Lisa Ammons, John Antonik, Chris Coombs, Michael Fragale, Adam Grossman, Phil Lynch, Charles Montgomery, Brian Messerly, Mike Montoro, Amy Prunty, Olivia Sneed and Elizabeth Stash
Contributing Photographers:
All-Pro Photography by Dale Sparks, Big 12 Conference, Ben Powell, David Roe, Brett Rojo, NCAA, WVU Athletics Communications, WVU Athletics Digital Media, and WVU Photo Services
West Virginia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. The indicia depicted are registered trademarks of West Virginia University. Reproduction of any material appearing herein is prohibited without approval of the West Virginia University Intercollegiate Athletics.
A CULTURE OF SUCCESS
Few wrestling programs across the country have experienced the level of success the Mountaineers have enjoyed over the years West Virginia has seen 204 Mountaineers qualify for the NCAA Championships, with 26 different wrestlers claiming 37 All-America honors and three national champions combining for five NCAA titles. The Mountaineers have also captured 88 individual conference championships in three different conferences, including four wrestlers claiming Big 12 titles since West Virginia moved to the conference in 2012
NCAA CHAMPIONS
SCOTT COLLINS
CLEARFIELD, PA. » 1991 » 142 POUNDS
Ranked No. 1 in the nation all season, Scott Collins became WVU’s first national champion in 1991 after posting a stellar 40-1 record in his final year as a Mountaineer. Collins went undefeated in Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) action and set WVU’s then all-time consecutive win streak (23) as a senior, including five straight at the NCAA Tournament.
“He started as a true freshman and competed very successfully Every year, he was someone who was capable of placing at the national tournament and competing to be in the finals. It never happened for him It really drew upon him to have some strength of character to not lower his goals and continue to have that dream of wanting to be a national champion ” – Coach Craig Turnbull
DEAN MORRISON
AMITYVILLE, N.Y. » 1994 » 177 POUNDS
Dean Morrison entered the 1994 NCAA Championships on a seven-match win streak and finished the tournament with five straight wins to claim a national title at 177 pounds –WVU’s second-ever title in program history Morrison, ranked No 2 nationally, defeated three ranked opponents to make the championship match He defeated Wyoming’s Reese Andy, 3-2, in the finals and finished the season by winning 22-of-23 matches.
“Dean being an engineering major and an NCAA champion were equally as unlikely, so it was a testament really to his ability to set goals that were outside of his reach when no one believed they were possible and make them a reality ” – Coach Craig Turnbull
GREG JONES
SLICKVILLE, PA. » THREE-TIME CHAMPION
2002 » 174 POUNDS
It will long be remembered as one of the greatest accomplishments in West Virginia history Greg Jones became just the 10th freshman since 1970 to win a national championship
2004 » 184 POUNDS
Jones turned in one of the finest individual seasons by a WVU wrestler in school history, going a perfect 26-0. He also became the first Mountaineer to win multiple national titles with his 184-pound championship in St Louis
2005 » 184 POUNDS
Greg Jones capped off one of the greatest collegiate wrestling careers in NCAA history by becoming just the 39th wrestler to win three national championships. He also became the first wrestler from the EWL to ever win the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award
MOUNTAINEER ALL-AMERICANS
2023-24 IN REVIEW
Flynn’s squad continued rewriting the record books during its 2024 campaign, eclipsing the double-digit win mark for the 18th time in program history and first in back-to-back seasons since 1990 and 1991. The Mountaineers were featured in the NWCA rankings throughout the season, opening the year at No 24 and reaching as high as No 17 to end the month of January before concluding the regular season ranked for the first time since 2005 (No. 19).
The Mountaineers’ success carried into the postseason, as the squad scored a 975 team total at the Big 12 Championship for their highest point total since joining the Big 12 while matching the program’s best finish at the postseason spectacle since the conference expanded from four schools to 10 in 2016 (6th – 65.5 team points). Flynn’s group wrapped up the postseason with a 17th-place finish after scoring 31.5 team points at the NCAA Championships - turning in the highest finish for the program since 2004 (16th – 31.0)
WVU experienced great individual success as well. The squad saw five Mountaineers earn a spot to compete on the national stage, which marked the fifth consecutive year in which four or more grapplers qualified for the NCAA Championships since the Flynn era began in 2019 Senior Peyton Hall (165) and true freshman Ty Watters (149) led the way by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach All-America status in the same season since 2005 Hall secured the second All-America honor of his college career to become the ninth WVU grappler to earn the recognition multiple times, while Watters joined elite company as the third-ever true freshman in program history to claim All-America status and first Mountaineer to take home the honor at 149 pounds Additionally, the true freshman became the first grappler in school history to win a Big 12 Championship and earn a top-8 finish on the mat at nationals, as well as the 13th wrestler in program history to win a conference title and reach All-America status in the same season
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
The Big 12 Conference’s wrestling landscape has gone through many changes in the past decade to stay among the top conferences in the nation In addition to legacy institutions Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia offering wrestling, the conference absorbed the former Western Wrestling Conference in 2015, adding affiliate schools Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming to the wrestling rotation The conference now stands at 14 teams with the additions of Northern Iowa in 2017, Missouri in 2021, California Baptist in 2022 and Arizona State this year
To begin each year, the Big 12 consistently lands five or more programs within the NWCA Division I Wrestling Preseason Coaches’ Poll This year includes No 3 Oklahoma State, No 6 Iowa State, No 9 Missouri, No 12 South Dakota State, No 18 Arizona State, No 19 WVU and No 22 Oklahoma, along with Wyoming (11) and Northern Colorado (5) all receiving votes
MATCH DAY IN MORGANTOWN
Fans throughout the state of West Virginia come alongside the Mountaineer Maniacs to create one of the most electrifying atmospheres in all of sports Mountaineer fans pack the stands to be the extra man, knowing their voices makes a difference The atmosphere is unmatched across the country, and the playing of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” ends the match following every Mountaineer victory
WVU COLISEUM
West Virginia wrestles its home matches inside the 14,000-seat WVU Coliseum. The home arena for five of West Virginia’s 17 athletic teams went through significant renovations around its 50th anniversary in 2020. The Coliseum floor received a new look in the summer of 2019, and in 2020, the WVU Athletics department, in conjunction with the Mountaineer Athletic Club, announced a major leadership gift to replace the Coliseum’s original seats and install new video and ribbon boards The Coliseum continues to attract the rowdiest environments in all of college athletics, and the exterior remains one of the most recognizable structures in all of West Virginia
WVU WRESTLING PAVILION
The WVU wrestling program has long been viewed as one of the finest in the country, and in 2007, it got a practice facility of the same caliber as its storied history
The 9,000-square foot, $1.4 million facility features four mats, coaching offices, an aerobic room, a study center with computers, and an athletes’ lounge The wrestling program’s new home further enables the Mountaineers to compete for the top recruits in the nation
The facility was home to the United States Olympic Team wrestlers training for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, a feat made possible by USA Wrestling and the Sunkist Kids
Funding for the project was made possible by a benevolent gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Trust, helping the dream complex become a reality
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
WVU’s strength and conditioning staff ensure that all studentathletes are on programs designed to continue improving the fitness capabilities needed in their sports.
In April 2022, West Virginia University Athletics unveiled the new Athletics Performance Center at the WVU Coliseum Sports Complex as the new home for the strength and conditioning for all WVU Olympic sports programs The Performance Center, made possible through a $10 million gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust, equips student-athletes, coaches and staff with a world-class training facility while alleviating scheduling concerns by allowing multiple teams to use the center at the same time This enables the programs to compete and balance the playing field with conference and national opponents
In addition to the new weight, rehabilitation and training rooms, the facility features extensive cardio and plyometric areas, hydrotherapy, and cryotherapy sections as well as renovated locker rooms
Below are some of the facility’s specifics:
• 36,500 square feet of training space, including an additional mezzanine area with 6,500 square feet of room for ERG (ergometer) training for the rowing team
• 1,400 square feet of glass in the front to provide natural lighting
• 9,000 square feet for the sports medicine staff, including a 1,500-square foot hydrotherapy area and $50,000 BOD POD body composition tracking system to measure body-fat percentages
• 2,800 square feet of additional men’s and women’s locker room areas for student-athletes
• 1,200 square feet nutrition area and fueling station with a fully functional kitchen
• Indoor golf training facility with Trackman technology and putting greens
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Choosing to become a Mountaineer is special Without a professional sports team in the state, folks across the state and throughout the region love West Virginia University athletics
WVU wrestling is passionate, a point of pride and a way of life
MOUNTAINEER LIFE
A Mountaineer’s lifestyle is first-class. Whether it’s top-ofthe-line Nike Elite resources, professional athletic training services or unlimited access to a superb nutrition bar, WVU student-athletes’ needs are always met
STUDENT-ATHLETE ACADEMIC SERVICES
West Virginia University offers a variety of services and programs to help student-athletes maximize their academic potential Department staff members work with coaches, on campus student service providers and faculty to help student-athletes meet the unique demands of the classroom, the sporting arena, and the personal-social challenges they face as developing adults The Mountaineer wrestling program has enjoyed great success off the mat since the hiring of coach Tim Flynn in 2018, with WVU earning 64 Academic All-Big 12 honors Additionally, 10 Mountaineers have been named to the Scholar All-America Team by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), including six grapplers earning the honor last season
CHARACTER
Public, land-grant institution, founded in 1867 Across the three campuses of the WVU System in Morgantown, Keyser and Beckley, West Virginia University is changing lives and helping to create a brighter future Our purpose remains to bring education, healthcare and prosperity to our state. WVU is one of only five flagship, R1, land-grant, community-engaged universities in the nation
RESEARCH CLASSIFICATION
R1: Doctoral Universities – Highest Research Activity, as described by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
ACCREDITATION
WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission Many programs hold specialized accreditation
GOVERNANCE
The WVU Board of Governors is the University’s governing body The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities E Gordon Gee is WVU’s 24th president
CAMPUS LOCATIONS AND FACILITIES
The WVU System is a family of distinctive campuses united by a single mission. From the groundbreaking research of our flagship in Morgantown to the student-centered focus of WVU Potomac State College in Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley, we are creating a better future for West Virginia and the world
The WVU Institute of Technology offers 25+ majors, including undergraduate engineering programs that have consistently ranked among the top in the nation according to U S News & World Report
WVU Potomac State College offers 60+ majors and combines the personal attention of a small college with the affordable benefits of a major university.
The WVU System also includes Health Sciences locations in Charleston and Martinsburg; School of Nursing campuses in Morgantown, Charleston, Keyser, Bridgeport and Beckley; farms and forests throughout the state; and WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp
The WVU Morgantown campus is in a town that was named the “No 1 Small City in America” by BizJournals com for its exceptional quality of life Morgantown was also rated the ninth best college town in America by Business Insider and is within easy traveling distance of Washington, D C , to the east, Pittsburgh, Pa , to the north, and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, to the northwest
STUDENT PROFILE
Fall 2023 WVU System enrollment was 26,000+
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
WVU recipients of prestigious scholarships include 25 Rhodes Scholars, 106 Gilman Scholars, 81 Fulbright Scholars, 50 Goldwater Scholars, 41 Critical Language Scholars, 29 Boren Scholars, 26 Truman Scholars, 6 Morris K Udall Scholars, 5 USA Today All-USA College Academic First Team Members (and 11 academic team honorees), 3 Department of Homeland Security Scholars, 4 George C Marshall (British) Scholars, 34 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, one Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar and one Schwarzman Scholar
WVU’S PURPOSE CENTER FIRST ON ANY COLLEGE CAMPUS
The Purpose Center offers self-discovery and connection opportunities, including purpose and strengths workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions We help students use their strengths to reach their full potential (for free)
R1 RESEARCH INSTITUTION HIGHLIGHTS
WVU is one of only 146 colleges and universities to attain a ranking of R1, or very high research activity, alongside such institutions as Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Johns Hopkins
WVU researchers are exploring the frontier in neuroscience research at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, doing groundbreaking work on Alzheimer’s disease and addiction treatment using focused ultrasound to safely open the blood brain barrier (reported by “60 Minutes,” the New York Times, New England Journal of Medicine, the Washington Post and more)
WVU researchers are exploring the farthest reaches of the universe: dozens helped uncover evidence of ripples in space time
WVU is one of two or three universities that serve as a majorhub for all branches of science contributing to NANOGrav – a galaxy-sized detector that is beginning to detect the gravitational universe
Maura McLaughlin, Eberly Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, an internationally renowned WVU astrophysicist was selected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in the scientific world.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Twelve Morgantown colleges and schools offer 310 majors in agriculture and natural resources; applied and human sciences; arts and sciences; business and economics; creative arts and media; dentistry; engineering and mineral resources; law; medicine; nursing; pharmacy; and public health Hundreds of distance education and online classes are available
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Students can choose from among more than 450 student organizations or participate in an active intramural program and a variety of club sports
SERVICE AND LEARNING
The Center for Service and Learning develops and organizes service learning and volunteer opportunities for students and faculty WVU is one of only 75 schools recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for Community Engagement (recognized since 2010)
PARENTS CLUB
The Mountaineer Parents Club, with 20,000-plus members, connects parents and families with the student experience
ALUMNI
Chartered in 1873, the WVU Alumni Association is made up of more than 210,000+ graduates worldwide in some 135 nations
LIBRARIES
The WVU Libraries encompass seven libraries statewide Facilities in Morgantown include the Downtown Campus Library, Evansdale Library, Health Sciences Library, Law Library and the West Virginia and Regional History Center Onsite collections include more than 936,000 books, 1 5+ million e-books and 700+ databases
ADMISSION AND APPLICATION TIMELINE
It’s painless to apply — no required essays or recommendations, students are automatically considered for scholarships and can be admitted with or without ACT or SAT scores Test scores may be required for certain majors or scholarships Apply directly to WVU or use the Common Application. WVU offers a rolling admission (there is no official application deadline) Applicants can self-report courses and grades or submit a transcript to the WVU Office of Admissions. All students are required to submit an official final high school transcript upon enrolling Applications are processed beginning Aug 22 for admission the following fall March 1 is the deadline for West Virginia residents to submit Promise Scholarship applications Visit admissions wvu edu to learn more, including how to submit official transcripts and test scores.
HEAD COACH TIM FLYNN
SEVENTH SEASON • PENN STATE, 1987
West Virginia university is proud to have one of the most successful coaches in college wrestling leading the Mountaineer wrestling program, as coach tim Flynn, owner of 264 career victories over 28 seasons in coaching, enters his seventh season at the helm after being named the ninth head coach in april 2018. under his guidance, West Virginia has seen 24 Mountaineers qualify for the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships and six earn all-america status. WVu has also enjoyed great success off the mat, earning 69 academic all-Big 12 and 16 nWCa scholar all-america honors.
Flynn’s squad continued rewriting the record books during its 2024 campaign, eclipsing the double-digit win mark for the 18th time in program history and first in back-to-back seasons since 1990 and 1991. the Mountaineers were featured in the nWCa rankings throughout the season, opening the year at no. 24 and reaching as high as no. 17 to end the month of January before concluding the regular season ranked for the first time since 2005 (no. 19).
the Mountaineers’ success carried into the postseason, as the squad scored a 97.5 team total at the Big 12 Championship for their highest point total since joining the Big 12 while matching the program’s best finish at the postseason spectacle since the conference expanded from four schools to 10 in 2016 (6th – 65.5 team points). Flynn’s group wrapped up the postseason with a 17thplace finish after scoring 31.5 team points at the nCaa Championships - turning in the highest finish for the program since 2004 (16th – 31.0)
WVu experienced great individual success as well. The squad saw five Mountaineers earn a spot to compete on the national stage, which marked the fifth consecutive year in which four or more grapplers qualified for the nCaa Championships since the Flynn era began in 2019.
senior Peyton Hall (165) and true freshman ty Watters (149) led the way by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach All-America status in the same season since 2005. Hall secured the second all-america honor of his college career to become the ninth WVu grappler to earn the recognition multiple times, while Watters joined elite company as the third-ever true freshman in program history to claim All-America status and first Mountaineer to take home the honor at 149 pounds. additionally, the true freshman became the first grappler in school history to win a Big 12 Championship and earn a top-8 finish on the mat at nationals, as well as the 13th wrestler in program history to win a conference title and reach all-america status in the same season.
In 2023, West Virginia hit the double-digit win mark for the 17th time in program history and the first time since 2014. The team also made its first appearance in the NWCA top 25 since January 2016, ranking as high as No. 23 after capturing a pair of wins over ohio and no. 21 Pitt. stellar individual performances in those duals saw eight Mountaineers break into the national rankings for the first time since 2003, with six earning a spot to compete on the national stage for the first time since 2012.
Fifth-year senior Killian Cardinale (125) capped off the season by capturing his second all-america honor with an eighth-place finish at nationals and extending the program’s streak to four straight seasons with at least one all-american. Cardinale joined Mark Banks, Whitey Chlebove, Mike Mason, greg Jones, Vertus Jones, Brandon rader and Zeke Moisey as the eighth WVu wrestler to be named an all-american multiple times sporting the gold and Blue.
in 2022, West Virginia claimed four nCaa qualifiers for the second straight season, in addition to its third Big 12 Champion and third all-american in as many years. the team
also eclipsed its record for most wrestlers on the academic all-Big 12 team with nine, including a record-breaking seven on the first team.
the Mountaineers scored 62 points to place seventh in the Big 12 Championship, while landing seven wrestlers on the podium to match a program-best set by the 2015-16 squad.
redshirt senior Killian Cardinale (125) and sophomore Peyton Hall (165) became the first Mountaineer duo to reach the Big 12 finals in their respective weight classes since Zeke Moisey (125) and Jake smith (197) in 2018. Top-seeded Cardinale recorded an 8-3 decision over 2021 Big 12 Champion and third-seeded Brody teske (northern iowa) to become just the third Mountaineer to reach the top of the Big 12 Conference since West Virginia joined the conference in 2012. success continued as Cardinale and Hall reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit. Both finished in the top 12, while Hall secured his spot on the podium as an all-american after scoring an 11-3 major decision over No. 19-seed Justin McCoy of Virginia. the Chester, West Virginia, became the sixth WVu wrestler to be named an all-american as a representative of their home state and the first since Noah Adams in 2020. In addition, Hall became the first WVU grappler to take home the all-american honor at 165 pounds since the weight classes realigned in 1999. in 2021, Flynn guided the Mountaineers to a 7-3 record for their first winning season since 2014 and a 31st-place finish at the nCaa Championships to close out the abbreviated campaign. He coached Cardinale to all-american status at 125 pounds, as the old Dominion transfer became the second all-american during Flynn’s tenure, with noah adams earning the honor at 197 pounds in 2020. the Bristow, Virginia, native was also the first to earn the honor at 125 pounds since Zeke Moisey in 2018.
WVu placed 10th at the 2020 Big 12 Championship before the season was canceled due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. noah adams capped off his undefeated 32-0 season by earning the 197-pound title at the Big 12 Conference tournament. adams, a two-time NCAA qualifier, was the nation’s second-seeded wrestler heading into the nCaa tournament.
the 197-pound grappler earned all-america First team and scholar all-american honors from the national Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), becoming WVU’s first all-american since 2018. For his performance, the Coal City, West Virginia, native received the 2020 Hardman award, an honor given by the West Virginia sports Writers association to West Virginia’s top amateur athlete. adams was named the Most outstanding Wrestler at the prestigious Southern Scuffle after going 5-0 and winning the 197-pound bracket. He also became the first wrestler in program history to be named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Year and the second to be picked as a finalist for the Dan Hodge trophy, college wrestling’s equivalent to football’s Heisman trophy. In his first season at the helm, Flynn led the program to a four-win dual season in the 2018-19 season, highlighted by a 19-17 victory over no. 20 north Dakota state at the South Beach Duals on Dec. 30, 2018. The squad finished with five wrestlers on the podium and a ninth overall finish at the 2019 Big 12 Championships, allowing West Virginia to send five grapplers to nationals for the first time since 2014.
WVU also produced five podium finishers at the conference tournament and sent five wrestlers to the nCaa tournament for the first time since 2014. Four Mountaineers earned automatic bids, while one grappler received an at-large selection to punch his ticket. Adams was one of the five wrestlers to make an appearance, competing on the national stage for the first time in his career.
