Sunday, February 14
Stillwater, Okla.
12:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Cowboy Challenge
Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
WVU Preps for Cowboy Challenge
February 13, 2021 01:57 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team treks to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the Cowboy Challenge on Sunday, Feb. 14, inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Competition is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET, with finals starting at 5 p.m. ET.
Sunday's finals will be carried live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, the conference's digital platform, and live stats will be available through TrackWrestling.com. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page at WVUsports.com.
Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It also is available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.
The Mountaineers join Wyoming and Missouri at Oklahoma State this weekend. The tournament includes an eight-man bracket at each weight class, which will be released later this evening on TrackWrestling. Of note, WVU has not competed in a tournament style event all season.
"I like the change up in the schedule because we only have had duals," third-year coach Tim Flynn said. "It's a small tournament, with an eight-man bracket, but we are going to bring a couple guys at different weights, so a total of 14 guys. It will give us a little bit of a different feel, and hopefully, this will help us going into Big 12s.
"Our sport is unique because it's an individual sport with a team component, but the better the individual does, the better the team does. That's not the same in team sports. Someone can go out and score a bunch of points, but maybe the team doesn't do as well. It's different in wrestling. These guys have been focused on themselves for a while. They are trying to improve themselves to win a national championship, and while they are doing that, they help the team win. We need a tournament though just to get a different feel."
Last week, West Virginia bounced back from a 21-12 loss at Wyoming to claim two-of-three conference matches on the road, defeating Fresno State (37-3) and Air Force (20-17) on Feb. 6, at the Bank of Colorado Arena, in Greeley, Colorado. WVU combined to win 18 bouts on the day, including five bonus victories.
Redshirt junior Noah Adams, a native of Coal City, West Virginia, dropped an 8-7 battle to No. 14 Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming last week to snap his 39-match win streak at 197 pounds. Greg Jones was the last Mountaineer grappler to win 39 or more consecutive matches, as he won 51 matches in a row from 2003-05. Adams boasts a team-high four bonus victories on the year and paces the team with 38 match points.
Six grapplers listed to travel to Oklahoma this weekend are from the state of West Virginia, including a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers: freshman Peyton Hall (165) and Adams.
Four Mountaineers rank in the top 33 of their respective weights in the first NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 11.
Adams comes in at No. 4 in his respective pool. He is tied for the team lead in wins with nine and is 2-1 against ranked opponents. Adams also has outscored his opponents, 85-24.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Sullivan (133) and Hall each entered the coaches' panel rankings for the first time in their careers, checking in at No. 19 and No. 21, respectively.
Sullivan, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is 4-0 on the year at 133 pounds, with three of his wins coming against ranked foes, as he earned himself a spot in the Mountaineers' starting lineup on Jan. 31. Hall, a native of Chester, West Virginia, is tied with Adams for the team lead in wins with nine. He is 3-1 against rank opponents.
Additionally, redshirt junior Killian Cardinale sits at No. 24 at 125 pounds. The Bristow, Virginia, native is 7-3 on the year and is currently on a five-match win streak.
In addition to the Mountaineers' starting lineup, junior Caleb Rea (141), redshirt freshman Anthony Carman (184) and freshmen Anthony D'Alesio (174) and Caleb Dowling (157) are expected to compete in Stillwater this weekend.
D'Alesio, a top-100 recruit out of Canfield, Ohio, looks to make his Mountaineer debut, while Rea, Carman and Dowling each have participated in extra matches for WVU this season.
Looking ahead, West Virginia will cap its regular season at home on Friday, Feb. 19, with a match against Iowa State. Start time against the Cyclones is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Competition is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET, with finals starting at 5 p.m. ET.
Sunday's finals will be carried live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, the conference's digital platform, and live stats will be available through TrackWrestling.com. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wrestling schedule page at WVUsports.com.
Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It also is available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.
The Mountaineers join Wyoming and Missouri at Oklahoma State this weekend. The tournament includes an eight-man bracket at each weight class, which will be released later this evening on TrackWrestling. Of note, WVU has not competed in a tournament style event all season.
"I like the change up in the schedule because we only have had duals," third-year coach Tim Flynn said. "It's a small tournament, with an eight-man bracket, but we are going to bring a couple guys at different weights, so a total of 14 guys. It will give us a little bit of a different feel, and hopefully, this will help us going into Big 12s.
"Our sport is unique because it's an individual sport with a team component, but the better the individual does, the better the team does. That's not the same in team sports. Someone can go out and score a bunch of points, but maybe the team doesn't do as well. It's different in wrestling. These guys have been focused on themselves for a while. They are trying to improve themselves to win a national championship, and while they are doing that, they help the team win. We need a tournament though just to get a different feel."
Last week, West Virginia bounced back from a 21-12 loss at Wyoming to claim two-of-three conference matches on the road, defeating Fresno State (37-3) and Air Force (20-17) on Feb. 6, at the Bank of Colorado Arena, in Greeley, Colorado. WVU combined to win 18 bouts on the day, including five bonus victories.
Redshirt junior Noah Adams, a native of Coal City, West Virginia, dropped an 8-7 battle to No. 14 Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming last week to snap his 39-match win streak at 197 pounds. Greg Jones was the last Mountaineer grappler to win 39 or more consecutive matches, as he won 51 matches in a row from 2003-05. Adams boasts a team-high four bonus victories on the year and paces the team with 38 match points.
Six grapplers listed to travel to Oklahoma this weekend are from the state of West Virginia, including a pair of nationally-ranked wrestlers: freshman Peyton Hall (165) and Adams.
Four Mountaineers rank in the top 33 of their respective weights in the first NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings released on Feb. 11.
Adams comes in at No. 4 in his respective pool. He is tied for the team lead in wins with nine and is 2-1 against ranked opponents. Adams also has outscored his opponents, 85-24.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Sullivan (133) and Hall each entered the coaches' panel rankings for the first time in their careers, checking in at No. 19 and No. 21, respectively.
Sullivan, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is 4-0 on the year at 133 pounds, with three of his wins coming against ranked foes, as he earned himself a spot in the Mountaineers' starting lineup on Jan. 31. Hall, a native of Chester, West Virginia, is tied with Adams for the team lead in wins with nine. He is 3-1 against rank opponents.
Additionally, redshirt junior Killian Cardinale sits at No. 24 at 125 pounds. The Bristow, Virginia, native is 7-3 on the year and is currently on a five-match win streak.
In addition to the Mountaineers' starting lineup, junior Caleb Rea (141), redshirt freshman Anthony Carman (184) and freshmen Anthony D'Alesio (174) and Caleb Dowling (157) are expected to compete in Stillwater this weekend.
D'Alesio, a top-100 recruit out of Canfield, Ohio, looks to make his Mountaineer debut, while Rea, Carman and Dowling each have participated in extra matches for WVU this season.
Looking ahead, West Virginia will cap its regular season at home on Friday, Feb. 19, with a match against Iowa State. Start time against the Cyclones is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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