PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Fifth-year
Peyton Hall became just the third Mountaineer to earn three career All-America honors as he advanced to the semifinals in the 165-pound weight class on the second day of the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Friday.
West Virginia entered the day with two Mountaineers in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022. Hall became the first Mountaineer to advance to the semifinals in any weight class since 2015 as he defeated Stanford's No. 7 seed Hunter Garvin by decision, 6-5.
In the semifinals, Hall battled Iowa's No. 3 seed Mike Caliendo. A high-scoring first period put Hall down, 9-5, despite registering a late takedown. Caliendo locked up the match with a takedown in the third period as he won by decision, 14-10.
Despite the loss, Hall remains in contention for third place as he'll compete in the wrestlebacks on Saturday.
Senior
Jett Strickenberger also competed in the 125-pound weight class quarterfinals. Against Virginia Tech's No. 3 seed Eddie Ventresca, Strickenberger fought a tightly contested bout as the pair remained tied at one point heading into overtime.
With less than a minute remaining in overtime, Ventresca scored the decisive takedown to win the match.
In the consolation match, Strickenberger lost to Nebraska's No. 9 seed Caleb Smith in overtime, 12-9.
Quarterfinal Results
Semifinal Results
- 165: No. 3 Mike Caliendo (IOWA) dec. No. 2 Peyton Hall (WVU), 14-10
Consolation Round Four Results
Session five will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, on ESPNU and session six will start at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Both sessions will also be live-streamed on ESPN+.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit
WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on
X,
Instagram and
Facebook.