Flynn came to West Virginia from edinboro, where he spent 21 years building the Fighting scots into a wrestling powerhouse. He compiled a 223-95-5 career record to become the school’s all-time winningest coach and a member of its Hall of Fame.
His accomplishments at edinboro totaled 150 national qualifiers, 38 All-Americans, 64 eastern Wrestling league (eWl) champions and 97 Pennsylvania state athletic Conference (PsaC) champions. He led the Fighting Scots to five top-10 finishes at the NCAA Tournament, 14 top-20 finishes and 18 top25 finishes.
Flynn engineered two of the best seasons in edinboro wrestling history, with his 201415 squad placing third at nationals – the program’s highest-ever finish – and earning four All-America honors. His 2013-14 squad
went 11-3 and won 10 of their last 11 duals on their way to a fifth-place finish at the national tournament, led by three wrestlers earning all-american honors at season’s end. He received nWCa nCaa Division i Coach of the Year honors, shared interMat Coach of the Year honors with Minnesota’s J robinson and was selected as Win’s Dan gable Coach of the Year.
He was the eWl Coach of the Year seven times and the PSAC Coach of the Year 13 times. Flynn also coached three national champions (John Koscheck at 174 in 2001, gregor gillespie at 149 in 2007 and Jarrod King at 165 in 2009) and eight nCaa runners-up.
under the former Penn state all-american, edinboro dominated eastern wrestling circles, winning the eWl Championships 15 times, including eight straight from 2003-10, along with 16 PsaC tournament titles in his 21 campaigns. at one point, edinboro won 34 of 35 EWL dual matches, which included a 29-match winning streak.
Before taking over the head coaching duties, Flynn was an assistant at edinboro under legendary coach and olympian Bruce Baumgartner from 1992-97. Flynn assisted Baumgartner to a 56-21 record, including a 14-0 dual-match mark and a sixth-place finish at the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
Following three standout seasons at Vista High in Vista, California, Flynn moved east
to finish his prep career at Annapolis Senior High in annapolis, Maryland. He went on to enjoy a stellar career at Penn state, captaining the 1986-87 squad, while earning All-America honors at 134 pounds. He went 30-10-1 as a senior, winning the EWL title and finishing seventh at nationals. The nittany lions enjoyed one of their greatest seasons ever with an 18-1-1 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. Flynn finished with a 105-32-2 collegiate record, still ranking among the all-time career leaders in victories at Penn state. He also won the eWl 126-pound title as a junior in 1986, finishing with a 30-7-1 mark, and qualified for nationals as a sophomore after finishing second at the EWL Championships. He was a four-time Midlands Championships place winner, a two-time Mat-town usa champion and was an espoir national freestyle runner-up in 1984.
For all his efforts as a coach and wrestler in the Keystone state, Flynn was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches association (PWCa) Hall of Fame on oct. 7, 2021.
Flynn, who is currently a member of the nWCa leadership group, graduated from Penn state in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He later earned his master’s degree in business administration from Penn state with a concentration in finance in 1990. He and his wife, Tanya, have two children - logan and riley.
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH CLIFF MOORE
SEVENTH SEASON • IOWA 2004
Cliff Moore, a nCaa champion at 141 pounds for Iowa, is in his seventh season at West Virginia university after being named assistant head coach on april 17, 2018. His responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operations of the West Virginia wrestling program, assisting with the organization of the team’s travel, and coordinating community outreach work and fundraising opportunities.
With his assistance, West Virginia has seen 24 Mountaineers qualify for the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships and six earn all-america status. WVu has also enjoyed great success off the mat, earning 69 academic all-Big 12 and 16 nWCa scholar all-america honors.
The Mountaineers continued rewriting the record books during its 2024 campaign, eclipsing the double-digit win mark for the 18th time in program history and first in back-to-back seasons since 1990 and 1991. They were featured in the NWCA rankings throughout the season, opening the year at no. 24 and reaching as high as no. 17 to end the month of January before concluding the regular season ranked for the first time since 2005 (no. 19).
WVu’s success carried into the postseason, as the squad scored a 97.5 team total at the Big 12 Championship for their highest point total since joining the Big 12 while matching the program’s best finish at the postseason spectacle since the conference expanded from four schools to 10 in 2016 (6th – 65.5 team points). the group wrapped up the postseason with a 17th-place finish after scoring 31.5 team points at the NCAA Championships - turning in the highest finish for the program since 2004 (16th – 31.0)
West Virginia experienced great individual success as well. The squad saw five Mountaineers earn a spot to compete on the national stage, which marked the fifth consecutive year in which four or more grap-
plers qualified for the NCAA Championships during Moore’s tenure with the program.
senior Peyton Hall (165) and true freshman ty Watters (149) led the way by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach All-America status in the same season since 2005. Hall secured the second all-america honor of his college career to become the ninth WVu grappler to earn the recognition multiple times, while Watters joined elite company as the third-ever true freshman in program history to claim All-America status and first Mountaineer to take home the honor at 149 pounds. additionally, the true freshman became the first grappler in school history to win a Big 12 Championship and earn a top-8 finish on the mat at nationals, as well as the 13th wrestler in program history to win a conference title and reach all-america status in the same season.
In 2023, West Virginia hit the double-digit win mark for the 17th time in program history and the first time since 2014. The team also made its first appearance in the NWCA top 25 since January 2016, ranking as high as No. 23 after capturing a pair of wins over ohio and no. 21 Pitt. stellar individual performances in those duals saw eight Mountaineers break into the national rankings for the first time since 2003, with six earning a spot to compete on the national stage for the first time since 2012.
Fifth-year senior Killian Cardinale (125) capped off the season by capturing his second all-america honor with an eighth-place finish at nationals and extending the program’s streak to four straight seasons with at least one all-american. Cardinale joined Mark Banks, Whitey Chlebove, Mike Mason, greg Jones, Vertus Jones, Brandon rader and Zeke Moisey as the eighth WVu wrestler to be named an all-american multiple times sporting the gold and Blue.
in 2022, West Virginia claimed four nCaa qualifiers for the second straight season,
in addition to its third Big 12 Champion and third all-american in as many years the team also eclipsed its record for most wrestlers on the academic all-Big 12 team with nine, including a record-breaking seven on the first team.
the Mountaineers scored 62 points to place seventh in the final Big 12 Championship standings, while landing seven wrestlers on the podium to match a program-best set by the 2015-16 squad.
redshirt senior Killian Cardinale (125) and sophomore Peyton Hall (165) led off the postseason run by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach the Big 12 finals of their respective weight classes since the combination of Zeke Moisey (125) and Jake smith (197) made the finals in 2018. Top-seeded Cardinale recoded an 8-3 decision over 2021 Big 12 Champion and third-seeded Brody teske (northern iowa) to join former WVu standouts Dylan Cottrell (2017) and noah adams (2020) as the only other Mountaineers to reach the top of the Big 12 since West Virginia moved to the conference in 2012, and becomes the second to do it during Moore’s time in Morgantown. success continued as Cardinale and Hall reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit. Both finished in the top 12, while Hall secured his spot on the podium as an all-american after scoring an 11-3 major decision over no.19-seed Justin McCoy of Virginia. the Chester, West Virginia, native joined Jimmie Cox, Mike Mason, sam Kline, Brandon rader, and noah adams as the sixth WVu wrestler from the state of West Virginia to be named an All-American. In addition, Hall is the first WVu grappler to take home the honor at 165 pounds; Mark Banks reached the feat twice at 167 pounds back in 1990 and 1991. in 2021, Moore helped guide the Mountaineers to a 7-3 record for their first winning season since 2014 and a 31st place finish
at the nCaa Championships to close out the abbreviated campaign. He went on to witness Cardinale earn all-america status at 125 pounds. Cardinale is the second all-american in coach Moore’s four years with the Mountaineers and the first since Mountaineer standout noah adams earned the honor at 197 pounds in 2020. the Bristow, Virginia, native was also the first to earn the honor at 125 pounds since Zeke Moisey in 2018.
Moore also serves as an integral part of the recruiting process and assisted in bringing in the no. 12-ranked recruiting class via FloWrestling for the upcoming 2020-21 season. WVU placed 10th at the 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship before the season was canceled due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. noah adams’ performances highlighted the 2019-20 season, as he won the 197-pound title at the conference tournament to cap an undefeated season at 32-0. Adams, a two-time NCAA Qualifier, was the nation’s
second-seeded wrestler heading into the nCaa tournament.
The 197-pound grappler finished his redshirt sophomore campaign with several postseason accolades, most notably earning national Wrestling Coaches association (nWCa) all-america First team honors, as well as becoming the program’s first Big 12 Wrestler of the Year award winner.
In Moore’s first season in Morgantown, he helped five Mountaineers qualify for the 2019 nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships, marking the first time since 2014 that five grapplers earned themselves a spot at nationals.
as a team, West Virginia earned four dual-match wins and placed ninth at the 2019 Big 12 Championship.
Moore previously spent 12 seasons at edinboro, helping coach tim Flynn build the Fighting scots into a wrestling powerhouse. His specialty is with the lighter
weight classes, as he helped produce two NCAA champions, seven NCAA finalists and 21 all-americans for the Fighting scots in addition, edinboro has won seven eastern Wrestling league (eWl) Championships and 10 Pennsylvania state athletic Conference (PsaC) titles with Moore on staff.
Prior to edinboro, Moore spent two years with the iowa wrestling program. after serving as the strength and conditioning coach during the 2004-05 season, he became an administrative assistant in his second year at his alma mater.
as a Hawkeye, Moore earned all-america status three times in addition to claiming two Big Ten titles. After competing at 133 pounds for three consecutive seasons, Moore moved up to 141 his senior year. He posted a 33-2 record after defeating Matt Murray of nebraska in a 5-2 decision at the 2004 NCAA Tournament, ending his final season with 20 straight wins and a national title. the Dubuque, iowa, native notched a 109-24 career record and was named the 2004 Mike Howard award winner, an honor given to iowa’s most valuable wrestler.
after redshirting his freshman year, Moore notched a 17-3 record at 133 pounds. He then took over as the starter during the 2001-02 season, eventually earning All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at nationals. Moore ended the year with a 28-10 record, also placing fifth at the 2002 Big ten Championships.
He gained another sixth-place finish at the 2003 NCAA Championships, earning backto-back All-America honors at 133 pounds. Moore ended his junior season with a 31-9 record, capturing his first Big Ten title with a 3-1 win over Minnesota’s Ryan Lewis in sudden victory. He was named the 2003 John and Dorothy sill award winner, an honor given to iowa’s most dedicated wrestler.
additionally, Moore has been inducted into a trio of Hall of Fames: the iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame, iowa High school Wrestling Hall of Fame, and Hempstead High school Hall of Fame.
Moore, a member of the 2006 usa Freestyle national team, graduated from iowa with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2004. He later received his master’s in educational leadership from edinboro in 2011. Moore has two sons, Carver and Maddox.
ASSISTANT COACH MITCHELL PORT
SEVENTH SEASON • IOWA 2004
Two-time NCAA finalist Mitchell Port is in his sixth season at West Virginia university and was announced as an assistant coach on april 17, 2018.
With his assistance, West Virginia has seen 19 Mountaineers qualify for the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships and three earn all-america status. WVu has enjoyed great success off the mat as well, earning 64 academic all-Big 12 and 10 nWCa scholar all-america honors.
West Virginia’s 2023 campaign was one for the history books, witnessing the Mountaineers eclipse the double-digit win mark for the 17th time in program history and the first time since 2014. The team also made its first appearance in the NWCA Top 25 since January 2016, ranking as high as No. 23 after capturing a pair of wins over ohio and no. 21 Pitt.
WVu experienced great individual success as well. the squad saw eight Mountaineers break
into the national rankings for the first time since 2003 and six earn a spot to compete on the national stage for the first time since 2012. this outburst of achievement marked the fourth consecutive year in which four or more grapplers qualified for the NCAA Championships since the Flynn era began in 2019.
Fifth-year senior Killian Cardinale capped off the season by capturing his second all-america honor with an eighth-place finish at nationals and extending the program’s streak to four
straight seasons with at least one all-american. Cardinale joined Mark Banks, Whitey Chlebove, Mike Mason, greg Jones, Vertus Jones, Brandon rader and Zeke Moisey as the eighth WVu wrestler to be named an all-american multiple times sporting the gold and Blue.
in 2022, West Virginia claimed four nCaa qualifiers for the second straight season, in addition to its third Big 12 Champion and third all-american in as many years. the team also eclipsed its record for most wrestlers on the academic all-Big 12 team with nine, including a record-breaking seven on the first team.
the Mountaineers scored 62 points to place seventh in the final Big 12 Championship standings, while landing seven wrestlers on the podium to match a program-best set by the 2015-16 squad.
redshirt senior Killian Cardinale (125) and sophomore Peyton Hall (165) led off the postseason run by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach the Big 12 finals of their respective weight classes since the combination of Zeke Moisey (125) and Jake smith (197) made the finals in 2018. Top-seeded Cardinale recoded an 8-3 decision over 2021 Big 12 Champion and third-seeded Brody teske (northern iowa) to join former WVu standouts Dylan Cottrell (2017) and noah adams (2020) as the only other Mountaineers to reach the top of the Big 12 since West Virginia moved to the conference in 2012 and becomes the second to do it during Ports time in Morgantown. success continued as Cardinale, and Hall reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit. Both finished in the top 12, while Hall secured his spot on the podium as an all-american after scoring an 11-3 major decision over no.19-seed Justin McCoy of Virginia. the Chester, West Virginia, native joined Jimmie Cox, Mike Mason, sam Kline, Brandon rader, and noah adams as the sixth WVu wrestler from the state of West Virginia to be named an All-American. In addition, Hall is the first WVu grappler to take home the honor at 165 pounds; Mark Banks reached the feat twice at 167 pounds back in 1990 and 1991. in 2021, Port helped guide the Mountaineers to a 7-3 record for their first winning season since 2014 and a 31st place finish at the nCaa Championships to close out the
abbreviated campaign. He went on to witness Cardinale earn all-america status at 125 pounds. Cardinale is the second all-american in coach Port’s four years with the Mountaineers and the first since Mountaineer standout noah adams earned the honor at 197 pounds in 2020. the Bristow, Virginia, native was also the first to earn the honor at 125 pounds since Zeke Moisey in 2018.
WVU placed 10th at the 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship before the season was canceled due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. noah adams’ performances highlighted the 2019-20 season, as he won the 197-pound title at the conference tournament to cap an undefeated season at 32-0. Adams, a two-time NCAA Qualifier, was the nation’s second-seeded wrestler heading into the nCaa tournament.
The 197-pound grappler finished his redshirt sophomore campaign with several postseason accolades, most notably earning national Wrestling Coaches association (nWCa) all-america First team honors, as well as becoming the program’s first Big 12 Wrestler of the Year award winner.
In Port’s first season in Morgantown, he helped five Mountaineers qualify for the 2019 NCAA Division i Wrestling Championships, marking the first time since 2014 that five grapplers earned themselves a spot at nationals.
as a team, West Virginia earned four dual-match wins and placed ninth at the 2019 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
Port previously served as an assistant at edinboro and played an integral part in the Fighting scots’ success over three seasons, assisting with the production of 12 Eastern Wrestling league (eWl) champions, 14 Pennsylvania state athletic Conference (PSAC) champions, 19 NCAA Qualifiers and one nCaa all-american. Port also helped the team to back-to-back PsaC Championships (2016-17), as well as a first-place finish at the 2017 eWl Championships.
a three-time all-american for edinboro, Port concluded his wrestling career with a 132-17 record at 141 pounds, finishing as an NCAA finalist as a sophomore and senior and taking home third place as a junior.
Port’s runner-up finish in 2015 helped Tim Flynn’s Fighting Scots to their highest-ever finish at nationals, placing third, with a record-tying
four wrestlers earning all-america honors. Port’s senior leadership also garnered him Wrestlingreport.com’s Pennsylvania Collegiate Wrestler of the Year accolades.
the Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, native became a three-time all-american after reaching the NCAA finals for the second time in three years. seeded second at the 2015 nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships, Port won his first four matches, including a 9-4 decision over no. 7-seed anthony ashnault of Rutgers in the quarterfinals and a 14-2 major decision over no. 11-seed Chris Mecate of old Dominion in the semifinals. Port then dropped an 11-5 decision to top-seeded, four-time national champion logan stieber of ohio State in the finals.
Port capped his senior campaign with a 36-2 record, posting 13 falls, two tech falls and nine major decisions. He won his fourth straight PsaC title, along with a third eWl crown, and picked up his second Midlands Championships title.
after redshirting his freshman year, Port enjoyed an outstanding first season as the starter at 141 pounds (2011-12). He ended the year with a 30-10 record, reaching the round of 12 at the nCaa Championships. He also finished second at the EWL Championships and won his first PSAC crown.
Port’s second trip to nationals resulted in a run to the title match after a 7-6 upset over top-seeded Hunter stieber of ohio state in the semifinals. However, Port suffered a 4-3 setback to no. 2-seed Kendric Maple of oklahoma in the 141-pound championship match. He ended his redshirt sophomore season with a 34-4 record and was named the EWL and PsaC Wrestler of the Year. He also won his first EWL crown and second PSAC title.
In 2013-14, Port became a two-time All-American with a third-place finish at 141 pounds. He ended the year with a 32-1 record, notching 13 falls. He claimed his second EWL and third PsaC title, earning eWl Wrestler of the Year honors for the second time. He also won his first Midlands Championships crown.
Port graduated from edinboro in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in individualized studies.
in addition, Port was inducted into the Bellefonte High school Wrestling Hall of Fame on Jan. 10, 2017. He is the winningest wrestler in red raider history with 156 career victories.
VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT MUHAMED MCBRYDE
FOURTH SEASON • BUFFALO 2016
a native of Buffalo, new York, Muhamed McBryde enters his fourth season as the volunteer assistant for the Mountaineer wrestling program.
McBryde won the United States U23 World team trials, earning the right to represent the U.S. at the U23 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in 2017. He made the most of the opportunity by earning a spot in the bronze medal bout, before ultimately finishing in fifth place.
He continues to compete domestically and internationally while coaching the Mountaineers.
With his assistance, West Virginia has seen 24 Mountaineers qualify for the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships and six earn all-america status. WVu has also enjoyed great success off the mat, earning 69 academic all-Big 12 and 16 nWCa scholar all-america honors.
The Mountaineers continued rewriting the record books during its 2024 campaign, eclipsing the double-digit win mark for the 18th time in program history and first in back-to-back seasons since 1990 and 1991. They were featured in the NWCA rankings throughout the season, opening the year at no. 24 and reaching as high as no. 17 to end the month of January before concluding the regular season ranked for the first time since 2005 (no. 19).
WVu’s success carried into the postseason, as the squad scored a 97.5 team total at the Big 12 Championship for their highest point total since joining the Big 12 while matching the program’s best finish at the postseason spectacle since the conference expanded from four schools to 10 in 2016 (6th – 65.5 team points). Flynn’s group wrapped up the postseason with a 17th-place finish after scoring 31.5 team points at the NCAA Championships - turning in the highest finish for the program since 2004 (16th – 31.0)
West Virginia experienced great individual success as well. The squad saw five Mountaineers earn a spot to compete on the national stage, which marked the fifth consecutive year in which four or more grapplers qualified for the NCAA Championships during McBryde’s tenure with the program. senior Peyton Hall (165) and true freshman ty Watters (149) led the way by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach All-America status in the same season since 2005. Hall secured the second all-america honor of his college career to become the ninth WVu grappler to earn the recognition multiple times, while Watters joined elite company as the third-ever true freshman in program history to claim All-America status and first Mountaineer to take home the honor at 149 pounds. additionally, the true freshman became the first grappler in school history to win a Big 12 Championship and earn a top-8 finish on the mat at nationals, as well as the 13th wrestler in program history to win a conference title and reach all-america status in the same season.
In 2023, West Virginia hit the double-digit win mark for the 17th time in program history and the first time since 2014. The team also made its first appearance in the NWCA top 25 since January 2016, ranking as high as No. 23 after capturing a pair of wins over ohio and no. 21 Pitt. stellar individual performances in those duals saw eight Mountaineers break into the national rankings for the first time since 2003, with six earning a spot to compete on the national stage for the first time since 2012.
