead after earning a decision at 125 and a technical fall at 133 to begin the match before Caleb Rea earned the biggest upset of the season for the Mountaineers with a pin over No. 4 Dom Demas at 141. Demas, the 2019 Big 12 Champion at 141, was ranked as high as No. 1 (The Open Mat) heading into the match. Following a pair of Oklahoma wins at 149 and 157, Kiussis cut the Sooners' lead to three after earning WVU's second pin of the day at 165. Oklahoma clinched the match with wins at 174 and 184, respectively, before redshirt sophomore Noah Adams defeated his second straight ranked foe with a 6-1 decision against No. 13 Jake Woodley at 197. Ngati closed the match with a 2-1 win in double overtime.
Adams, Kiussis and Ngati each earned a spot in the first NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings of the year on Jan. 24. Adams led the way for West Virginia, sitting at No. 2 in the opening rankings to make him the highest-ranked Big 12 wrestler across all weight divisions. Kiussis is ranked No. 25 at 165, while Ngati sits at No. 33 at 285.
South Dakota State enters Friday's match with an 8-5 record after earning its first shutout over a Division I opponent in 14 years with a, 42-0, win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 2. The bout marks the first of a two-match road swing for SDSU, as the Jackrabbits will head to Athens, Ohio, to take on Ohio on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Damion Hahn is in his second season as the head coach of the Jackrabbits. Hahn has an overall record of 11-15 and is 6-9 in Big 12 play during his tenure.
Senior Zach Carlson leads South Dakota State with 18 wins, including a 10-3 record in dual matches. Carlson is ranked No. 15 at 184 in the NCAA Coaches Panel. He is joined in the rankings by teammates Tanner Cook (No. 23 / 165), Henry Pohlmeyer (No. 10 / 149), Tanner Sloan (No. 17 / 197) and Danny Vega (No. 22 / 125).
Friday's match will likely feature a pair of ranked bouts, as WVU's Kiussis (No. 25) faces No. 25 Cook at 165, while No. 2 Adams (WVU) looks for his 25th consecutive win of the season against No. 17 Sloan at 197.
Looking ahead, WVU will make its final road trip of the regular season next weekend, as it heads to the Hawkeye State for a pair of conference bouts. The Mountaineers begin the swing through Iowa on Friday, Feb. 14, with a match against No. 15 Northern Iowa, before heading to Ames to take on No. 18 Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 15. Both matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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