Friday, January 16
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
No. 15 Pitt
No. 22 WVU Renews Backyard Brawl at No. 15 Pitt
January 15, 2026 12:03 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 22 West Virginia University wrestling team will face No. 15 Pitt in the Backyard Brawl at 7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh on Friday.
The match will be on ACCNX on ESPN. Tickets can be purchased here.
West Virginia (7-2, 2-1 Big 12) returns to action after sweeping its two road matches last weekend against Arizona State and California Baptist.
The Mountaineers are looking for their first win against the Panthers since 2023. That is also the last time WVU won on the road against Pitt. West Virginia is 28-38-2 all-time in the Backyard Brawl.
Redshirt junior Brody Conley (174) and freshman Gunner Andrick (133) lead the Mountaineers with 15 wins this season. Conley is undefeated in dual action and has two wins against ranked opponents.
Andrick is second on the team with four ranked wins this season, including a win against then-No. 11 Ronnie Ramirez of Oklahoma State in December.
Redshirt sophomore Ty Watters (157) bounced back against CBU following his first loss since 2024. He is 13-1 on the year and 5-0 against ranked opponents.
After dropping consecutive matches against North Carolina and Oklahoma State, redshirt junior Ian Bush (184) dominated with wins by major decision and fall in West Virginia's previous two matches.
West Virginia enters the week with seven Mountaineers ranked in the top-33 by FloWrestling. Watters leads the squad at No. 4 at 157 pounds, graduate student Jett Strickenberger (125) is also in the top-10 at No. 9. Andrick is No. 17 at 133 pounds, Conley is No. 21, Bush is No. 22 and redshirt freshman Rune Lawrence ranks No. 20 at 197 pounds.
West Virginia's Projected Lineup
125: No. 9 Jett Strickenberger or Louie Gill
133: No. 17 Gunner Andrick
141: Jordan Titus
149: TJ Langley
157: No. 4 Ty Watters
165: Shawn Taylor or Leo Contino
174: No. 21 Brody Conley
184: No. 22 Ian Bush
197: No. 20 Rune Lawrence
HWT: Brock Kehler
Pitt's Projected Lineup
125: Matt Marlow
133: Evan Tallmadge
141: No. 30 Anthony Santaniello or Briar Priest
149: No. 24 Kade Brown
157: No. 15 Dylan Evans
165: Jared Keslar
174: No. 19 Luca Augustine
184: No. 29 Chase Kranitz
197: No. 9 Mac Stout
HWT: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The match will be on ACCNX on ESPN. Tickets can be purchased here.
West Virginia (7-2, 2-1 Big 12) returns to action after sweeping its two road matches last weekend against Arizona State and California Baptist.
Redshirt junior Brody Conley (174) and freshman Gunner Andrick (133) lead the Mountaineers with 15 wins this season. Conley is undefeated in dual action and has two wins against ranked opponents.
Andrick is second on the team with four ranked wins this season, including a win against then-No. 11 Ronnie Ramirez of Oklahoma State in December.
Redshirt sophomore Ty Watters (157) bounced back against CBU following his first loss since 2024. He is 13-1 on the year and 5-0 against ranked opponents.
After dropping consecutive matches against North Carolina and Oklahoma State, redshirt junior Ian Bush (184) dominated with wins by major decision and fall in West Virginia's previous two matches.
West Virginia enters the week with seven Mountaineers ranked in the top-33 by FloWrestling. Watters leads the squad at No. 4 at 157 pounds, graduate student Jett Strickenberger (125) is also in the top-10 at No. 9. Andrick is No. 17 at 133 pounds, Conley is No. 21, Bush is No. 22 and redshirt freshman Rune Lawrence ranks No. 20 at 197 pounds.
West Virginia's Projected Lineup
125: No. 9 Jett Strickenberger or Louie Gill
133: No. 17 Gunner Andrick
141: Jordan Titus
149: TJ Langley
157: No. 4 Ty Watters
165: Shawn Taylor or Leo Contino
174: No. 21 Brody Conley
184: No. 22 Ian Bush
197: No. 20 Rune Lawrence
HWT: Brock Kehler
Pitt's Projected Lineup
125: Matt Marlow
133: Evan Tallmadge
141: No. 30 Anthony Santaniello or Briar Priest
149: No. 24 Kade Brown
157: No. 15 Dylan Evans
165: Jared Keslar
174: No. 19 Luca Augustine
184: No. 29 Chase Kranitz
197: No. 9 Mac Stout
HWT: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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