Fifth-year senior Killian Cardinale (125) capped off the season by capturing his second all-america honor with an eighth-place finish at nationals and extending the program’s streak to four straight seasons with at least one all-american. Cardinale joined Mark Banks, Whitey Chlebove, Mike Mason, greg Jones, Vertus Jones, Brandon rader and
Zeke Moisey as the eighth WVu wrestler to be named an all-american multiple times sporting the gold and Blue.
As McBryde’s first season with the Mountaineers came to an end in 2022, West Virginia claimed four NCAA qualifiers for the second straight season, its third Big 12 Champion and third all-american in as many years for the third longest streak with at least one all-american in program history. the team also eclipsed its record for most wrestlers on the academic all-Big 12 Wrestling teams with nine, including a record-breaking seven on the first team. the Mountaineers scored 62 points to place seventh in the final Big 12 Championship standings, while landing seven wrestlers on the podium to match a program-best set by the 2015-16 squad.
redshirt senior Killian Cardinale (125) and sophomore Peyton Hall (165) led off the postseason run by becoming the first Mountaineer duo to reach the Big 12 finals of their respective weight classes since the combination of Zeke Moisey (125) and Jake smith (197) made the finals in 2018. Top-seeded Cardinale recoded an 8-3 decision over 2021 Big 12 Champion and third-seeded Brody teske (northern iowa) to join former WVu standouts Dylan Cottrell (2017) and noah adams (2020) as the only other Mountaineers to reach the top of the Big 12 since West Virginia moved to the conference in 2012.
success continued as Cardinale, and Hall reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit. Both finished in the top 12, while Hall secured his spot on the podium as an all-american after scoring an 11-3 major decision over no.19-seed Justin McCoy of Virginia. the Chester, West Virginia, native joined Jimmie Cox, Mike Mason, sam Kline, Brandon rader, and noah adams as the sixth WVu wrestler from the state of West Virginia to be named
an All-American. In addition, Hall is the first WVu grappler to take home the honor at 165 pounds; Mark Banks reached the feat twice at 167 pounds back in 1990 and 1991. McBryde wrestled collegiately in his hometown at the university of Buffalo, where he was a two-year starter for the Bulls. upon graduation, he joined the Buffalo coaching staff as the volunteer assistant and began training freestyle full-time.
the bronze medalist came to Morgantown from the olympic training Center in Colorado springs, where he was the main training partner for two-time world champion and olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox.
Prior to wrestling on the circuit, he wrestled collegiately as a two-year a starter at the university of Buffalo. upon graduation, McBryde joined the Buffalo coaching staff as the volunteer assistant and began training freestyle full-time. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2016 and master’s degree in 2019.
SUPPORT STAFF
David Kooger Senior Associate Athletics Director for Governance and Compliance –Sports Administrator
Kyle Bratke Director of Operations
Zach Eckert Assistant Athletics Director –Facilities and Operations
Tanner Kolb Associate Director –Strength & Conditioning
Jaren Olson Assistant Director – Athletic Training
Victoria Paszel Assistant Director –Sports Nutrition
Regan Braun Academic Counselor
Ryan Schmitt Assistant Director - Equipment Operations
Brodie Mcumar Graduate Assistant – Marketing
Matthew Stainthorpe Assistant Director –Communications
ROSTER
Brycen arbogast
133 Fr. Charlotte Court House, Va. Benedictine College Prep
Jack Blumer 174 5th leechburg, Pa. Kiski area Hs
Blake Boyers 141 r-Jr Fairmont, W.Va. east Fairmont Hs
ian Bush 184 r-so Cameron, W.Va. Cameron Hs
Joseph Chiappazzi 165 r-so Poquoson, Va. Poquoson Hs
nick Cicciarelli 157 r-so Brownsburg, ind. Brownsburg Hs
• Posted a 14-11 record as a starter at 197 pounds
• Competed at the Big 12 Championship (March 9-10)
• Fifth-place finisher at the Southeast Open (Nov. 4)
• recorded back-to-back falls - pin and tech - in the first two rounds of the SEO
• Competed at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• scored a 12-3 major decision over luke Cochran of Central Michigan in his opening match of the KKMC
• Picked up a 10-4 decision over no. 29 Julien Broderson of iowa state in the team’s dual (Feb. 2)
• Gained two conference victories in the team’s road sweep over air Force and rV northern Colorado (Dec. 8 & Dec. 10)
• Nationally ranked in the top 33 at 197 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 8 seed in the 197-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship 2022-23 (r-So.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Seventh-place finisher at Big 12 Championship in this postseason debut
• registered a 17-11 record as a starter at 197 pounds
• sealed a 8-2 decision over Calvin sund of air Force in the seventh-place match (March 4-5)
• recorded back-to-back decisions over Caden gerlach of Cal Baptist (4-3) and Xavier Vasquez of noprthern Colorado (4-1) on his way to the seventh-place match
• Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open runner-up (nov. 13)
• southeast open runner-up (nov. 5)
• Went 2-2 at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Captured three bonus-point victories (two major decisions and one tech. fall) in the team’s sweep of glenville state, edinboro and northern Colorado at the Mountaineer Quad (nov. 20)
• Nationally ranked in the top 33 at 197 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 8 seed in the 197-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 31 seed in the 197-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2021-22 (Summer)
• u23 Men’s Freestyle Wtt all-american
• Fifth-place finisher at the U23 World Team Trials (202 pounds - 92kg)
2020-21 (r-Fr.) - At Pittsburgh
• Posted a 4-4 in his second season with the Panthers
• Made first start and led off the dual against No. 4 Virginia Tech on the road (Feb. 12)
2019-20 (Fr.) - At Pittsburgh
• Won two matches unattached at the Michigan state open, before suffering a season-ending injury Prep
• Two-year letterwinner at both Somerset Berkley regional (2015-16) and Wyoming Seminary (2017-18)
• Ma Division 3 state Champion and runner-up at the all-state Meet as a sophomore (2016)
• Fifth-place finisher as a freshman at MIAA Division 3 State championship (2015)
• Two-time Massachusetts State qualifier
• two-time Fargo all-american
• Prep national Champion (2019)
• Third-place finisher as a junior at the Prep nationals (2017)
• ranked no. 3 in the country by FloWrestling to end the 2018 season and no. 5 at 195 pounds in July of 2018
• Assisted the Blue Raiders towards their first team Miaa Division 3 state championship (2015) Personal
• son of Mike and tracy Cooley
• Birthday is Feb. 28
• Has one brother
• Majoring in communications
AUSTIN COOLEY
Michael Dolan
Senior | 157 Martinsburg, W.Va.
2023-24 (Jr.)
Spring Mills HS
• nWCa scholar all-american
• Posted a 21-14 overall record as a reserve at 149 pounds
• Sixth-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic (nov. 18)
• Competed in the team’s first event at the southeast open (nov. 4)
• storm open Champion (Dec. 3)
• Third-place finisher at the Bobby Kauffman open (Jan. 7)
• Fourth-place finisher at the Purple raider open (Jan. 14)
• recorded a pair of 2-2 records at the Mat-town open ii (Jan. 28) and edinboro open (Feb. 3) 2022-23 (So.)
• Competed in the u20 division of the u s open (65kg–143lbs)
• academic all-Big 12 second team
• Posted a 19-12 overall record at 141 pounds for second among reserves
• southeast open Freshman/sophomore Division Champion (nov. 5)
• Defeated Dillon roman of the Citadel by a 8-2 decision in the SEO finals
• Blanked VMi’s raymond Cmil, 4-0, in the SEO semifinals
• recorded a 8-1 decision over roman’s teammate Jacob Silka in the SEO quarterfinals
• scored a 14-3 major decision over Franklin and Marshall’s Bryce Kresho in the second round of the seo
• Fourth-place finisher at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open (nov. 13)
• Picked up a 6-4 decision over Bucknell’s Braden Bower in the JKBO quarterfinals
• Sixth-place finisher at the Mattown ii open (Jan. 29)
• Captured two 10-0 major decision victories over stephen lukas and Binghamton’s nate lucier at M-t ii
• Pinned ohio state’s garett lautzenheiser (4:07) at the Bobby Kauffman open (Jan. 8)
• Went 3-2 at the edinboro open (Feb. 5)
• Pinned glenville state’s Jesiah Winters in 1:53 to earn his lone dual win of the season (nov. 20)
2021-22 (Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
• registered a 24-16 record and nine bonus-point victories at 133 pounds among reserves
• Wrestled in seven opens during his first year at WVU
• Made debut and went 3-2 in the 133-pound bracket at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
• Third-place finished with 4-1 record, including three shutouts, at the John Carroll open (Feb. 13)
• Fifth-place finisher with a 5-1 record at the ohio intercollegiate open (nov. 14)
• recorded a 4-2 record at the shorty Hitchcock Memorial open (nov. 20)
• started two duals and went 2-0 against glenville state (Dec. 10) and at VMi (Dec. 12)
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the spring Mills Cardinals
• Claimed a 167-9 record to end his scholastic career as the school’s all-time wins leader
• three-time WV aaa state champion (2019-21)
• Became the first individual state champion in program history
• Four-time West Virginia State qualifier
• Four-time WV aaa region 2 champion (2018-21)
• three-time conference champion (2018-20)
• Placed third at the WV aaa state Champions as a freshman (2018)
• Captured a undefeated season, going 21-0 in his final year (2021)
• Helped the team toward a runner-up finish at the WV aaa state Championships (2021) for the farthest finish in program history
Personal
• son of glen and Christy Dolan
• Birthday is June 22
• Has one brother
• Majoring in computer engineering
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Caleb Dowling
Fifth Year | 157 Port Royal, Pa. Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy 2023-24 (Sr.)
• WVu Male gautt Postgraduate scholarship recipient
• nWCa scholar all-american
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• Competed at the Big 12 Championship (March 9-10)
• Posted a 22-8 overall record as the starter at 157 pounds, including 10 wins by tech. fall
• Picked up a 20-4 technical fall over Brooks gable of air Force at the Big 12 Championship
• shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion (nov. 18)
• opened with back-to-back technical falls and ended with a major decision at the sHC
• Fifth-place finisher at the Southeast Open (Nov. 4)
• Captured four major decisions on his run at the seo
• Third-place finisher at the MatTown Open II (Jan. 28)
• recorded a 3-0 performance at the Patriots last Chance open (Feb. 25)
• Collected three bonus-point wins in the team’s sweep of Kent state, Cleveland State and Duke (Nov. 12)
• Nationally ranked in the top 33 at 157 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• Unseeded competitor in the 157-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship 2022-23 (Jr.)
• nWCa scholar all-american
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• team’s Most Wins award (26)
• registered a 26-7 record as a reserve at 157 pounds to lead the team in wins
• southeast open runner-up (nov. 5)
• Purple raider and Mat-town ii open Champion (Jan. 15 & Jan. 29)
• Claimed back-to-back 20-2 tech. falls over Bloomsburg’s CJ Fritz and edinboro’s sully allen, as well as a 14-4 major decision over Bu’s William Morrow to clinch a spot in the championship match at M-t ii
• opened his championship run at the Pro with a 16-0 tech. fall over lock Haven’s Jt Hogan and a 14-1 major decision over Purdue’s Brennan Doyle
• Third-place finisher at the Bobby Kauffman open (Jan. 8)
• Fifth-place finisher at the Cleveland state open (Dec. 11)
• Knocked off no. 19 Derek Holschlag of northern iowa in sudden victory (Feb. 5)
• Picked up a 4-3 decision over Jack ganos in the 20-18 victory over air Force (Feb. 10) 2021-22 (So.)
• Fifth-place finisher after recording a 6-1 record at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
• Picked up a 16-0 tech. fall over Bloomsburg’s Josh Bonomo in Clarion
• recorded a 10-2 major decision over Pitt’s Collin Mccorkle and 11-2 major decision against Kent state’s aaron Ferguson
• 2020-21 (Fr.)
Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team
• scholar all-american team member (WVU: first time since 2009)
• registered a 6-3 record, including one major decision
• recorded a 6-2 decision over nick Delph in the team’s 29-3 win against Bucknell (Jan. 17)
• earned his lone major decision against no. 17 Northern Colorado’s Nick Knutson (Jan. 31)
• Went 2-0 against a pair of northern Colorado wrestlers in Jimmy Fate and Mason Hulse (Feb. 7)
Prep
• top-75 recruit out of saint Joseph’s Catholic academy
• ended his high school career with a 163-20 record
• Became the Wolves’ first NCAA Division I wrestling commit and the second grappler in program history to earn over 100 wins
• Four-time Pennsylvania state medalist, earning a state title at 152 pounds his senior year (2020)
• Placed third at the Pennsylvania interscholastic athletic association (Piaa) Class aa state Championships in 2019, second in 2018 and fourth in 2017
• three-time district and regional champion (2018-20)
Personal
• son of timothy and renee Dowling
• Birthday is Feb. 23
• Has one brother
• Majoring in general business
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
CALEB DOWLING
Peyton Hall
Fifth Year | 165
Chester, W.Va.
Oak Glen HS
2023-24 (Sr.)
• nCaa all-american
• nWCa scholar all-american
• Seventh-place finisher at the NCAA Division i Championships (March 21-23)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Fourth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship (March 9-10)
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• team’s Mountain Man
• team’s Most takedowns (102)
• team Captain
• Posted a team-high 32-9 record as a starter at 165 pounds, including 11 wins over ranked opponents
• outlasted no. 10 antell taylor of nebraska with a 2-1 decision in the seventh-place match of the nCaa Championships
• Claimed an 8-2 decision over No. 3 Julian ramirez of Cornell in the consolation round of the nCaa Championships
• earned a 15-2 major decision over no. 25 Maxx Mayfield of Northwestern in the blood round to earn all-america status at the the NCAA Championships
• Pinned No. 30 Domonic Baker of Campbell (2:06) in the opening consolation round of the nCaa Championships
• scored a 19-2 technical fall over no. 14 giano Petrucelli of air Force in the consolation semifinals of the Big 12 Championship
• Pinned no. 30 Cael Carlson of oklahoma (4:13) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship
• shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion (nov. 18)
• Accumulated five falls - three pins & two techs - toward a 5-0 record at the sHC
• Ken Kraft Midlands Championships runner-up (Dec. 29-30)
• Secured four bonus-point wins, including a pin over no. 13 Caleb Fish of Michigan, to reach the finals of the KKMC
• Third-place finisher at the southeast open (nov. 4)
• Registered four bonus-point victories toward a 4-1 record at the SEO
• Logged a 5-1 decision over No. 3 Izzak Olejnik of oklahoma state in the team’s dual (Jan. 14)
PEYTON HALL
• Picked up a pair of bonus-point victories over No. 17 Giano Petrucelli of Air Force (9-0 major) and Derek Matthews of RV northern Colorado (19-0 tf) in the team’s road sweep (Dec. 8 & Dec. 10)
• Pinned No. 13 Cael Carlson of Oklahoma (6:04) in the team’s dual (Dec.3)
• Two-time WVU Student-Athlete of the Week (Jan. 16 & March 25)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 165 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• Earned the No. 3 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 9 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships 2022-23 (Jr.)
• u23 Men’s Freestyle Wtt all-american
• Fifth-place finisher at U23 World team trials (163 pounds - 74kg)
• nWCa scholar all-american
• NCAA Qualifier
• Sixth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• team’s Most Falls award (9)
• team’s Most takedowns award (80)
• team Captain
• led all starters with a 24-6 overall record as the starter at 165 pounds, including six wins over ranked opponents
• Recorded a 4-3 decision over Drexel’s Evan Barczak at the NCAA tournament (March 16-18)
• Pinned no. 15 gerrit nijenhuis of Oklahoma (4:38) in the first round of the Big 12 Championship (March 4-5)
• Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open Champion (nov. 13)
• Pinned no. 10 Julian ramirez of Cornell in 1:59 in the JKBO finals
• scored a 11-2 major decision over Binghamton’s Dimitri Gamkreilidze in the JKBO semifinals
• registered back-to-back pins over army Prep’s gunner Filipowicz (5:41) and Binghamton’s William ebert (2:54) to begin his journey at the JKBo
• Fourth-place finisher at the southeast open (nov. 5)
• Pinned north Carolina’s Michael goldfeder (5:35) in his first match of the season at the SEO
• Went 2-2 at the 58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Pinned top-33 Holden Heller (3:43) in the 24-11 victory over no. 21 Pitt (Jan. 8)
• Collected a 8-2 decision over no. 17 gerrit nijenhuis of oklahoma (Jan. 20)
• Posted a 6-2 decision over no. 21 Wyatt sheets of no. 12 oklahoma state (Jan. 22)
• scored a 5-2 decision over no. 23 austin Yant of no. 14 northern iowa (Feb. 5)
• Closed out the team’s final three duals with three bonus wins (major decision, tech. fall and pin) in the team’s wins over rV air Force (Feb. 10), Clarion (Feb. 17) and lock Haven (Feb. 19)
• Captured three bonus-point victories (two major decisions and one pin) in the team’s sweep of glenville state, edinboro and northern Colorado at the Mountaineer Quad (nov. 20)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 165 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 4 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 14 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships 2021-22 (So.)
• u23 Men’s Freestyle Wtt all-american
• u23 World team trials runnerup (163 pounds - 74kg)
• nCaa all-american
• nWCa scholar all-american
• Eighth-place finisher at the NCAA Division i Championships
• First WVu grappler to reach allamerica status at 165 pounds
• sixth wrestler from the state of West Virginia to be named an all-american
• NCAA Qualifier
• Big 12 runner-up
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• WVU’s Big 12 Champions for Life representative (Marvel)
• team’s Most outstanding Wrestler
• team Captain
• led the team with a 28-6 overall record as the starter at 165 pounds, including a 10-3 record against Big 12 competition
• Picked up nine wins in 15 opportunities against ranked opponents
• Claimed an 11-3 major decision over No. 19 Justin McCoy of Virginia to secure his spot on the podium to close out the nCaa tournament (March 17-19)
• Posted a 3-0 record, including two major decisions, to seal a spot in the finals of the Big 12 Championship (March 5-6)
• Clarion Open Champion (Nov. 7)
• recorded a 5-0 record to capture the 165-pound crown at the Clarion open
• Southern Scuffle runner-up (Jan.1-2)
• Knocked off no. 7 luke Weber of north Dakota state by a 13-5 major decision in the semifinals of the Southern Scuffle (Jan. 2)
• rattled off 17 consecutive wins heading into the finals of the 165-pound bracket on day two of the prestigious Southern Scuffle (Jan. 2)
• Outlasted No. 9 Austin Yant of No. 22 Northern iowa for a 4-2 sudden victory (Feb. 5)
• WVu student-athlete of the Week (Dec. 6, Dec.13, & March 21)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 165 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 2 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 9 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2020-21 (Fr.)
• nWCa scholar all-american
• scholar all-american team member (WVU: first time since 2009)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Fourth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
• registered a 16-6 overall record as the starter at 165 pounds, including four major decisions and one pin
• recorded seven wins over ranked opponents for second on the team
• Posted a 3-2 record at the nCaa Championships toward a berth into the round of 12 (March 19)
• Kicked off his rookie campaign with a 3-0 record at the Mountaineer Quad, which included a 13-4 major decision over Virginia tech’s Jordan Florence and a 9-0 major decision over ohio’s no. 22-ranked Colt Yinger (Jan. 10)
• Recorded a 8-5 decision in the team’s win over no. 17 northern Colorado (Jan. 31)
• Pinned Missouri’s Martell Boone in 6:28 in the first match of the Cowboy Challenge (Feb. 14)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 165 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 2 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• Earned the No. 21 seed in the 165-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
Prep
• Top-35 recruit out of Oak Glen High School
• racked up 179 wins, with all but 46 of them ending in pins
• Became the Golden Bears’ first four-time state champion, winning titles at 120, 132, 138 and 152 pounds, respectively
• Was the 19th wrestler in West Virginia history to claim four state titles
• two-time West Virginia Class a/aa state Championships’ Most outstanding Wrestler (2018 and 2020)
• Four-time ohio Valley athletic Conference (oVaC) finalist and three-time champion (2018-20)
• two-time national High school Coaches association (nHsCa) champion, earning the crown in 2017 and 2019
• two-time super 32 all-american
• Super 32 Challenge finalist (2019)
• three-time ironman all-american
• Defeated current teammate Caleb rea in the 132-pound finals at the 2018 state tournament
• also was coached by Jim akerly, a former WVu all-american (1985-88), at Quest school of Wrestling
Personal
• son of James and treena Hall
• Birthday is July 13
• Has one sister
• Majoring in pre-sport management
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Sam Hillegas
Fifth Year | 157 Pittsburgh, Pa.
