MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –The No. 19 West Virginia University wrestling team returns home for its Beauty and the Beast meet with the WVU gymnastics  team on Sunday, Feb. 18. Both teams will compete simultaneously inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Wrestling plays host to Glenville State, while gymnastics will take on Big 12 Conference foes Iowa State and Denver.
 
The Beauty and the Beast meet returns to the WVU Coliseum for the first time since 2020. Prior to the meet, the third-ever Mountaineer Fan Fest will take place in the Coliseum concourse from 1-2 p.m. The Mountaineer Fan Fest brings together many of the WVU teams and student-athletes in one place for a fun afternoon of games and activities. Upon entrance, fans are encouraged to pick up their passport for the day and visit each of the team stations.

In addition to the team stations, there also will be a pink shaker giveaway to the first 1,000 fans in honor of the gymnastics and wrestling teams' annual pink meets, courtesy of WVU Medicine. A commemorative Beauty and the Beast poster also will be given to the first 500 fans, and Mr. Twister will provide balloon art and face painting.

Join us pregame for Mountaineer Wrestling's Senior Day, where we will honor and celebrate the career of our seniors prior to the dual.

Tickets for the event are $8, as one ticket gains fans admittance into Mountaineer Fan Fest and the Beauty and the Beast competitions. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. Any remaining tickets will be available at the Mountaineer Ticket Office on meet day, which opens one hour prior to the start of the event.

Fans can stream all of Sunday's action on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ as well as follow along with live stats on Trackwrestling.

"I think it's probably the coolest event that I've ever been a part of," sixth-year head coach Tim Flynn said. "It's neat to see multiple teams compete at the same time and obviously, as far as our team goes, it gives us another opportunity to compete and get better."

West Virginia (9-5) and Glenville State (11-9) meet Sunday for the third consecutive year and fourth time in overall history. WVU led off the series with a 28-6 road win over the Pioneers back in 1975, before GSC closed the doors on its wrestling program for the next 45 years. In 2022, the two teams renewed the series, as the Mountaineers pulled away with a 40-3 victory and then scored a 37-9 win as part of a quad to begin the 2023 season.
 
Ranked No. 23 in the latest NCAA Division II poll, GSC is led by WVU's first Big 12 Champion and fourth-year coach Dylan Cottrell. He led his program to its first Mountain East Conference (MEC) title earlier this year after guiding the Pioneers to back-to-back, 16-win seasons and consecutive runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023, as well as being named the 2023 MEC Coach of the Year.

In the polls, nine Mountaineers landed in the second NCAA Coaches' rankings/first RPI: junior Jett Strickenberger (No. 31 – 14 RPI) at 125 pounds, redshirt sophomore Jordan Titus (No. 11 – 15 RPI) at 141 pounds, true freshman Ty Watters (No. 6 – 19 RPI) at 149 pounds, senior Caleb Dowling ( 26 RPI) at 157 pounds, senior Peyton Hall (No. 8 – 22 RPI) at 165 pounds, redshirt freshman Brody Conley (No. 25 – 20 RPI) at 174 pounds, redshirt junior Dennis Robin (No. 30 – 22 RPI) at 184 pounds, redshirt junior Austin Cooley (31 RPI) at 197 pounds and redshirt senior Michael Wolfgram (19 RPI) at heavyweight. The Pioneers have a pair of grapplers ranked in the Division II NCAA Coaches' ranking: Gavin Quiocho (No. 3) at 133 pounds and Guy Deleonardis (No. 7) at 157 pounds.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.