West Virginia Begins 2025-26 Season at Southeast Open - West Virginia University Athletics

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Jett Strickenberger at NCAA Wrestling Championships (March 20, 2025)

November 01, 2025 01:17 PM | Wrestling

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By: Charles Montgomery

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team officially begins its 2025-26 season at the Southeast Open at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia, on Sunday, Nov. 2.

The Mountaineers return to competition following a tremendous 2024-25 campaign that saw them place sixth at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships and tied for 18^th at the NCAA Championships.

Head coach Tim Flynn returns Big 12 champions, graduate student Jett Strickenberger and redshirt sophomore Ty Watters. Watters is back following a shortened sophomore season that saw him only wrestle six times due to injury.

Strickenberger put together a dominant season a year ago, winning 19 total matches, including five consecutive matches against ranked opponents. He also won a Big 12 title at 125 pounds to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

During the offseason, Flynn added graduate student Willie McDougald from Oklahoma. He is a three-time NCAA qualifier and placed fifth at the Big 12 Championships last season.

The Mountaineers also return redshirt senior Jordan Titus — a three-time NCAA qualifier — and redshirt junior Ian Bush, who will wrestle at 184 pounds after competing at 197 pounds last season.

West Virginia earned the No. 20 spot in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) preseason coaches poll, and seven wrestlers appear in the rankings by FloWrestling.

Strickenberger (125) and McDougald (149) are ranked No. 6 and No. 13, respectively, in their weight classes. Titus (141) is No. 28, redshirt junior Brody Conley (174) and Bush (184) are No. 25 and No. 14, respectively.

Watters is No. 5 at 157 pounds and redshirt freshman Rune Lawrence is No. 33 at 197 pounds.

Wrestling Attached
125: Louie Gill, Jett Strickenberger
133: Gunner Andrick (F/S), Mason Kernan, Casen Roark (F/S)
141: Ramil Islamov (F/S), Luke Satriano (F/S), Jordan Titus
149: TJ Langley, Willie McDougald, Lonzy Vielma (F/S)
157: Cole Evans (F/S)
165: Michael Baldwin (F/S), Leo Contino (F/S), Sasha Gavronsky, Shawn Taylor
174: Brody Conley, Carmine Lenzi (F/S)
184: Ian Bush
197: Alex Berisha (F/S), Rune Lawrence
285: Elijah Hunter, Brock Kehler (F/S)

Wrestling Unattached
125: Matthew Dolan
133: Logan Alexander
157: Nick Cicciarelli
174: Eric Thompson
197: Coen Grimm, Cole Tolley

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on X, Instagram and Facebook.