North Hills HS/Virginia Tech
2023-24 (Sr.)
• Wrestled in one dual and four opens as a reserve at 141 pounds
• Posted a 13-4 record and 12 bonus-point victories - two tech. falls and 10 pins
• Fifth-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic (nov. 18)
• Competed in the team’s 22-21 win over Columbia in the “Battle on the Boardwalk in atlantic City (Jan. 7)
• John Carroll Champion (Feb. 11)
• storm open Champion (Dec. 3)
2022-23 (Jr.)
• Competed at the Big 12 Championship in this postseason debut
• registered a 17-12 record as a starter at 149 pounds, including a 8-5 dual record
• second on the team in pins (8)
• southeast open runner-up (nov. 5)
• Third-place finisher at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open (nov. 13)
• scored a 2-0 sudden victory over tyler Badgett in the team’s 24-11 upset over no. 21 Pitt (Jan. 8)
• Pinned Pierce taylor in 1:11 during the team’s 28-9 win over ohio (Jan. 6)
• Picked up a 17-1 tech. fall over Jake Pail of edinboro in his dual debut (nov. 20)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 149 pounds throughout the season by several publications
2021-22 (So.) – Virginia Tech
• Finished 5-3 in limited action
• scored a 5-2 decision over Pittsburgh’s luke Kemerer in the team’s 24-12 dual victory (Jan. 30)
• registered a 2-2 slate at the Patriot open (Dec. 5)
2020-21 (Fr.) – Virginia Tech
• started at 141 pounds as a true freshman
• registered a 5-5 record, including a 3-3 mark in duals
• Captured first win by fall in the season opener versus Campbell (Jan. 2)
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the north Hills indians, under coach and WVu threetime all-american Vertus Jones
• Claimed a 157-5 overall record while wrestling at four different weight classes (113, 126, 132, & 138)
• Four-time Pennsylvania state qualifier (2017-2020)
• two-time Piaa state champion (2017 & 2018); first state champion in program history
• three-time WPial champion (2017, 2018, & 2019)
• Four-time District 7 sectional champion (2017-2020)
• Class president and Co-president of the high school varsity club
Personal
• son of Jason and leigh Hillegas
• Father played football at Mercyhurst
• Birthday is october 14
• Has two sisters and one brother
• Majoring in building construction
SAM HILLEGAS
Dennis Robin
r-Senior | 184 Arlington, N.Y. Arlington HS
2023-24 (r-Jr.)
• Seventh-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship (March 9-10)
• academic all-Big 12 second team
• Posted a 22-11 overall record as a starter at 184 pounds, including three wins over ranked opponents
• Picked up two pins over Branson Britten of Northern Colorado (4:49) and Ethan Ducca of Wyoming (2:32) at the Big 12 Championship
• Third-place finisher at the southeast open (nov. 4)
• Claimed a 16-2 major decision over No. 19 Caleb Hopkins of Campbell in the third-place match of the seo
• Logged a 7-4 decision over No. 21 Zayne lehman of ohio at the seo
• Fifth-place finisher at the Shorty Hitcock Classic (nov. 18)
• recored a 4-1 record at the sHC
• registered a 3-2 record at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Gained two conference victories in the team’s road sweep over air Force and rV northern Colorado (Dec. 8 & Dec. 10)
• Earned a 11-0 decision over No. 30 Giuseppe Hoose of oklahoma (Dec. 3)
• Collected three wins in the team’s sweep of Kent State, Cleveland State and Duke (Nov. 12)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 141 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• Earned the No. 7 seed in the 184-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship 2022-23 (Jr.)
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• registered a 24-9 overall record while competing unattached at 184 pounds
• tied for second on the team in wins (24)
• Third-place finisher at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open (nov. 13)
• scored a 16-1 tech. fall over Binghamton’s John Baker to begin the JKBo
• Went 3-2 at the 58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• JCU Open National and Zingo Nationals Champion (Feb. 12 & Feb. 26)
• secured a 16-0 tech. fall over ohio’s Charlie
• Sealed the ZN Championship with a 5-3 decision over Drexel’s Josh stillings
• recorded a 16-2 major decision over Brown’s nick olivieri and a 16-0 tech. fall over rutgers’ Stratos Kantanas on his championship run at ZN
• Third-place finisher at the Purple raider open (Jan. 15)
• registered four straight major decisions to secure a top-three spot at the Pro
• Fourth-place finisher at the Cleveland State Open
• Fifth-place finisher at the Mat-Town II Open
• Pinned lock Haven’s Cael Black in 5:47 and claimed a 16-1 tech. fall over Buffalo’s gilbert Maquez to end 3-1 at M-t ii 2021-22 (So.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Eighth-place finisher at Big 12 Championship in this postseason debut
• academic all-Big 12 second team
• recorded 13 wins at 174 pounds, including four against ranked opponents
• Won by a 4-2 decision over air Force’s sam Wolf at the Big 12 Championship to clinch an automatic bid into the nCaa Championships
• Pinned no. 33 Kekana Fouret of utah Valley in 2:06 (Feb. 12)
• Pinned no. 17 Joel Devine of iowa state in 1:09 (Feb. 4)
• Defeated no. 32 triston Wills of little rock arkansas at the prestigious Southern Scuffle (Jan. 2)
• registered a 10-8 decision over Davidson’s steven newell (nov. 19)
• Unseeded competitor in the 174-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 31 seed in the 174-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2020-21 (Fr.)
• scholar all-american team member (WVU: first time since 2009)
Prep
• Had a high school record of 266-45, becoming the winningest wrestler in arlington High and Dutchess County history
• ranks no. 2 on section 1’s all-time wins list
• Four-time New York state placer, finishing as high as third his senior year
• Five-time county finalist
• earned a medal at the eastern states Classic a trio of times
• took second at the 2020 eastern states Classic, the first wrestler in school history to reach the finals of the annual tournament
Personal
• son of Dale and Kelly robin
• Father wrestler at appalachian state
• Birthday is Jan. 3
• Has one brother and one sister
• Majoring in communications studies
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
DENNIS ROBIN
Jett Strickenberger
Senior | 125 Colorado Springs, Colo. Ponderosa HS/NW Kansas Technical College 2023-24 (Jr.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Third-place finisher in his postseason debut at the Big 12 Championship (March 9-10)
• Posted a 20-8 overall record as a starter at 125 pounds, including eight wins over ranked opponents
• Pinned No. 25 Kysen Terukina of Iowa state (4:58) in the third-place match of the Big 12 Championship
• Picked up a 12-9 decision over no. 14 stevo Poulin of northern Colorado in the consolation road of the Big 12 Championship
• Earned a 15-8 decision over No. 24 Trever anderson of northern iowa in the consolation round of the Big 12 Championship
• southeast open Champion (nov. 4)
• earned a 4-1 overtime decision over No. 14 Brandon Kaylor of Oregon State in the finals of the SEO
• Pinned Kyle Montaperto of Virginia (3:50) in the semifinals of the SEO
• Competed at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Third-place finisher at the Mattown open ii (Jan. 28)
• Delivered a 9-6 decision over No. 28 Trever anderson of northern iowa (Feb. 4)
• Scored a pair of ranked wins over No. 27 tucker owens of air Force and no. 6 stevo Poulin of RV Northern Colorado in the team’s road sweep (Dec. 8 & Dec. 10)
• Collected three bonus-point victories in the team’s sweep of Kent state, Cleveland State and Duke (Nov. 12)
• two-time Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (nov. 7 & Dec. 12)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 125 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• Earned the No. 7 seed in the 125-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• Earned the No. 19 seed in the 125-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2022-23 (So.) – NW Kansas Technical College
• nJCaa national Champion at 125 pounds
• nJCaa all-american
• nJCaa ernest B. gould Most outstanding Wrestler award
• nJCaa Wrestler of the Year by the open Mat
• KJCCC all-Conference First team
• undefeated record
• Defeated four Division i wrestlers, including 133-pounder garrett ricks (Wyoming), who was the 2022 nJCaa national Wrestling Champion at 125 pounds
• seventh Maverick to become national champion and second at his respective weight
• assisted the Mavericks to a sixth-place finish at the NJCAA Championships
2021-22 (Fr.) – North Idaho
• nJCaa all-american
• Third-place finisher at the NJCAA Championships
• assisted the Cardinals to a seventh-place finish at the NJCAA Championships
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the Ponderosa Mustangs
• CJsaa state Championship runner-up (2021)
• CJsaa state Championship thirdplace finisher (2019)
• Two-time Colorado state qualifier
• Double-Fargo all-american (2021)
• Fargo runner-up in greco-roman and fourth-place finisher in Freestyle
• usa Wrestling Preseason nationals Champion (2020)
• Cadet greco-roman World team Member (2019)
• Competed at the Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, going 1-1
Personal
• son of Jeff and Katie spires
• Birthday is May 24
• Has two brothers and one sister
• Brother Jackson currently wrestles at Virginia tech
• Majoring in physical education
Michael Wolfgram
Fifth Year | HWT York, Pa.
Central York HS
2023-24 (r-Sr.)
• Sixth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship
• team’s iron Mountaineer
• team Captain
• Posted a 20-12 record as a starter at heavyweight
• Captured a pair of victories in the consolation round over Wyoming’s Kevin Zimmer (64) and utah Valley’s Chase trussell (4-1 (sV1)) at the Big 12 Championship
• shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion (nov. 18)
• Claimed three pins and one technical fall on his to defeating Columbia’s Billy McChesney by a 4-1 decision in the finals of the SHC
• southeast open runner-up (nov. 4)
• Pinned Utah Valley’s Jack Forbes in 3:34 in the seo seminal match
• Pulled off a 20-5 technical fall over Chattanooga’s Kaleb Snodgrass (7:00) in the opening match at the seo
• Recorded a 2-2 record at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29)
• earned a 14-2 major decision over oregon state’s Charles Hastriter at the KKMC
• Claimed a 15-0 technical fall over Billy McChestney to clinch the team’s 2221 victory over Columbia at the Cage Fury Fighting Championships “Battle on the Boardwalk” (Jan. 7)
• scored a 10-2 major decision over Xavier Doolin in the team’s 31-9 road-win over RV Northern Colorado (Dec. 10)
• Picked up two technical falls in the team’s sweep of Kent State, Cleveland State and Duke (Nov. 12)
MICHAEL WOLFGRAM
2024-25 Mountaineer Wrestling
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at heavyweight throughout the season by several publications
• Earned the No. 7 seed in the heavyweight bracket at the Big 12 Championship 2022-23 (r-Jr.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Eighth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship
• team Captain
• Posted a 21-14 record as a starter at heavyweight, including a 10-5 record in duals and five ranked wins
• Claimed a 6-3 decision over no. 20 Boone Mcdermott of rutgers at the nCaa Championships
• Captured a 17-3 major decision over Wyoming’s terren swartz in the consolation round of the Big 12 Championship
• southeast open runner-up (nov. 5)
• scored a 3-1 decision over top-33 Brandon Whitman of North Carolina in the SEO semifinals
• registered a 14-3 major decision over newberry’s Devon rice to open the seo
• Third-place finisher at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open (nov. 13)
• Pinned army-Prep’s evan anderson in 2:21 in JKBo third-place match
• Picked up a 11-2 major decision over Binghamton’s Cory Day in the JKBO quarterfinals
• Pinned sullivan County’s ryan elifesen in 4:52 to open the JKBo
• Went 3-2 at the 58th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Pinned Clarion’s austin Chapman in 2:16 to secure the 24-18 victory over Clarion (Feb. 17)
• Knocked off no. 12 tyrell gordon of no. 14 northern iowa by a 7-4 decision (Feb. 5)
• outlasted no. 18 Josh Heindselman of oklahoma by a 3-1 decision (Jan. 20)
• Pinned ohio’s Jacob Padilla (2:20) in the 28-9 victory over ohio (Dec. 6)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at heavyweight throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 5 seed in the heavyweight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 25 seed in the heavyweight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2021-22 (r-So.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Seventh-place finisher for the second straight year at the Big 12 Championship
• team’s Most improved Wrestler
• team Captain
• started in every dual and posted a 20-11 record at heavyweight, including a 7-5 record against Big 12 competition
• led the team with 35 dual takedowns
• Third on the team with five victories over ranked opponents
• Sixth-place finisher after going 5-1 at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
• Pinned no. 18 Brandon Metz of north Dakota state in 1:28 (Jan. 29)
• Defeated no. 20 owen trephan of nC state by a 6-5 decision (no. 21)
• outlasted no. 17 Josh Heindselman of oklahoma, 3-2, in the first dual of the season (Nov. 13)
• Closed out the season ranked in the top 30 of several wrestling publications
• Earned the No. 5 seed in the heavyweight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 27 seed as an at-large berth in the heavyweight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2020-21 (r-Fr.)
• Seventh-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship after defeating northern Colorado’s Dalton robertson by a 10-8 decision (March 7)
• scholar all-american team member (WVU: first time since 2009)
• Registered a 10-6 record as the starter at heavyweight, including three major decisions and one win over a ranked opponent
• recorded a 2-1 record at the Mountaineer Quad, including a 13-4 major decision over ohio’s Jordan earnest (Jan. 10)
• Defeated robert Winters by a 4-3 decision in the team’s win over no. 17 northern Colorado (Jan. 31)
• earned a 16-2 major decision over Missouri’s seth nitzel at the Cowboy Challenge (Feb. 14)
2019-20 (Fr.)
• redshirted and wrestled unattached in four tournaments at heavyweight
• Posted an 8-8 record with two tech. falls and one pin
• opened the season with a 6-4 win in sudden victory over Cleveland state’s Collin Kelly at the Clarion open (nov. 3)
• Collected a trio of wins at the Findlay open, earning a 9-6 decision over West liberty’s Chase logan, an 18-3 tech. fall victory over Bellarmine’s gerald seeney and a win by fall (0:23) over edinboro’s shane noonan (nov. 16)
• Went 3-2 at the shorty Hitchcock Memorial open, topping army’s Brandon Phillips in a 7-3 decision, greensboro’s Brandon Williams in a 5-2 decision and navy’s riley smith in a 7-4 decision (Jan. 11)
• registered a 16-1 tech. fall victory over Buffalo’s Will leonard at the edinboro open (Feb. 1)
Prep
• Posted a 139-16 career record at Central York High
• Four-time Pennsylvania state qualifier and two-time state medalist, placing third in 2019 and finishing fourth in 2018
• three-time sectional and regional champion (2017-19)
• gametimePa Co-Wrestler of the Year (2019)
• two-time nHsCa Duals all-american
• two-time Junior aau olympic games allAmerican, placing first and second in the event
• super 32 all-american
• Placed seventh at the Super 32 Challenge (2017)
• Flonationals and Disney Duals all-american Personal
• son of Damon and stephanie Cadwallader
• Birthday is april 6
• Has one brother and one sister
• Majoring in sport management
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Blake Boyers
r-Junior | 141 Fairmont, W.Va. East Fairmont HS 2023-24 (r-So.)
• Wrestled in 14 matches as a reserve at 141 pounds
• Competed in five opens for the Mountaineers
• Pinned three opponents during the season 2022-23 (So.)
• Wrestled in nine matches unattached at 141 pounds
• Competed in four opens for the Mountaineers
• scored a 6-2 decision over seton Hill’s nolan Daerr at the Purple raider open (Jan. 15) 2021-22 (Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
• Competed in five opens at 141 pounds
• Made debut at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the east Fairmont Bees
• Claimed a 136-18 record in four seasons
• Four-time West Virginia state champion, winning titles at four different weight classes (106, 113, 126, and 138)
• Became the Bees’ first wrestler to win four state titles
• Was the 14th and 21st wrestler in West Virginia to claim state titles in four different weight classes and four state championships in a high school career
• three-time regional champion
• three-time Big 10 Conference champion (WVsC)
• Class aa outstanding Wrestler award recipient (2021)
• WV-Mat academic all-state team member (2018)
• three-year letterwinner for east Fairmont’s soccer team (2018-20), helping the squad advance to the 2018 state championship game as a team captain
Personal
• son of adam and Cortney Boyers
• Father wrestled at WVu
• Birthday is oct. 20
• Has one brother
• Majoring in finance
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Trey Johnson
r-Junior | 165 Charlotte, N.C. East Mecklenburg HS 2023-24 (r-So.)
• Wrestled 21 matches in six opens as a reserve at 165 pounds
• Fourth-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock open (nov. 18)
• Competed in the team’s first event at the southeast open (nov. 4) 2022-23 (So.)
• Wrestled in 16 matches unattached at 157 pounds
• scored a 13-2 major decision over rider’s Hogan Horsey at the edinboro open (Feb. 5)
• Picked up a 7-1 decision over lake erie’s sam Partain at the JCu open (Feb. 12) 2021-22 (Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
• registered three wins and competed in ten events as a rookie at 149 pounds
• Made debut at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
• Claimed a pin over slippery rock’s Caden reamer in 4:42 at the John Carroll open (Feb. 13)
• outlasted Bloomsburg’s Marco Macrino in a 1-0 decision at the Mat town open ii (Jan. 29)
Prep
• North Carolina State qualifier at 145 pounds for the east Mecklenburg eagles
• Placed third at the nCHs 4a West regional championships
• team Captain and Conference champion
Personal
• son of george and susan Johnson
• Birthday is May 2
• Has one sister
• Majoring in marketing
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Dylan Kohn
r-Junior | 174 Fredericksburg Hagerty HS/The Master’s Academy 2023-24 (r-So.)
• Wrestled in four opens as a reserve at 184 pounds
• Posted a 13-3 record, including seven bonus-point victories - two major decisions, two tech. falls, and three pins
• Fifth-place finisher at the Southeast Open (Nov. 4)
• Competed in the team’s second inseason tournament at the shorty Hitchcock Classic (nov. 18)
• Purple raider open Champion (Jan. 14)
• Messiah open runner-up (Feb. 10) 2022-23 (So.)
• u23 Men’s Freestyle Wtt all-american
• Seventh-place finisher at U23 World team trials (180 pounds - 82kg)
• redshirted and registered a 14-8 record as a reserve at 174 pounds
• Fifth-place finisher at the Southeast Open Freshman/sophomore Division (nov. 5)
• Zingo Nationals Champion (Feb. 25)
• Purple raider open runner-up (Jan. 15) 2021-22 (Fr.) – At Edinboro
• Posted 11 wins at 165 pounds
• Competed at the MaC Championships
• Opened his first season with a 4-1 record at the Michigan state open (nov. 6)
Prep
• three-year letterwinner for the Hagerty Huskies, before transferring to wrestle for the Master’s academy eagles for his senior season
• Claimed a 221-29 overall record
• Four-time Florida state qualifier (2018-2021)
• Placed third twice at FHsaa state Championships (2020 & 2021)
• Finished fifth at the FHSAA State Championships as a freshman (2018)
• two-time united World Wrestling (uWW) all-american
• one-time Fargo Cadet greco all-american (2018) Personal
• Wrestled in five duals and three opens as a reserve at 125 pounds
• Third-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic (nov. 18)
• Third-place finisher at the Patriot Open (Dec. 3)
• scored a 18-1 tech. fall over Morgan state’s Julian Dawson (t - 3:00) in the team’s 40-3 win (Jan. 28)
• Pinned Fairmont state’s Bradan Meyers (t - 1:22) in the team’s 56-0 win (Dec. 19) 2022-23 (r-Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• registered eight wins in 19 matches as a reserve at 125 pounds
• Sixth-place finisher at the Southeast Open Freshman/sophomore Division (nov. 5)
• Wrestled at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Competed at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open (nov. 13)
• Pinned Marco Vespa of Penn state in 2:53 at the JKBo
• Pinned Brandan Myers in 1:08 during the team’s 48-6 win over Fairmont state (Dec. 19)
• Picked up a 15-4 major decision over Devin easton of glenville state (nov. 20)
• scored a 7-4 decision over logan Jaquay of Edinboro in first dual against a Di opponent (nov. 20) 2021-22 (Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
2024-25 Mountaineer Wrestling
• registered 14 wins, including four pins, in seven opens unattached at 125 pounds
• recorded a 2-2 record at the prestigious Southern Scuffle (Jan. 1-2)
• Claimed fifth place after going 3-2 record at the edinboro open (Feb. 6)
• Third-place finisher with a 3-1 record at the ohio intercollegiate open (nov. 14)
• Made debut at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the Palmyra-Macedon red raiders
• Four-time team captain
• Posted a 169-10 record in his scholastic career
• two-time nYsPHsaa state champion
• Four-time New York State qualifier
• three-time nYsPHsaa Class champion (2019-21)
• three-time Finger lakes champion (2018-20)
• all-greater rochester Wrestler of the Year (2021)
• three-time all-greater rochester first team selection (2019-21)
• Four-time All-Finger Lakes East first team selection (2018-21)
• three-time nYsPHsaa section V Wrestling champions (2018-20)
• Member of the section V championship team (2020)
• nHsCa all-american (2021)
• two-sport athlete (wrestling and soccer)
• three-year letterwinner for the red raiders soccer team at the striker position
• Three-time All-League first team selection
• two-time section V champion (2018-19)
• team captain (2020)
Personal
• son of edward schafer iii and Kelly DeFisher
• Birthday is May 28
• Has two sisters and one brother
• Majoring in business administration
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
• demic all-Big 12 First team
Jordan Titus
r-Junior | 141 Center Moriches, N.Y.
