KANSAS CITY, Mo. – True freshman Ty Watters (149) and senior Peyton Hall (165) of the West Virginia University wrestling team closed out their All-America campaigns inside the T-Mobile Center with a pair of top-seven finishes on the final day of the 2024 NCAA Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
No. 5-seed Watters squared off against No. 7-seed Tyler Kasak of Penn State in the third-place bout at 149 pounds after pinning four-time All-American and No. 2-seed Kyle Parco of Arizona State in the consolation semifinals earlier in the day.
 
After falling behind 3-0, Watters escaped twice to pull within one of Kasak heading into the third period (3-2). The Nittany Lion avoided the Mountaineer at all costs and proceeded to hang on for the decision.
 
The Imperial, Pennsylvania, native joined All-Americans Robert Perry (1955) and Dominick Black (1991) as the third Mountaineer to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships.
 
In the seventh-place match at 165 pounds, No. 9-seed Hall battled No. 8-seed Antrell Taylor of Nebraska in a rematch from the second-round bout in which Taylor escaped with a two-point win. This time Hall wouldn't be denied, as the Chester, West Virginia, native avenged the previous loss by riding Taylor for 1:53 in the third period to seal a 2-1 decision and a top-seven finish to conclude his fourth consecutive appearance at the national tournament.
 
Hall's ending marked the sixth time a WVU grappler earned seventh and first since two-time All-American Killian Cardinale claimed the spot to end his first season at West Virginia in 2021.
 
As a team, West Virginia currently sits in 17th place with 31.5 team points, which would be the highest finish for the program since the 2004 squad wraped up its run tied for 16th.
 
*Team scores and brackets will be finalized later on tonight*
 
3rd Place Match
149: No. 7 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) dec. No. 5 Ty Watters (WVU), 3-2 [4th place]
 
7th Place Match
165: No. 9 Peyton Hall (WVU) dec. No. 8 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 2-1 [7th place]
 
Consolation Semifinals
149: No. 5 Ty Watters (WVU) won by fall over No. 2 Kyle Parco (Arizona State), [T – 6:48]
 
*No. Seed
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.