Center Moriches HS
2023-24 (r-So.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Sixth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship (March 9-10)
• team’s Most improved Wrestler
• team Captain
• Posted a 24-6 overall record as a starter at 141 pounds, including eight wins over ranked opponents
• Picked up a 5-3 decision over No. 26 Clay Carlson of south Dakota state in the consolation round of the nCaa Championships (March 21-23)
• Scored a 6-5 decision over No. 25 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship
• Ken Kraft Midlands Champion (Dec. 29-30)
• Captured a 18-3 technical fall over no. 16 CJ Composto of Penn in the finals of the KKMC
• southeast open Champion (nov. 4)
• Claimed back-to-back decisions over No. 30 Jack Gioffre of Virginia in the semifinals (114) and No. 26 Cleveland Belton of Oregon State in the finals (6-5) of the SEO
• Outlasted No. 21 Josh Edmond of Missouri in the tiebreaker (Jan. 26)
• Gained two conference victories in the team’s road sweep over air Force and rV northern Colorado (Dec. 8 & Dec. 10)
• Collected three wins in the team’s sweep of Kent State, Cleveland State and Duke (Nov. 12), including a 9-3 decision over No. 22 Dylan layton of Cleveland state
• Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (Jan. 2)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 141 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 4 seed in the 141-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• Earned the No. 13 seed in the 141-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2022-23 (r-Fr.)
• NCAA Qualifier
• Seventh-place finisher at Big 12 Championship in this postseason debut
• registered a 22-14 record at 141 pounds for second among starters in wins
• Claimed a 4-1 decision over no. 12 Carter Young of oklahoma state at the nCaa tournament (March 16-18)
• sealed a 3-1 decision over Job greenwood of Wyoming in the seventh-place match
• secured a 5-3 decision over ty smith of utah Valley in sudden victory
• registered a 4-2 record at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat open (nov. 13)
• Posted a 2-2 record at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Cleveland state open runner-up (Dec. 11)
• Pulled off a 16-1 tech. fall over Billy Meiszner of Kent State in the quarterfinals of the CSO
JORDAN TITUS
• Knocked off no. 1 Cole Matthews in the team’s 24-11 victory over no. 21 Pitt (Jan. 8)
• scored a 11-3 major decision over honorable mention Casey swiderski of iowa state (Feb. 3)
• recorded a 14-2 major decision over aidan Waszak in the team’s 28-9 win over ohio (Jan. 6)
• Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (Jan. 9)
• WVu student-athlete of the Week (Jan. 9)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 141 pounds throughout the season by several publications
• earned the no. 8 seed in the 141-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• earned the no. 29 seed in the 141-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships 2021-22 (Fr.)
• team’s rookie of the Year
• Registered a 20-7 record, wrestling unattached in six opens at 133/141 pounds
• Sixth-place finisher after going 4-2 in his debut in the 133-pound bracket at the Clarion open (nov. 7)
• Competed at the prestigious Southern Scuffle (Jan. 1-2)
• ohio intercollegiate open 133-pound champion (nov. 14)
• edinboro open 133-pound champion (Feb. 6)
• Patriots open 133-pound runner-up (Dec. 5)
Prep
• Five-year letterwinner for the Center Moriches red Devils
• Posted a 168-7 record in his scholastic career, with a 2019-20 undefeated season
• two-time nYsPHsaa state champion (2019 & 2020)
• First ever state champion in school history
• Five-time Empire State qualifier and finalist
• First ever new Yorker to claim the ironman championship (2019)
• Four-time County champion
• three-time newsday all-long island selection (2019-2021)
• Competed at the prestigious “Who’s #1” event in austin, texas
• Journeymen new York state Wrestling champion (2020-21)
• eastern states Wrestling Classic champion (2019-20)
• nHsCa national champion (2019-20)
• super 32 all-american (4th)
• Fargo all-american (6th)
• Flo national all-american (8th)
• top 10 wrestler in the country by FloWrestling (2019-20)
• suffolk County Coaches Wrester of the Year (2019-20)
• Played on the red Devil’s soccer team in the offseason
Personal
• son of glenn and Darlene titus
• Birthday is December 12
• Has one sister
• Majoring in sport management
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Cole Tolley
Junior | 197 Tampa, Fla. Sickles HS
2023-24 (So.)
• Wrestled in five opens as a reserve at 197 pounds
• Fifth-place finisher in the Freshman/Sophomore division at the Southeast Open (Nov. 4)
• Pinned Morgan state’s alexander newkirk (t - 1:18) on his way to a 4-1 record at the seo
• Made his debut in the team’s first event at the SEO
• Third-place finisher at the Storm Open (Dec. 3)
• Fourth-place finisher at the Bobby Kauffman open (Jan. 7)
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the sickles gryphons
• Third-place finish at FHSAA state championships (2022)
• Two-time Florida state qualifier
• sickles’ scholar athlete of the Year (2022)
• Holds school records for consecutive wins (51), single-season wins (58), career pins (76) and single-season pins (30)
Personal
• son of Jeremy and angie tolley
• Birthday is August 28
• Has three brothers
• Majoring in coaching and performance science
Ian Bush
r-Sophomore | 184 Cameron, W.Va. Cameron HS
2023-24 (r-Fr.)
• nWCa scholar all-american
• team’s Co-Most improved Wrestler
• registered a 18-5 record and competed in seven opens as a reserve at 184 pounds
• Recorded 10 bonus-point victories - four major decisions, four tech. falls, and two pins
• southeast open Freshman/sophomore Division Champion (nov. 4)
• Third-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic (nov. 18)
• Competed at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29)
• John Carroll open Champion (Feb. 11)
• Mat-town || open runner-up (Jan. 28)
• Bobby Kauffman Open runner-up (Jan. 7)
• earned a 3-0 record at the Patriots last Chance open (Feb. 25)
• Outlasted NCAA qualifier Caleb Hopkins of No. 22 Campbell for a 4-2 decision at the PlCo 2022-23 (Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
• Redshirted and competed in two duals and the edinboro open at 184 pounds
• Fourth-place finisher at the edinboro open (Feb. 5)
• Made debut in the team’s 28-9 win over ohio (Jan. 6) Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the Cameron Dragons
• Claimed a 147-12 overall record, including 105 falls
• Four-time West Virginia state qualifier (2019-2022)
• assisted the Bulldogs to an iHsWCa 3a dual state championship in 2019 and runner-up finish in 2022 Personal
• son of Michael and ann Cicciarelli
• Birthday is December 3
• Has one brother anthony, who wrestled at WVu
• Majoring in engineering
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
Brody Conley
r-Sophomore | 174
Tiffin, Ohio
Columbian HS
2023-24 (r-Fr.)
• NWCA Scholar All-American
• NCAA Qualifier
• Fifth-place finisher at Big 12 Championship in his postseason debut
• academic all-Big 12 First team
• Posted a 24-9 record as the starter at 174 pounds, including 15 bonus-point victories
• Competed at the nCaa Division i Championships (March 21-23)
• Scored a 10-1 major decision over No. 11 Peyton Mocco of Missouri in the fifth-place match of the Big 12 Championship
• Picked up a 7-6 decision over no. 24 Jared Simma of Northern Iowa in the consolation round of the Big 12 Championship
• Secured a 7-1 decision over Quayin short of Wyoming in the consolation round of the Big 12 Championship
• Registered a 13-3 major decision over Mahonri rushton of utah Valley in the opening round of the Big 12 Championship
• shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion (nov. 18)
• Pinned all four opponents on his way to the sHC title
• Fifth-place finisher at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• recorded a 6-2 record, including two pins and a win over No. 8 Adam Kemp of Cal Poly, at the KKMC
• Competed in the team’s first tournament at the southeast open (nov. 4)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 174 pounds throughout the season by several public
• Earned the No. 8 seed in the 174-pound weight bracket at the Big 12 Championship
• Earned the No. 20 seed in the 174-pound weight bracket at the nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships
2022-23 (Fr.)
• academic all-Big 12 rookie team
• team’s rookie of the Year
• Redshirted and competed in five duals and three opens at 174 pounds
• Made debut at the team’s first tournament at the southeast open (nov. 5)
• southeast open Freshman/ sophomore Division Champion
• Third-place finisher at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30)
• Captured three victories, including a 10-1 major decision and a fall in 1:32 during team’s sweep of glenville state, edinboro and northern Colorado at the Mountaineer Quad (nov. 20)
• nationally ranked in the top 33 at 174 pounds throughout the season by several publications
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the Tiffin Columbian Tornados
• ranked as the no. 19 recruit by FloWrestling
• Closed out his career on a 119-match winning streak, including a 53-0 record as a senior
• Three-time Ohio state qualifier (2019, 2021, 2022)
• two-time oHsaa Division ii state champion (2021 & 2022)
• Placed fourth at the oHsaa state tournament (2019)
• two-time nHsCa High school nationals allamerican (champion in 2019 – fourth in 2021)
• Walsh Jesuit ironman champion (2021)
• Played running back and linebacker for tornados’ football program
• two-time Division i all-ohio third team defense (2020 & 2021)
Personal
• son of shaun and Jen Conley
• Birthday is May 18
• Has three sisters
• Majoring in health and wellbeing
• Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor roll
• garrett Ford academic Honor roll
BRODY CONLEY
Matthew Dolan
Sophomore | 125 Martinsburg, W.Va.
Spring Mills HS
2023-24 (Fr.)
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the spring Mills Cardinals
• Posted a 157-10 record, with two undefeated seasons (2021 & 2022)
• Holds the school record for career pins with 105
• Rated No. 16 overall recruit - No. 3 at 215 pounds according to FloWrestling
Personal
• son of gina and Joseph lawrence
• Birthday is December 8
• Has one old brother Thayne, who wrestles at lehigh
• Majoring in general business
Shawn Taylor
Freshman | 157
Coraopolis, Pa. West Allegheny HS
Prep
• Four-year letterwinner for the West allegheny indians
• Closed out his career with a 108-16 overall record,
• Piaa Class 3a runner-up (2023)
• two-time Pennsylvania state qualifier (2022 & 2023)
• PIAA WPIAL Class 3A Southwest regional Champion (2023)
• PIAA WPIAL Class 3A Southwest Regional Runner-up (2022)
• PIAA Class 3A Southern Sectional Champion (2022)
• PIAA Class 3A Southern Sectional runner-up (2023)
• nHsCa national Champion (2022)
• two-time Powerade placer (2022 & 2023)
• Mid-Winter Mayhem Champion (2023)
• rated no. 79 overall in the class of 2024 - no. 12 at 165 pounds according to FloWrestling
Personal
• son of Melanie and timothy taylor
• Birthday is January 25
• Has six sisters and three brothers
• Currently undecided
SEASON PREVIEW
Coming off back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since 1990 and 1991, Mountaineer Wrestling’s 16-event calendar highlights five home duals inside the WVU Coliseum: Glenville State on Nov. 6, Iowa State on Jan. 8, Pitt on Jan. 12, Northern Iowa on Feb. 1, and Arizona State on Feb. 23.
there will also be a special off-campus dual versus Cal Baptist on Dec. 15 at Oak Glen High School, where two-time All-American Peyton Hall became the school’s first four-time state champion at four different weight classes (120, 132, 138 & 152).
“I love how hard our schedule with a lot of quality programs and big-time tournaments,” seventh-year head coach Tim Flynn said. “Our guys are going to be tested and ready go by the time the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Championships come around.”
Here is what you need to know heading into the new campaign:
• West Virginia University wrestling opens the 2024-25 campaign ranked No. 19 in the Preseason NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.
• This marks West Virginia’s first appearance in the preseason poll since 2016 and fifth time overall – 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2016. it is also the second highest preseason ranking in program history, behind only a No. 10 ranking in 2005.
• Individually, WVU returns nine starters from a season ago and will begin the season with six Mountaineers ranked nationally at their respective weight classes, including 2024 All-Americans Peyton Hall and Ty Watters.
• Hall ranks No. 4 at 165 pounds by FloWrestling after leading the team with a 32-9 record and finish seventh in his fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships, while Watters ranks No. 3 149 pounds behind a 30-6 record, Big 12 championship and a fourth-place finish at nationals to conclude his freshman season.
• Both wrestlers will also represent the West Virginia University wrestling program at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic.
• The duo join Jim Akerly (1987), Scott Collins (1991), Mark Banks (1991), Keith Taylor (1994), Dean Morrison (1994), Mike Mason (1998), Vertus Jones (1999), Ryan Kehler (2001), Greg Jones (2003, 2004 and 2005) and Zeke Moisey (2015) as the 11th
and 12th Mountaineers to be featured on the card of the annual showcase. It is also the third time that West Virginia has sent two grapplers to compete at the event in the same year (1991 and 1994).
• Redshirt senior Dennis Robin (No. 24-184), senior Jett Strickenberger (No. 18-125), redshirt junior Jordan Titus (No. 15-141) and redshirt sophomore Brody Conley (No. 23-174) round out the group in FloWrestling’s latest ranking after joining Hall and Watters in Kansas City, Missouri, to compete at the national tournament.
• For the fifth straight year, WVU has signed one of the nation’s top prospects, according to FloWrestling. Freshman Rune Lawrence ranked No. 16 in the class of
2024, as he follows in the footsteps of sophomore Ty Watters (No. 24-2023), redshirt sophomore Brody Conley (No. 19-2022), redshirt junior Jordan Titus (No. 25-2021) and fifth-year senior Peyton Hall (No. 31-2020).
• The Big 12 Championship heads back to the BOK Center in Tulsa for the ninth consecutive year on March 8-9. Two weeks later, The 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take over Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from March 20-22. Philadelphia plays host to the event for the first time since 2011 and second time in history, marking the 15th postseason tournament held in Pennsylvania across five different cities.
SCHEDULE WVU QUICK FACTS
Colors Old Gold (PMS 124) and Blue (PMS 295)
2023-24 SEASON REVIEW
10-5 OVERALL, 2-5 BIG 12
» Mountaineer wresting closed out the regular season by claiming double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the time since 1990 and 1991, which included a 8-0 record against nonconference opponents for the second consecutive year
» Debuted at no. 24 and reached as high as no. 17 on the nWCa Division i Coaches’ Poll
» Finished the regular season ranked (no. 19 – 2/27/24) for the first time since 2005 (No. 24 – 2/23/05), while nine wrestlers broke into the national rankings simultaneously for the first time since 2003
» in the postseason, West Virginia captured its highest finish since 2004 (17th) and recorded the most teams points since 2005 (31.5) at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City
» Five Mountaineers qualified for the NCAA Championships, sending half or more of the team’s starting lineup to the national tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011 and 2012, and the fifth season in which four or more earned a bid under coach tim Flynn
» Junior Jett Strickenberger (125), true freshman ty Watters (149), senior Peyton Hall (165) and redshirt freshman Brody Conley (174) each earned automatic bids based
on their performances at the Big 12 Championship, while redshirt sophomore Jordan Titus (141) earned one of five at-larges berths in his weight class. strickenberger, Watters and Conley made their nCaa tournament debuts.
» Hall and Watters combined for a 10-4 record, which resulted in the pair becoming the 36th and 37th all-americans in program history
» this performance by the duo marked the first time WVU captured two NCAA all-americans in the same year since the Mountaineer pair of Matt Lebe (157) and Greg Jones (184) in 2005. It is also the eighth national tournament where West Virginia had multiple wrestlers land on the podium -1955, 1991, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, and 2005
» the Mountaineers have had an all-american in five consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003-07
» Previously scored 97.5 points to conclude the Big 12 Championship in sixth place, marking the team’s highest point total since joining the Big 12 as well as matching the program’s best finish at the postseason spectacle since the conference expanded from four schools to 10 in 2016 (6th – 65.5 team points)
» Seven Mountaineers placed at the Big 12 Championship in tulsa, oklahoma, to match the 2016 and 2022 teams for the most wrestlers on the Big 12 podium in WVU history, marking the sixth straight year WVu has had at least half of the squad (5 of 10) on the podium to end the conference event
» The squad accumulated 100.5 points at the 59th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships to place third over 40 other programs. its placement smashed a previous best finish of 11th twice in 1989 and 2003.
» Individually, this showing marked the first tournament in Midlands’ history that WVu had multiple finalists in addition to having the most wrestlers competing in the finals out of any other team in one night (3). WVu’s four spots on the podium also broke the program’s previous record of three set in 2003 - greg Jones (Champion) at 184, Matt Lebe (4th) at 157 and Joe Clarke (6th) at 141.
» Drew two of the top-10 largest crowds in the history of the program with 1,884 fans in attendance against No. 5 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Jan. 14 (5th), before 1,327 fans packed the WVu Coliseum for no. 2 Missouri on Friday, Jan. 26.
SEASON STATS
STARTERS (BY WEIGHT CLASS)
LAST NAME)
REDSHIRTS (BY LAST NAME)
MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
WEST VIRGINIA 44, KENT STATE 3
Nov 12, 2023 | WVU Coliseum | Morgantown, WVa
125: No. 24 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) tech. fall over Nico Calello (KSU), 20-4 [T – 6:12]
133: Pablo Castro (KSU.) dec. Davin Rhoads (WVU), 6-2
141: No. 17 Jordan Titus (WVU) tech. fall over Billy Meiszner (KSU.), 20-3 [T – 4:19]
149: No. 18 Ty Watters (WVU) won by fall over Michael Lewarchick (KSU), [T – 3:38]
157: No. 24 Caleb Dowling (WVU) tech. fall over Ethan Barr (KSU.), 17-1 [T – 3:55]
165: No. 17 Peyton Hall (WVU) major dec. Aaron Ferguson (KSU), 15-5
174: No. 31 Brody Conley (WVU) won by fall over Ashton Breen (KSU), [T – 1:34]
184: No. 20 Dennis Robin (WVU) tech. fall over Kyle Snider (KSU), 16-0 [T – 4:54]
141: No. 11 Jordan Titus (WVU) tech. fall Lucas Talley (GSC), 17-2 [T – 3:00]
149: No. 7 Ty Watters (WVU) tech. fall Ethan Hardy (GSC), 19-1 [T – 4:05]
157: Caleb Dowling (WVU) dec. Guy DeLeonardis (GSC), 10-8
165: No. 8 Peyton Hall (WVU) tech. fall Brady Ross (GSC), 17-2 [T – 3:32]
174: No. 31 Brody Conley (WVU) won b fall over Zach Holstion (GSC), [T – 2:17]
184: No. 27 Dennis Robin (WVU) tech. fall Isaiha Casto (GSC), 19-1 [T – 2:21]
197: Austin Cooley (WVU) major dec. Nick Johnson (GSC), 16-2
HWT: Michael Wolfgram (WVU) major dec. Gavin Shamblin (GSC), 19-7
ACCOLADES
IAN BUSH
» nWCa scholar all-american
» southeast open Freshman/sophomore Division Champion at 184 pounds
» Third-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic
BRODY CONLEY
» NCAA Qualifier at 174 pounds
» nWCa scholar all-american
» Fifth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship
» shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion
» Fifth-place finisher at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
AUSTIN COOLEY
» Fifth-place finisher at Southeast Open at 197 pounds
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
MICHAEL DOLAN
» nWCa scholar all-american
» Sixth-place finisher at Shorty Hitchcock Classic at 149 pounds
CALEB DOWLING
» nWCa scholar all-american
» Shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion at 157 pounds
» Fifth-place finisher at Southeast Open
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
PEYTON HALL
» NCAA Qualifier at 165 pounds
» nCaa all-american
» nWCa scholar all-american
» Seventh-place finisher at the NCAA Championships with a record of 5-2
» ninth multi-time all-american
» Fourth-place finisher at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship
» shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion
» Ken Kraft Midlands Championships runner-up
» Third-place finisher at the Southeast Open
» two-time WVu student-athlete of the Week (Jan. 16 & March 25)
» team’s Mountain Man award winner
» team’s Most Wins award winner (32)
» team’s Most takedowns award winner (102)
» team Captain
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
TRISTAN KEMP
» nWCa scholar all-american
DENNIS ROBIN
» Seventh-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship at 184 pounds
» Third-place finisher at the Southeast Open
» Fifth-place finisher at the Shorty Hitchcock Classic
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
JETT STRICKENBERGER
» NCAA Qualifier at 125 pounds
» Third-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship
» southeast open Champion
» Two-time Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (nov. 7 & Dec. 12)
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
JORDAN TITUS
» NCAA Qualifier at 141 pounds
» Sixth-place finisher at the Big 12 Wrestling Championship
» Ken Kraft Midlands Champion
» southeast open Champion
» Big 12 Wrestler of the Week (Jan. 2)
» team’s Most improved Wrestler award winner
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
TY WATTERS
» NCAA Qualifier at 149 pounds
» nCaa all-american
» Fourth-place finisher in his debut at the NCAA Championships with a record of 5-2
» First WVu all-american at 149 pounds
» third WVu true freshman all-american (Brandon Rader – 2006 and Zeke Moisey – 2015)
» Big 12 Champion
» Fourth WVU Big 12 Champion ( Dylan Cottrell – 2017, noah adams – 2020 and Killian Cardinale – 2022)
» First WVu true freshman and wrestler overall to become an nCaa all-american and Big 12 Champion in the same season
» thirteenth WVu wrestler to become an nCaa all-american and conference champion in the same season
» Ken Kraft Midlands Championships runner-up
» southeast open runner-up
» WVu student-athlete of the Week (March 25)
» team’s Most outstanding Wrestler award winner
» team’s rookie of the Year award winner
» team’s Most Falls award winner (12)
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
MICHAEL WOLFGRAM
» Sixth-place finisher at the Big 12 Championship at heavyweight
» shorty Hitchcock Classic Champion
» southeast open runner-up
» WVu student-athlete of the Week (Jan. 8)
» team’s iron Mountaineer award winner
» nationally ranked in the top 33 throughout the season
INDIVIDUALSEASON/CAREER RECORDS
SEASON RECORDS
UNDEFEATED SEASONS
1. noah adams 32-0 2020
2. greg Jones 27-0 20 04
3. greg Jones 26 -0 20 05
WINS LEADER
1. s cott Collins 40 -1 19 91
Jim a kerly 40 -9 19 87
3. Mike Mason 39 -6 19 98
Dominic Black 39 -3 19 91
Michael Carr 39 -6-1 19 88
6. Matt lebe 37-8 20 05
7. sam Kline 35 -8 19 98
Mike Mason 35 -5 19 97
9. greg Jones 34 -2 20 02
10. Matt lebe 33 -5 20 06
tom McMath 33 -4 20 02
Dean Morrison 33 -3 19 94
Jim a kerly 33 -10-1 19 88
PINS LEADER
1. Bubba s cheffel 15 2014
2. s cott Collins 13 19 91
3. ty Watters 12 2024
4. Brandon l auer 11 20 03
5. Matt r yan 10 2011
r yan Kehler 10 20 02
r yan Kehler 10 20 01
Matt Blair 10 19 93
9. Brody Conley 9 2024
Peyton Hall 9 2023-24
Colin Johnston 9 2014
r .J. Costello 9 19 84
SEASON LEADERS BY CLASS
1. greg Jones 34 -2 20 02
2. Zeke Moisey 32-4 2015
3. ty Watters 30 -6 2024
Brandon rader 30 -6 20 06
5. seth l isa 28 -8 20 03
6. s cott Collins 26 -12-1 19 87
Jeff spinetti 26 -10-2 19 87
8. Kurt Brenner 25 -6 20 06
Billy smith 25 -12 20 00
10. Cory stainbrook 24 -16 2014
nathan Pennesi 24 -8 2011
1. noah adams 32-0 2020
steve Millward 32-10 19 90
Jim a kerly 32-12-1 19 86
4. Matt lebe 31-9 20 04
5. Jacob a smith 30 -10 2016
greg Jones 30 -2 20 03
7. Bubba s cheffel 29 -9 2014
nathan Pennesi 29 -10 2012
Bob Patnesky 29 -14 19 98
10. Peyton Hall 28 -6 2022
shane Young 28 -10 2011
1. Jim a kerly 40 -9 19 87
2. Matt lebe 37-8 20 06
3. s am Kline 35 -8 19 98 Mike Mason 35 -5 19 97
5. tom McMath 33 -4 20 02
Dominic Black 33 -5 19 90
7. Dean Morrison 32-7 19 93
8. Vertus Jones 31-4 19 99
9. Dylan Cottrell 30
Joe Carr 28 -10 20 00 Junior Wins Year
CAREER RECORDS
(1985-88)
(1988-91)
(1990-94)
(1999-02)
(1995-98)
TEAM & INDIVIDUAL HONORS
TEAM HONORS
Cliff Keen/ NWCA National Duals
1991
8th Place
W, indiana, 21-14
l , nebraska, 19-21
W, nor thwestern, 35-5
l , nor thern iowa, 16-23
l , nor th Carolina, 15-20
1992 Did not Place
l , W isconsin, 9-39
l , augsburg, 8-25
1996 Did not Place
l , o klahoma state, 15-28
l , Pitt, 15-22
INDIVIDUAL HONORS
NWCA
All-Star Classic Participants
1987 Jim a kerly
(L, Iowa’s Jim Heffernan, 6-0)
1991 s cott Collins
(W, Oklahoma State’s Chuck Barbee, 10-6) Mark Banks
(L, Iowa’s Mark Reiland, 9-8)
1992 Craig tur nbull (Blue Team Coach)
1994 Keith taylor
(L, Cal Poly’s Jake Gaeir, 5-1) Dean Morrison (L, Oregon State’s Les Gutches, 12-3)
1998 Mike Mason
(L, Illinois’ Eric Siebert, 3-2)
1999 Vertus Jones
(L, Iowa State’s Cal Sanderson, 6-5)
2001 r yan Kehler
(did not participate due to injury)
2003 gre g Jones
(W, Oklahoma State’s Chris Pendleton, 7-3)
Craig turnbull (Blue Team Coach)
2004 gre g Jones (W, Northern Illinois’ Ben Heizer, 10-6)
2005 greg Jones
(W, Iowa’s Paul Bradley, 3-2)
2015 Zeke Moisey (L, Ohio State’s Nathan Tomasello, 7-1)
All-Academic Team 1991 s cott Collins
Daniel staats
Keith taylor Douglas Verrer
1997 sam K line a ngelo Zegarelli
1998
6th Place
W, Michigan, 28-10
l , Minnesota, 3-33
W, Penn, 20-19
W, a rizona state, 20-16
l , Penn state, 13-25
l , nebraska, 8-36
1999 Did not Place
l , o klahoma state, 10-31
L, CSU Bakersfield, 17-20
2000 Did not Place
l , Penn, 20-23
W, rider, 29-9
l , nebraska, 6-35
2003
2004
2005
Did not Place
l , o klahoma, 18-20
l , Minnesota, 15-20
Did not Place
l , Michigan, 16-29
W, Cleveland state, 21-16
l , Penn, 18-21
Did not Place
l , illinois, 6-34
l , Penn state, 16-24
2007 Did not Place
l , nor thwestern, 14-28
l , Penn, 18-25
2008
Did not Place
l , Minnesota, 9-32
l , o hio state, 9-29
2009
1998 Mike Mason s am Kline a ngelo Zegarelli
Bob Patnesky
INDIVIDUAL WVU HONORS
Rookie of the Year
WVU Wrestling Hall Of Fame
West Virginia University Wrestling Hall of Fame was instituted in 1991 to recognize those athletes who have helped pioneer WVU athletics into one of the most respected programs in the nation. The initial group of inductees was selected from six different time periods; former athletes, coaches and administrators are eligible for selection 10 years following their association with WVU. The following people have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Mountaineer wrestling program.
Bubba s cheffel
1989-90 lewis guidi steve Harrick 1990-91 Kenny l indamood george nedeff 1991-92 s am Church roy sisler 1993-94 Mar k Cagle Bob Mendenhall 1994-95 robert Perry 1995-96 Dan Zottarelli 2019-20 gre g Jones Vertus Jones
EWL
Hall Of Fame
Mark Banks
Dominic Black
Whitey Chlebove s cott Collins
Vertus Jones greg Jones s am Kline
Mike Mason
Dean Morrison
Coaches nate Carr
MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS
TEAM RECORDS
Most Dual Wins in a Season: 14, 1990
Fewest Losses in a Season: 0, 1936
Most Losses in a Season: 16, 1977
Fewest Wins in a Season: 0, 1947 and 1948
Most Consecutive Wins in a Season: 10, 2002
Most Consecutive Home Wins in a Season: 10, (8 in 1990 and 2 in 1991)
Most Consecutive Wins to Start a Season: 7, three times; most recent 1990
Most Consecutive EWL Dual Wins in a Season: 19 (2001-04, ended with 13-25 loss at edinboro)
Most Consecutive Winning Seasons: 11 (1984-1994)
Most Individual Matches Without A Loss: greg Jones, 51, 2003-05
Most Consecutive Losses in a Season: 17, (5 in 1942, 4 in 1947); 7 in 1948 and 1 in 1949)
Highest National Ranking: 5th, interMat (2/18/03-3/04/03)
Home Attendance Record: 4,517 (2/18/18 vs. Clarion)
West Virginia did not have wrestling from 1943-46 due to World War II.
DEFEATED A RANKED OPPONENT AT HOME: 1/31/21 vs. no. 17 nor thern Colorado, 25-11 DEFEATED A RANKED OPPONENT ON THE ROAD: 01/08/23 vs. no. 21 Pitt, 24-11
SCORED 30 POINTS OR MORE ON THE ROAD: 12/10/23 vs. rV nor thern Colorado, 31-9
SCORED 40 POINTS OR MORE ON THE ROAD: 01/28/24 vs. Morgan state, 40-3
SCORED 50 POINTS OR MORE ON THE ROAD: 01/18/09 vs. Duquesne, 57-0
SHUTOUT AN OPPONENT: 12/19/23 vs. Fairmont state, 56-0
WAS SHUTOUT BY AN OPPONENT: 01/10/86 vs. iowa state (at Virginia Duals), 42-0
SOCON/EWL/BIG 12 TOURNAMENT HISTORY
SOCON CHAMPIONS
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
Don Kniffen (167)
Bob Boswell (285)
Bobby Perry (123)
Bobby Perry (123)
Bobby Perry (123)
lew guidi (130)
Bill Pritchard (137)
Bryce Kramer (157)
Bobby Perry (123)
Bryce Kramer (157)
Frank Craze (177)
lew guidi (130)
tom Westfall (123)
Mike McClintic (177)
tom Westfall (123)
Charles sherwood (167)
J. D. Miller (285)
a nd y s adie (147)
Charles sherwood (167)
J. D. Miller (285)
Phil Hoblitzell (167)
ray Bazzoli (285)
Mike Petres (130)
roy sialer (167)
sam Church (147)
tom rihn (167)
roy sisler (177)
Bill Meacci (130)
Jim Jioio (157)
Mark Biodolillo (167)
roy sisler (177)
Ken Woodeshick (285)
Jerry gooden (157)
Mike george (285)
Don Check (123)
Bill Maecci (137)
Bill Zimmerman (152)
John l uckini (177)
Ken Woodeshick (285)
Don Killen (130)
Jim stevens (137)
1968 gil reel (191)
EWL CHAMPIONS
1986
1988
1990
1991
1992
1993
Bill n ye (HW t )
Mike Carr (158)
Dirk Cole (150)
Mar k Banks (167)
Dominic Black (177)
Jeff spinetti (190)
s cott Collins (142)
Mar k Banks (167)
Dominic Black (190)
Dean Morrison (177)
Dean Morrison (177) 1994
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2012
Dorian Hager (134)
Dean Morrison (177)
Jason Frable (158)
Vertus Jones (167)
Mike Mason (150)
Vertus Jones (177)
s am K line (174)
Vertus Jones (184)
Vertus Jones (184)
Bob Patnesky (133)
Joe Carr (157)
Joe Carr (157)
tom McMath (165)
gre g Jones (174)
Billy smith (149)
gre g Jones (174)
gre g Jones (184)
Matt lebe (157)
gre g Jones (184)
Brandon rader (141)
Matt lebe (157)
Kur t Brenner (174)
Jared Villers (197)
Brandon rader (141)
Jared Villers (197)
Kurt Brenner (184)
Jared Villers (197)
Kurt Brenner (174)
Michael Morales (133)
Matt r yan (184)
Brandon Williamson (HW t )
EWL TOURNAMENT BESTS
TEAM FINISH: 1st, 1996, 2002, 2004
MOST POINTS: 123.5, 2003
MOST FINALISTS: 8, 1996 and 1999 CHAMPIONS: 4
1990 (Banks, Black, Cole and spinetti)
2006 (rader, lebe, Brenner and Villers)
EWL TOURNAMENT WINS
1. David Jauregui 13 20 06-09
2. greg Jones 12 20 02-05
3. Vertus Jones 11 19 97-00
4. Kurt Brenner 10 20 06-09
Joe Carr 10 19 99-02
s cott Collins 10 19 87-88, 1990-91
EWL DUAL-MEET
BIG 12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
NCAA TOURNAMENT WINS
1. greg Jones 17 (2002-05)
2. Vertus Jones 14 (1997-2000)
3. Peyton Hall 12 (2021-current)
4. Matt lebe 11 (2003-06)
Whitey Chlebove 11 (1995-96, 98-99)
5. Killian Cardinale 10 (2021-23)
s am Kline 10 (1997-99)
s cott Collins 10 (1988, 90-91)
NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
John Koss 4 (1994-97)
Dorian Hager 4 (1994, 1996-98)
Mike Mason 4 (1995-98)
Vertus Jones 4 (1997-2000)
a ngelo Zegarelli 4 (1997-2000)
Joe Carr 4 (1999-02)
shane Cunanan 4 (2000-03)
greg Jones 4 (2002-05)
Matt lebe 4 (2003-06)
Zac Fryling 4 (2004-05, 2007-08)
Jared Villers 4 (2005-08)
Kurt Brenner 4 (2006-09)
David Jauregui 4 (2006-09)
Donnie Jones 4 (2008-11)
Jacob a . smith* 4 (2015-18)
Peyton Hall 4 (2021-current)
Jim a kerly 3 (1986-88)
Jeff spinetti 3 (1988-90)
s cott Collins 3 (1988, 1990-91)
Dominic Black 3 (1989-91)
Dave onorato 3 (1990-92)
Dean Morrison 3 (1992-94)
Whitey Chlebove 3 (1996, 1998-99)
s am Kline 3 (1997-99)
Bob Patnesky 3 (1997-2000)
Billy smith 3 (2000, 2002-03)
Dustin rogers 3 (2007-09)
shane Young 3 (2010-12)
nathan Pennesi 3 (2011-13)
Bubba s cheffel 3 (2014-16)
Zeke Moisey* 3 (2015-18)
Killian Cardinale 3 (2021-23)
* Moisey and Smith withdrew from the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Championships, respectively, due to injury
NCAA TOURNAMENT BESTS
TEAM FINISH: 6th Place, 1991
MOST POINTS: 54 .00, 1999
MOST QUALIFIERS: 9, 20 03
INDIVIDUAL FINISH: 1st s cott Collins 1991; Dean Morrison 1994; gre g Jones 2002, 2004 and 2005
ALL-AMERICANS: 3
1991 (Mark Banks, Dominic Black, scott Collins);
1998 (Whitey Chlebove, Vertus Jones, Mike Mason); 1999 (Whitey Chlebove, Vertus Jones, sam Kline)
NCAA CHAMPIONS
1991 s cott Collins 142
1994 Dean Morrison 177
2002 greg Jones 174
2004 greg Jones 18 4
2005 greg Jones 18 4
NCAA ALL-AMERICANS
1929 Jimmie Cox t hird, 135
1955 robert Perry Fourth, 115 lewis guidi s econd, 123
1979 Mark Cagle eighth, 134
1987 Jim a kerly eighth, 150
1988 Mike Carr s eventh, 158
1990 Mark Banks Fifth, 167
1991 Mark Banks Fifth, 167
Dominic Black Fourth, 190 s cott Collins First, 142
1993 Doug taylor Fifth, 158
1994 Dean Morrison First, 177
1997 John Koss six th, 177
Mike Mason s eventh, 150
1998 Whitey Chlebove s eventh, 134
Vertus Jones s econd, 177
Mike Mason t hird, 150
1999 Whitey Chlebove six th, 141 Vertus Jones t hird, 184
s am Kline t hird, 174
2000 Vertus Jones s econd, 184
2002 greg Jones First, 174
2003 shane Cunanan six th, 141 Brandon l auer eighth, 133
2004 greg Jones First, 184
2005 Matt lebe s eventh, 157 greg Jones First, 184
2006 Brandon rader six th, 141
2007 Brandon rader six th, 141
2015 Zeke Moisey s econd, 125
2018 Zeke Moisey eighth, 125
2020 noah adams 197*
2021 Killian Cardinale s eventh, 125
2022 Peyton Hall eighth, 165
2023 Killian Cardinale eighth, 125
2024 ty Watters Fourth, 149
Peyton Hall s eventh, 165
* 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
TOP 25 FINISHES AT NCAA TOURNAMENT
1929 t-9th 2.0 0 points
1937 t-12th
*
%
s H ane YOUNG
D onnie JONES
J a K e SMITH
YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS
Year Coach Ca ptains Re cord
1921 r .B. Dayton s cotty Hough 3-3-0
1922 r .B. Dayton s cotty Hough 5-3-0
1923 r .B. Dayton a l Millender 6-2-0
1924
Denny Myers
“Ben s
1941 a lbert gwy nne robert Mc a rdle 1-5-0
1942 a lbert gwy nne simeon Hall 1- 6-0
1943 to 1946 no w restling due to World War II 1947 a lbert gwy nne Jim Mendenhall 0- 4-0
1948 steve Harrick Bob De a ntonis 0-7-0
1949 steve Harrick Bob De a ntonis 4-3-0
1950 steve Harrick Bob De a ntonis 7-1-0
1951 steve Harrick gene Brewer 3-5 -0
1952 steve Harrick Bob Boswell 7-2-0
1953 steve Harrick Don strimble 6-2-0
1954 steve Harrick Bob Perry 5- 4-0
1955 steve Harrick Bob Perry 4-2-0
1956 steve Harrick l ewis guidi 1- 6-1
1957 steve Harrick tom Westfall 5- 6-0
1958 steve Harrick tom Westfall 6- 4-0
1959 steve Harrick tom Westfall 9-2-0
1960 steve Harrick Charles sherwood 9-2-0
1961 steve Harrick Paul Hoblitzell 9-3-0
1962 steve Harrick roy sisler 7-3-1
1963 steve Harrick george nedeff 10 -3
1964 steve Harrick roy sisler 11-3
1965 steve Harrick Jim Jioio 9-3-1
1966 steve Harrick Don Check, Francis Pavlovich 4- 8-0
1967 steve Harrick Bill Zimmerman, a ngelo gianni 9-3-0
1968 george nedeff a ngelo gianni, Don Killen 8-3-1
1969 george nedeff Jeff Flickenger 9-3-0
1970 george nedeff Dave McCandles 4- 6-0
1971 george nedeff Bob Vettorel, steve orlosky 11-4-1
1972 george nedeff Bob Vettorel, roger l amens 10 -5-0
1973 george nedeff Bob Vettorel 8-7-0
1974 george nedeff gar rett Breakiron, tom oleszewski 7-7-1
1975 Fred l ie chti tom oleszewski 9-5-0
1976 Fred l ie chti rick Pennesi, Pat l upinetti 14 -5-0
1977 Fred l ie chti Mark Durham, Chuck Fordyce 3-17-0
1978 Fred l ie chti Mark Durham 7-9-0
1979 Craig tur nbull Mark Cagle, Cliff Boone 9- 4-29
1980 Craig tur nbull Mark Cagle, nick ruland 6-10-1
1981 Craig tur nbull Mark Cagle 12-10-0
1982 Craig tur nbull nick ruland, Don tasser 10 -9-0
1983 Craig tur nbull Kurt a nderson, Mike levanduski 6-9-0
Year Coach Ca ptains Re cord 1984 Craig tur nbull r .J. Costello, Mike l evanduski 8- 8-0 1985 Craig tur nbull r .J. Costello, Mike l evanduski 13 -3-0 1986 Craig tur nbull Bill
SERIES RECORDS
ALL-TIME SCORES 1921-2023
1921 (3-3)
» R.B. Dayton
W ohio state 8-21 l lehigh
l Penn
W Virginia
W Carnegie tech
l navy
1922 (5-3)
» R.B. Dayton
W ohio state
W Virginia
W ohio
1923 (6-2)
»
l iowa state
1924 (2-1)
» Steve Harrick 25-0 W Western Maryland
1925 (4-3)
»
W VMi
1926 (3-1)
» Steve Harrick 19-6 W illinois
1927 (2-4)
» Steve Harrick 35-0 W ohio Wesleyan 3-24 l illinois 5-24 l oklahoma a&M 9-20 l ohio 29-0 W notre Dame 6-19 l navy
1928 (2-4)
» Steve Harrick 9-14 l indiana
4.5-18.5 l Michigan 0-25 l illinois 0-27 l oklahoma a&M 35-0 W Western Maryland 21-8 W navy
1929 (3-3)
» Steve Harrick
28-5 W Waynesburg 14-12 W Michigan 17-11 W ohio state 5-25 l oklahoma a&M 8-24 l illinois 8-17 l navy T-9th at NCAA Championships
1930 (5-3)
» Steve Harrick
24-10 W Waynesburg
6-22 l ohio state
24-6 W Marshall
24-6 W Western reserve
18-11 W ohio 28-10 W Waynesburg
0-28 l navy 3-31 l oklahoma a&M
1931 (4-5)
» Steve Harrick
32-0 W Waynesburg 29-3 W Waynesburg 5-27 l Michigan 13-19 l indiana 5-27 l Penn state 15-23 l northwestern 3-33 l navy 22-8 W ohio 22-10 W Western reserve
1932 (5-3-1)
» Steve Harrick
18-18 t Waynesburg
30-0 W Waynesburg
18-8 W army
15-9 W ohio state
0-30 l indiana
10-20 l Penn state
6-22 l Michigan 17-11 W Western reserve
38-0 W Washington & Jefferson
1933 (6-2)
» Denny Myers
32-0 W Waynesburg
29-3 W Waynesburg 15-9 W ohio state 6-18 l Penn state
32-0 W Washington & Jefferson
16.5-11.5 W Chicago 25-5 W temple 12-18 l navy
1934 (4-2-1)
» Denny Myers 22-6 W Waynesburg 30-0 W Waynesburg 3-25 l illinois 16-16 t temple
W Pitt
W Washington & Jefferson 1.5-26.5 l ohio state
1935 (5-3)
» Albert Gwynne 21-13 W Waynesburg 22-6 W Pitt 3-33 l ohio state 24-8 W Waynesburg 8-22 l Michigan 6-26 l Franklin & Marshall 22-8 W temple 24-8 W Washington & Jefferson
1936 (7-0)
» Albert Gwynne 17-13 W Waynesburg 18-16 W temple 14-11 W ohio
26.5-1.5 W Waynesburg 15-11 W ohio 34-0 W Washington & Jefferson 36-0 W Pitt
1937 (4-4)
» Albert Gwynne
1938 (5-3)
» Albert Gwynne 17-13 W Waynesburg
4.5-21.5 l ohio state 15.5-10.5 W Case 7.5-20.5 l Waynesburg 6-26 l Kansas state 22-10 W temple 18-14 W Washington & Jefferson 34.5-1.5 W Pitt
1939 (1-4)
» Albert Gwynne 11-17 l temple 8-20 l Michigan state 3-29 l ohio state 26-6 W Washington & Jefferson 9-15 l Case
1940 (2-4)
» Albert Gwynne 8-28 l Washington & lee 12.5-18.5 l Findlay 5-25 l Michigan state 33-5 W Washington & Jefferson 15-21 l temple 17-11 W Case
1941 (1-5)
» Albert Gwynne 8-26 l Washington & lee 5-35 l navy 8-26 l Kent state 16-20 l temple 23-11 W Waynesburg 10-22 l Case
1942 (1-6)
» Albert Gwynne 0-32 l ohio state 21-8 W temple 3-29 l Penn state 3-27 l Waynesburg 3-23 l Case 5-23 l Waynesburg 0-34 l navy
1943-1946
» No wrestling (WWII)
1947 (0-4)
» Albert Gwynne 0-38 l Waynesburg 6-28 l Case 6-24 l Washington & lee 6-26 l Waynesburg
»
1954 (5-4)
»
1949 (4-3)
»
1955 (4-2)
»
»
1956 (1-6-1)
»
1951 (3-5)
»
1957 (5-6)
» Steve Harrick 8-26 l indiana, Pa. 3-29 l VMi 22-10 W Baltimore
W Fairmont state
l Kent state
W Hiram 3-31 l Virginia tech
l Franklin & Marshall 17-15 W Washington & lee 26-6 W Fairmont state 0-30 l shippensburg 4th at Southern Conference Championships
1958 (6-4)
» Steve Harrick
32-0 W Fairmont state 13-15 l indiana, Pa. 14-11 W shippensburg 15-19 l Baltimore 11-16 l northern illinois 20-8 W VMi 25-3 W Washington & lee
26-5 W the Citadel 9-19 l Kent state 22-6 W Fairmont state 2nd at Southern Conference Championships
1959 (9-2)
» Steve Harrick 25-3 W Fairmont state 27-3 W indiana, Pa. 15-13 W rochester tech. 10-18 l Bowling green
30-0 W Hiram 23-11 W California, Pa. 18-8 W VMi 19-8 W north Carolina 22-8 W Washington & lee 11-15 l Kent state 27-3 W Fairmont state 1st at Southern Conference Championships
1960 (9-2)
» Steve Harrick
Pa.
1963 (10-3
»
1964 (11-3)
»
& lee 9-21 l ohio state
W north Carolina 3rd at Southern Conference Championships
1961 (9-3)
» Steve Harrick 18-8 W a Baltimore 21-9 W H indiana, Pa. 4-39 l H Penn state 19-13 W a California, Pa.
1965 (9-3-1)
»
1962 (7-3-1)
»
1966 (4-8)
»
1967 (9-3)
» Steve Harrick
17-14 W Washington & Jefferson
17-16 W indiana, Pa.
11-24 l California, Pa.
30-5 W Virginia
20-17 W VMi
3-34 l Bowling green
30-8 W east Carolina
32-3 W William and Mary
32-3 W Wilmington
37-0 W Fairmont state
12-26 l ohio
29-12 W West liberty 2nd at Southern Conference Championships
1968 (8-3-1)
» George Nedeff
31-8 W Washington & Jefferson
22-9 W indiana, Pa.
40-0 W Washington & lee
24-11 W California, Pa.
24-15 W VMi
11-22 l Bowling green
36-10 W West liberty
5-26 l ohio
25-11 W Virginia
15-15 t William & Mary
15-19 l Fairmont state
20-19 W north Carolina
4th at Southern Conference Championships
1969 (9-3)
» George Nedeff
53-79 l a Waynesburg
53-48 W n Juniata
53-38 W n akron
15-13 W H indiana, Pa.
9-20 l a ohio northern
28-3 W a north Carolina
34-10 W H West liberty
24-6 W a VMi
25-6 W H saint Vincent
22-9 W H Fairmont state
8-23 l a California, Pa.
23-11 W H saint Francis, Pa.
1970 (4-6)
» George Nedeff
15-20 l a indiana, Pa.
8-32 l H Pitt
7-27 l H ohio northern
24-14 W n Cincinnati
25-8 W a West liberty
11-24 l H slippery rock
27-12 W a saint Vincent
8-20 l a Fairmont state
7-29 l H California, Pa.
26-14 W a saint Francis, Pa.
1971 (11-4-1)
» George Nedeff
15-15 t a Waynesburg
9-21 l n eastern Michigan
22-12 W n Howard
25-10 W H indiana, Pa.
28-5 W H Duquesne
29-5 W H saint Vincent
21-11 W a West liberty
37-2 W a Washington & Jefferson
21-14 W a ohio northern
24-13 W H West liberty
9-27 l a slippery rock
26-14 W H Fairmont state
29-8 W H Morehead state
14-24 l a Pitt
2-37 l a California, Pa.
22-14 W a saint Francis, Pa.
1972 (10-5)
» George Nedeff
23-14 W a indiana, Pa.
30-9 W a Howard
23-14 W a Waynesburg
26-8 W a indiana
42-6 W H saint Vincent
32-12 W H Duquesne
33-9 W H Washington & Jefferson
5-36 l H Pitt
22-16 W H Fairmont state
38-6 W H ohio northern
19-28 l a West liberty
8-39 l a Fairmont state
21-15 W a Morehead state
5-33 l H slippery rock
11-25 l H California, Pa.
1973 (8-7)
» George Nedeff
18-21 l a Delaware
23-17 W a Duquesne
9-30 l a Waynesburg
20-17 W H indiana, Pa.
31-7 W H saint Vincent
18-20 l H Duquesne
36-6 W H Frostburg
24-18 W H towson state
6-33 l a Pitt
49-0 W H Frostburg
22-18 W H West liberty
18-19 l a California, Pa.
48-0 W a george Washington 12-37 l a slippery rock
17-20 l H Fairmont state
1974 (7-7-1)
» George Nedeff
38-11 W a Howard
38-11 W a Malone
11-23 l a Waynesburg
15-30 l a indiana, Pa.
38-0 W H Frostburg
43-2 W H Duquesne
14-20 l H West liberty
27-12 W H California, Pa.
20-14 W a towson state
19-17 W a Morgan state
3-39 l H Pitt
20-20 t H Marshall
12-21 l a West liberty
3-43 l H slippery rock
14-26 l a Fairmont state
1975 (9-5)
» Fred Liechti
24-18 W H indiana, Pa.
43-4 W a Malone
28-6 W a glenville state
12-27 W a Waynesburg
33-15 W H Morgan state
15-21 l H towson state
11-23 l H Fairmont state
0-42 l a Pitt
19-14 W a Marshall
20-24 l H West liberty
29-12 W a Pitt-Johnstown
5-36 l a slippery rock
27-16 W a California, Pa.
45-0 W a Frostburg
1976 (14-5)
» Fred Liechti
18-21 l a indiana, Pa.
42-9 W n Howard
39-3 W n Malone
26-14 W a Waynesburg
47-6 W n anderson
24-18 W n northern Kentucky
25-16 W a Morehead state
8-30 l H ohio state
23-17 W n towson state
42-2 W a Morgan state
11-20 l n Fairmont state
30-11 W a Washington & Jefferson
24-13 W H Marshall
49-0 W H alderson-Broaddus
6-33 l H slippery rock
20-19 W H California, Pa. 11-25 l H Pitt
33-10 W n Youngstown state
24-13 W a West liberty
1977 (3-17)
» Fred Liechti
19-30 l H indiana, Pa.
8-26 l H akron
14-22 l a Waynesburg
32-17 W n Pitt-Johnstown
25-19 W H Baltimore
12-25 l H gettysburg
7-30 l H edinboro
21-27 l a Cincinnati
2-47 l a Fairmont state
15-30 l a California, Pa.
11-27 l a Marshall
2-39 l a slippery rock
12-33 l H george Mason
41-3 W H Howard
6-34 l H Franklin & Marshall
5-35 l H temple
6-31 l a Youngstown state
2-43 l H Maryland
15-33 l a Pitt
11-34 l a West liberty
1978 (7-9)
» Fred Liechti
20-29 l a indiana, Pa.
40-9 W a Waynesburg
47-5 W n Howard
51-2 W n Malone
46-2 W n Catonsville
24-25 l n edinboro
16-18 l n gettysburg
39-8 W n Cincinnati
20-18 W H California, Pa.
12-36 l H slippery rock
29-12 W H Marshall
9-34 l H Princeton
6-34 l H William and Mary 15-21 l H lycoming
13-29 l a Maryland
3-42 l a Pitt
7th at EWL Championships - WVU’s first year in the EWL
1979 (9-4-2)
» Craig Turnbull
35-8 W H indiana, Pa.
36-6 W n Marietta
26-12 W a Waynesburg
31-11 W n Muskingum
42-9 W H george Mason
20-20 t H ohio
28-10 W H akron
6-32 l a Bloomsburg 17-16 W a California, Pa.
27-15 W H Maryland
4-36 l a Clarion state
37-11 W a Marshall
12-30 l H Cleveland state
12-20 l a lock Haven
21-21 t a Pitt
5th at EWL Championships
5th at Eastern Athletic Association Tournament
42nd at NCAA Championships
1980 (6-10-1)
» Craig Turnbull
21-23 l a indiana, Pa.
28-3 W H California, Pa.
6-35 l a Penn state
15-30 l n navy
39-9 W n akron
21-13 W n illinois
13-29 l a ohio
41-10 W H West liberty
36-3 W H Marshall
17-17 t H shippensburg
9-28 l H Clarion
11-28 l H Bloomsburg
17-21 l H lock Haven
28-11 W H Pitt
12-30 l a Maryland
11-35 l a nebraska
9-31 l a Cleveland state
7th at EWL Championships T-66th at NCAA Championships
1981 (12-10)
» Craig Turnbull
44-3 W H indiana, Pa.
25-17 W H Waynesburg
18-23 l H nebraska
12-24 l n ohio
20-19 W n Youngstown state
43-6 W n Cincinnati
25-22 W a California, Pa.
35-6 W a east stroudsburg
16-24 l a lock Haven
13-28 l n trenton state
8-33 l a Clarion
32-6 W n southern Connecticut
23-21 W n rutgers
6-32 l n navy
25-16 W a shippensburg
22-15 W a Pitt
19-25 l H Bloomsburg
13-33 l H Penn state
10-34 l a Kentucky
31-15 W a Marshall
23-20 W H Maryland
15-24 l H Cleveland state 5th at EWL Championships
1982 (10-9)
» Craig Turnbull
42-3 W a indiana, Pa.
31-6 W a Waynesburg
17-27 l H Clarion
6-37 l H Kentucky
12-30 l H northern iowa
31-9 W H ohio
13-23 l a Maryland
14-30 l a navy
41-5 W H shippensburg
23-15 W a Millersville
23-12 W H California, Pa.
8-40 l H lock Haven
20-19 W H Pitt
3-38 l n Bloomsburg
33-12 W n Kutztown
36-12 W n east stroudsburg
35-13 W H Marshall
6-34 l a Penn state
13-23 l a Cleveland state 8th at EWL Championships
1983 (6-9)
» Craig Turnbull
19-18 W a Kentucky 17-23 l a Clarion
40-6 W H Waynesburg
12-23 l a Pitt
28-15 W H shippensburg
20-19 W H Millersville
17-22 l a California, Pa.
10-31 l a lock Haven
13-29 l H Maryland
20-19 W H Bloomsburg
3-39 l H navy
16-22 l a ohio
6-46 l H Penn state
27-22 W H West liberty
11-36 l H Cleveland state 7th at EWL Championships
1984 (8-8)
» Craig Turnbull
30-15 W a Waynesburg
10-21 l H Clarion
17-20 l H arizona state
21-18 W H Pitt
19-18 W a shippensburg
39-9 W a Millersville
60-0 W H ohio
18-20 l a Maryland
11-33 l a navy
30-11 W a indiana, Pa.
9-33 l a Bloomsburg
49-0 W H California, Pa.
12-27 l a lock Haven
9-34 l a Penn state
39-4 W a West liberty
17-32 l a Cleveland state 7th at EWL Championships
1985 (13-3)
» Craig Turnbull
27-16 W a edinboro
38-6 W H Waynesburg
15-28 l a Clarion
19-15 W a Pitt
35-7 W n old Dominion
20-24 l n iowa state
26-16 W n appalachian state
32-3 W H shippensburg
36-9 W H Maryland
47-3 W a California, Pa.
20-13 W H navy
21-19 W H lock Haven
20-24 l H Penn state
39-7 W H West liberty
32-9 W a Cleveland state
40-7 W H ohio 5th at eWl Championships 43rd at NCAA Championships
1986 (12-7)
» Craig Turnbull
42-6 W a Waynesburg
12-30 l H Clarion
13-25 l H Pitt
38-6 W n old Dominion
0-42 l n iowa state
28-15 W n indiana
34-11 W n Virginia
16-23 l n northern iowa
30-15 W n oklahoma
25-17 W a ohio
36-6 W a shippensburg
19-20 l a navy
54-2 W H California, Pa. 21-19 W H Bloomsburg
16-23 l a lock Haven
9-32 l a Penn state
36-9 W H West liberty
27-15 W H Cleveland state
23-20 W a Maryland 7th at EWL Championships
1987 (10-6)
» Craig Turnbull
39-9 W H Waynesburg
14-21 l a Clarion
18-15 W n ohio state
15-20 l n Wisconsin
34-9 W n oregon
13-23 l H arizona state
48-0 W H shippensburg
23-11 W H Maryland
41-5 W H ohio
41-7 W a California, Pa.
15-19 l a Bloomsburg 21-19 W H lock Haven
13-31 l H Penn state
31-11 W a West liberty
19-18 W a Cleveland state
16-22 l a Pitt
7th at EWL Championships 40th at NCAA Championships
1988 (10-7)
» Craig Turnbull
29-11 W a Waynesburg
20-15 W H Clarion
7-33 l n edinboro
22-15 W n Maryland
17-14 W n syracuse
26-14 W n Clarion
10-25 l a ohio state
38-11 W H California, Pa.
12-22 l a navy
21-15 W H Pitt-Johnstown
26-9 W a ohio
13-24 l H Bloomsburg
17-24 l a lock Haven
16-24 l a Penn state
15-20 l H Cleveland state
44-6 W H West liberty
25-11 W H Pitt
7th at EWL Championships T-22nd at NCAA Championships
1989 (7-7)
» Craig Turnbull
44-2 W H Waynesburg
13-25 l a Clarion
6-34 l n arizona state
35-12 W n ohio
34-7 W a California, Pa.
25-12 W a Pitt-Johnstown
26-15 W H navy
16-19 l a Bloomsburg
14-22 l H edinboro
12-29 l H lock Haven
9-26 l H Penn state
14-18 l a Cleveland state
28-6 W a West liberty
19-17 W a Pitt
8th at EWL Championships T-54th at NCAA Championships
1990 (14-1)
» Craig Turnbull
52-3 W a Waynesburg
26-13 W H Clarion
43-0 W H Boise state
27-8 W a ohio
34-3 W H California, Pa.
39-4 W H Pitt-Johnstown
19-12 W n navy
17-25 l n arizona state
22-11 W H Bloomsburg
25-13 W a lock Haven
20-13 W H Penn state
31-12 W H West liberty
35-2 W H Cleveland state
29-3 W H Pitt
24-10 W a edinboro
2nd at EWL Championships 18th at NCAA Championships
1991 (11-5)
» Craig Turnbull
23-9 W a Clarion
21-14 W n indiana*
19-21 l n nebraska*
35-5 W n northwestern*
16-23 l n northern iowa*
15-20 l n north Carolina*
33-9 W H California, Pa.
53-0 W a Pitt-Johnstown
16-18 l a navy
40-2 W H ohio
32-7 W a Bloomsburg
18-21 l H lock Haven
23-17 W H Penn state
24-15 W a Cleveland state
32-9 W a Pitt
34-10 W H edinboro
1st at EWL Championships 6th at NCAA Championships * NWCA National Duals
1992 (7-6)
» Craig Turnbull
20-13 W H Clarion
17-13 W a lock Haven
28-13 W H Pitt-Johnstown
28-11 W a California, Pa.
18-16 W a ohio
16-19 l H navy
12-28 l a Penn state
23-21 W H Bloomsburg
9-39 l n Wisconsin
18-25 l n augsburg
15-21 l H Cleveland state
20-16 W a edinboro
14-23 l H Pitt
4th at EWL Championships 41st at NCAA Championships
1993 (7-5)
» Craig Turnbull
22-17 W n ohio state
32-15 W a Clarion
35-11 W H California, Pa.
28-11 W H ohio
10-21 l a navy
12-21 l a Bloomsburg
19-16 W H lock Haven
12-19 l H army
28-18 W a Cleveland state
21-14 W H edinboro
6-27 l a Pitt
16-25 l H Penn state
3rd at EWL Championships 25th at NCAA Championships
1994 (6-4)
» Craig Turnbull 9-25 l H Clarion
22-10 W H navy
32-6 W H Bloomsburg
13-22 l n Boston university
15-22 l n iowa state
21-12 W a lock Haven
36-4 W H Cleveland state
15-19 l a edinboro
32-3 W H Pitt
22-16 W a Penn state
3rd at EWL Championships 14th at NCAA Championships
1995 (4-6)
» Craig Turnbull
13-25 l a Clarion
15-27 l H iowa state
9-24 l a navy
31-11 W a Bloomsburg
21-20 W a ohio
7-28 l H lock Haven
23-15 W a Cleveland state
15-23 l H edinboro
10-26 l a Pitt
18-14 W H Penn state
5th at EWL Championships T-39th at NCAA Championships
1996 (7-5-1)
» Craig Turnbull
33-3 W H ohio
10-24 l H nebraska
25-10 W H Bloomsburg
19-19 t H Clarion
15-28 l n oklahoma state
15-22 l n Pitt
30-9 W n Duquesne
42-12 W n Franklin & Marshall
17-20 l a lock Haven
30-6 W H Cleveland state
25-15 W a edinboro
19-13 W H Pitt
16-20 l a Penn state
1st at EWL Championships 26th at NCAA Championships
1997 (4-6)
» Craig Turnbull
12-25 l a nebraska
22-15 W a ohio state
25-14 W a Clarion
15-22 l H navy
16-23 l a Bloomsburg
19-18 W H lock Haven
42-3 W a Cleveland state
13-27 l H edinboro
17-18 l a Pitt
16-22 l H ohio
4th at EWL Championships 27th at NCAA Championships
1998 (11-3-1)
» Craig Turnbull
19-19 t H Clarion
30-19 W H Bloomsburg
28-10 W n Michigan*
3-33 l n Minnesota*
20-19 W n Penn*
20-16 W n arizona state*
13-25 l n Penn state*
8-36 l n nebraska*
26-12 W a lock Haven
18-13 W H Penn state
42-10 W H Duquesne
48-0 W H Cleveland state
18-14 W H Pitt
30-6 W a ohio
25-14 W a edinboro
2nd at EWL Championships T-7th at NCAA Championships
* National Duals
1999 (7-4)
» Craig Turnbull
22-12 W a Clarion
32-7 W a Bloomsburg
10-31 l n oklahoma state
17-20 L N CSU Bakersfield
20-12 W H lock Haven
33-9 W a Cleveland state
41-6 W H Virginia tech 10-21 l a Pitt
41-3 W a Duquesne 13-19 l H edinboro
31-7 W H ohio
2nd at EWL Championships 9th at NCAA Championships
2000 (6-4-1)
» Craig Turnbull
35-8 W H Clarion
19-19 t H Bloomsburg
24-15 W a lock Haven
20-23 l n Penn*
29-9 W n rider*
6-35 l n nebraska*
28-13 W n Virginia tech^
30-6 W H Cleveland state
14-20 l H Pitt
9-25 l a edinboro
23-13 W a ohio
2nd at EWL Championships 22nd at NCAA Championships
* National Duals ^ Grundy, Va.
2001 (4-9)
» Craig Turnbull
10-27 l a Clarion
22-10 W H Penn state
8-38 l n indiana& 19-16 W n Buffalo& 22-21 W n Kent state& 9-28 l n Wisconsin& 7-34 l a Bloomsburg
24-23 W H Virginia tech
12-33 l H lock Haven
9-27 l H ohio
12-28 l a Pitt
6-38 l H edinboro
19-22 l H Cleveland state
8th at EWL Championships T-48th at NCAA Championships & Virginia Duals
2002 (12-2)
» Craig Turnbull
16-24 l a iowa state
23-12 W H Clarion
23-15 W a Penn state
13-26 l a ohio state
36-7 W H Bloomsburg
31-21 W H nebraska
44-3 W H Virginia
26-6 W H Buffalo
19-12 W H lock Haven
29-9 W a Virginia tech
32-2 W H Pitt
23-15 W a ohio
19-14 W a Cleveland state
31-3 W a edinboro
1st at EWL Championships 13th at NCAA Championships
2003 (9-3)
» Craig Turnbull
22-14 W H iowa state
14-21 l H ohio state
34-0 W a Bloomsburg
18-20 l n oklahoma*
15-20 l n Minnesota*
22-14 W a Clarion
31-8 W a lock Haven
36-12 W H Virginia tech
29-8 W a Pitt
23-9 W H ohio
19-14 W H edinboro
25-16 W H Cleveland state
2nd at EWL Championships 17th at NCAA Championships
* National Duals
2004 (9-5)
» Craig Turnbull
22-14 W n stanford
15-22 l n Missouri
13-24 l H Penn state
32-7 W H Bloomsburg
16-29 l n Michigan*
21-16 W H Cleveland state*
18-21 l n Penn*
25-15 W H Clarion
21-13 W H Pitt
39-13 W a Virginia tech
29-10 W H lock Haven
23-22 W a ohio
13-25 l a edinboro
27-12 W a Cleveland state
T-1st at EWL Championships
T-16th at NCAA Championships
* National Duals
2005 (5-6-1)
» Craig Turnbull
15-20 l a nebraska
12-34 l a Penn state
22-16 W a Bloomsburg
43-0 W a Clarion
6-34 l n illinois
16-24 l n Penn state
18-23 l H Hofstra
23-15 W a Pitt
25-15 W H ohio
19-21 l a lock Haven
20-20 t H edinboro
27-13 W H Cleveland state
4th at EWL Championships 18th at NCAA Championships
2006 (6-6)
» Craig Turnbull
16-29 l H Missouri
14-28 l a Hofstra
21-18 W n rider*
15-17 l n ohio state*
16-20 l n Columbia*
22-14 W H Bloomsburg
37-6 W H Clarion
20-13 W H Pitt
16-18 l a ohio
25-16 W H lock Haven
5-40 l a edinboro
24-12 W a Cleveland state
2nd at EWL Championships 27th at NCAA Championships *Virginia Duals
2007 (5-5)
» Craig Turnbull
37-7 W H Duquesne
14-28 l n northwestern*
18-25 l n Penn*
15-22 l a Bloomsburg
38-6 W a Clarion
18-16 W a Pitt
16-22 l H ohio
25-11 W a lock Haven
16-21 l H edinboro
38-6 W H Cleveland state
2nd at EWL Championships 28th at NCAA Championships * NWCA National Duals
2008 (8-5-0)
» Craig Turnbull
37-3 W n sacred Heart @
9-24 l n iowa state @
27-12 W a Cal state Fullerton
24-12 W a Cal Poly
9-32 l n Minnesota*
9-29 l n ohio state*
35-3 W H Clarion
21-12 W H Bloomsburg
30-6 W H lock Haven
17-18 l H Pitt
28-13 W a ohio
16-21 l a edinboro
32-2 W a Cleveland state
3rd at EWL Championships 31st at NCAA Championships @ Sprawl & Brawl Meet (Vestal, N.Y.)
* NWCA National Duals
2009 (8-4-2)
» Craig Turnbull
22-15 W n Columbia *
21-11 W n north Carolina *
10-27 l a Penn state
3-35 l H lehigh
19-26 l H illinois
15-25 l H Michigan state
57-0 W a Duquesne
19-16 W a Bloomsburg
22-14 W a Clarion
20-16 W a lock Haven
15-15 t a Pitt
37-9 W H ohio
41-0 W H Cleveland state
19-19 t H edinboro
2nd at EWL Championships 47th at NCAA Championships * Sprawl & Brawl Meet (Vestal, N.Y.)
2010 (3-10-0)
» Craig Turnbull
18-19 l n Wyoming *
15-23 l n illinois * 12-33 l H Penn state
9-29 l H indiana
9-24 l a Michigan state
3-39 l a lehigh
14-20 l H Clarion
21-18 W H Bloomsburg
32-12 W H lock Haven
15-19 l H Pitt
15-27 l a ohio
34-11 W a Cleveland state ^ 6-29 l a edinboro
5th at EWL Championships T-47th at NCAA Championships
* Sprawl & Brawl Meet (Vestal, N.Y.)
^ Saint Clairsville, Ohio
2011 (9-6-0
» Craig Turnbull
24-12 W n liberty*
13-27 l a Maryland*
38-3 W n Johns Hopkins
41-0 W n sacred Heart^
14-25 l n rutgers^
3-40 l n Penn state^
18-15 W a illinois
18-21 l H Michigan state
19-12 W a Bloomsburg
39-4 W a Clarion
33-5 W a lock Haven
14-21 l a Pitt
24-13 W H ohio
15-22 l H edinboro
46-0 W H Cleveland state
2nd at EWL Championships 51st at NCAA Championships
* Terrapin Duals (College Park, Md.)
^ Sprawl & Brawl (Vestal, N.Y.)
2012 (9-4-0)
» Craig Turnbull
48-0 W n Johns Hopkins*
41-0 W n Franklin & Marshall* 6-34 l a Penn state
15-22 l H Maryland
23-12 W a Michigan state
10-25 l H Bloomsburg
23-20 W H Clarion
28-12 W H lock Haven
21-18 W a rutgers
12-26 l H Pitt
36-3 W a ohio
18-17 W a edinboro
36-6 W a Cleveland state
3rd at EWL Championships 43rd at NCAA Championships
* Terrapin Duals (College Park, Md.
2013 (2-13-0)
» Craig Turnbull
43-0 W n Johns Hopkins*
10-24 l a Maryland*
3-44 l H Penn state
15-19 l a lock Haven
3-36 l a oklahoma state
14-25 l a oklahoma
10-26 l H rutgers
3-30 l H iowa state
9-31 l a Pitt
9-29 l H ohio
9-29 l H edinboro
18-15 W a Clarion
0-57 l a oklahoma state#
9-33 l n oklahoma#
3-45 l n iowa state#
4th at Big 12 Championship
T-63rd at NCAA Championships
* Terrapin Duals (College Park, Md.)
# Big 12 Duals
2014 (11-7-0)
» Craig Turnbull
24-14 W n gardner-Webb #
46-0 W n anderson #
41-6 l a Virginia #
34-6 W n Midland
22-12 l a iowa state*
25-8 W n Drexel !
38-3 W n VMi !
27-3 W n siue ! 22-21 W a indiana !
35-4 W n northern Colorado ! 18-12 W H lock Haven
30-6 l H oklahoma state*
33-6 l H Pitt
19-15 l H oklahoma*
45-0 W H Davidson
28-7 W H Clarion
26-19 l a ohio
29-6 l a edinboro
4th at Big 12 Championship
T-61st at NCAA Championships #UVA Duals
! Hoosier Duals
*Big 12 Conference
2015 (9-9-0)
» Sammie Henson
13-19 l H arizona state
17-18 l n northern illinois !
16-19 l n rutgers !
9-26 l n # 3 Cornell !
23-12 W a lock Haven
42-0 W a grand Canyon
22-12 W a arizona state
2017 (4-13)
» Sammie Henson
17-29 l H Campbell ^ 11-25 l H ohio^
6-42 l a # 7 nebraska
15-23 l a # 23 Pitt
4-36 l n # 6 Virginia tech
18-19 l a Cal Poly
18-19 L A CSU Bakersfield
2020 (4-12)
» Tim Flynn
10-31 l a northern Colorado*
4-35 l a # 24 army
6-29 l H # 10 Pitt
11-24 l H Buffalo
13-20 l n ohio
2023 (10-5)
» Tim Flynn
37-9 W H glenville state ^
40-3 W H edinboro ^ 25-15 W H northern Colorado* ^ 38-3 l a # 4 Missouri*
48-6 W H Fairmont state
28-9 W H ohio 24-11 W a # 21 Pitt
21-19 W n Chattanooga ^ 16-21
22-20 W n Binghamton%
l n # 14 edinboro ^
19-15 W n # 25 Bucknell ^ 21-10 W n arizona state ^
3-35 l a # 8 oklahoma state *
13-25 l a oklahoma *
26-9 W W Clarion
7-29 l H # 8 iowa state
19-16 W H ohio
9-25 l H # 14 edinboro
24-14 W a # 18 Pitt
4th at Big 12 Championship
20th at NCAA Championships
! Journeymen/Asics Northeast Duals
^ Virginia Duals
* Big 12 Conference
2016 (8-10)
» Sammie Henson
26-7 W H Drexel ^
26-14 W H Campbell ^ 22-14 W H arizona state^ 12-21 l n # 3 Michigan % 19-13 W n Buffalo %
9-23 l n # 20 oregon state %
30-3 W H lock Haven
3-38 l H # 5 oklahoma state*
11-23 l H # 9 oklahoma*
17-18 l a arizona state
15-20 l a stanford
3-32 l a # 10 Virginia tech
9-24 l H # 3 nC state
18-12 W H # 17 Pitt
15-18 l a # 24 south Dakota state*
11-28 l a # 16 iowa state*
30-6 W H Clarion
18-14 W a edinboro
6th at Big 12 Championship
47th at NCAA Championships
^ Mountaineer Quad
% Jorneymen/Asics Northeast Duals
* Big 12 Conference
6-28 l n rider%
32-9 W n Harvard%
3-38 l a # 1 oklahoma state*
6-37 l a # 14 oklahoma*
9-30 l a # 8 n.C. state
9-32 l H # 16 south Dakota state*
22-20 W H iowa state*
10-27 l H edinboro
22-10 W a Clarion
7th at Big 12 Championship T-57th at NCAA Championships ^ Mountaineer Quad
% Pitt Duals
* Big 12 Conference
2018 (6-7)
» Sammie Henson
9-24 l n utah Valley* ^
13-28 l H # 13 nebraska
24-10 W H # 25 Pitt
6-30 l a # 10 Virginia tech
24-12 W H # 18 oklahoma*
19-12 W H # 25 north Dakota state*
6-29 l a # 5 oklahoma state*
17-25 l a iowa state*
19-18 W a air Force*
24-16 W a northern Colorado*
9-24 l H # 12 south Dakota state*
15-21 l a edinboro
25-13 W H Clarion
9th at Big 12 Championship 30th at NCAA Championships ^ Clarion, Pa. * Big 12 Conference
2019 (4-14)
» Tim Flynn
22-14 W H northern Colorado*
15-20 l a # 9 Cornell
19-27 l H # 14 northern iowa*
3-37 l a # 24 Pitt
9-24 l H no.14 Virginia tech
13-26 l n Virginia^ 16-23 l n Michigan state^
19-17 W n # 20 north Dakota state*^
20-23 l n # 13 Purdue^
17-26 l a oklahoma
10-26 l a # 9 nC state
3-40 l H # 3 oklahoma state*
3-36 l H # 16 iowa state*
21-16 W N CSU Bakersfield
26-13 W a utah Valley*
15-33 l a # 11 Wyoming*
10-28 l H army
9-25 l a south Dakota state*
9th at Big 12 Championship
43rd at NCAA Championships ^ South Beach Duals (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
* Big 12 Conference
34-8 W H VMi & 38-0 W H Hofstra & 22-9 W H edinboro & 3-36 l a # 4 Virginia tech
9-37 l a # 9 oklahoma state* 18-22 l a oklahoma* 15-29 l H south Dakota state* 6-36 l a # 16 northern iowa* 6-34 l a # 19 iowa state* 17-16 W H Wyoming*
19-20 l H utah Valley* 10th at Big 12 Championship & Mountaineer Quad
^ NCAA Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
* Big 12 Conference
2021 (7-3)
» Tim Flynn 22-9 W H Kent state & 36-3 W H ohio
Cleveland state
W H #17 northern Colorado* 12-21 l a Wyoming* 37-3 W n Fresno state* 20-17 W n air Force*
9th at Big 12 Championship 31st at NCAA Championships & Mountaineer Quad * Big 12 Conference
2022 (6-8)
» Tim Flynn
28-10 l H # 17 oklahoma* 34-3 W a Davidson
34-6 l a # 5 nC state
30-9
iowa state*
31-10 l a # 22 northern iowa* 21-16 W H utah Valley* 25-11 l H Wyoming*
7th at Big 12 Championship 32nd at NCAA Championships * Big 12 Conference
22-16 W a Chattanooga
18-15 l a oklahoma*
28-7 l a # 12 oklahoma state*
20-13 l H # 3 iowa state*
20-12 l H # 14 northern iowa*
20-18 W H rV air Force*
24-18 W H Clarion
34-9 W a lock Haven
12th at Big 12 Championship 34th at NCAA Championships
* Big 12 Conference ^ Mountainer Quad
2024 (10-5)
» Tim Flynn
44-3 W H Kent state ^
33-9 W H Clevend state ^
40-6 W H Duke ^
31-7 W a Clarion
21-19 l H # 18 oklahoma*
27-11 W a air Force*
31-9 W a rV northern Colorado*
56-0 W H Fairmont state
22-21 W n Columbia $
29-9 l H # 5 oklahoma state*
30-6 l H # 2 Missouri*
40-3 W a Morgan state
29-11 l a # 4 iowa state*
26-12 l a # 18 northrn iowa*
42-3 W H glenville state #
6th at Big 12 Championship 17th at NCAA Championships
* Big 12 Conference
$ Battle on the Boardwalk (Atlantic City, N.J.)
# Beauty & the Beast
^ Mountainer Quad
NCAA CHAMPIONS
SCOTT COLLINS
CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA
1991 » 142 POUNDS
Ranked No. 1 in the nation all season, Scott Collins became WVU’s first national champion in 1991 after posting a stellar 40-1 senior season. Collins went undefeated in e W l action as a senior. in fact, he set WV u ’s then-all-time consecutive wins streak with 23-straight victories, including five straight at the NCAA Tournament.
a s a member of WV u ’s nationally ranked 14-1 team and e W l regular season dual meet champions, Collins turned in an outstanding career; at the time, he was tied for first on WVU’s all-time career wins list with a 119-34-4 record. The three-time NCAA qualifier was the EWL champion as a senior. Collins went on to lead the Mountaineers to a sixth-place national finish.
For his efforts, Collins was named co- e W l Wrestler of the Year and is ranked second in e W l history for most dual wins by a 142-pounder. Collins helped the team win two e W l titles.
“He started as a true freshman and competed very successfully. every year, he was someone who was capable of placing in the national tournament and competing to be in the finals. It never happened for him. It really drew upon him to have some strength of character to not lower his goals and continue to have that dream and goal that he wanted to be a national champion.
“When we went to Iowa, he was the No. 1 seed and worked himself to the finals. To be in the finals after not placing before is unusual and he found himself wrestling an Iowa wrestler in the finals while we were competing at Iowa. He probably had about 12-13,000 people getting ready to cheer against him. It wasn’t that normal progression of placing several times and really having that seasoned feeling once you got your shot in the finals. I think it took a lot of his internal strength and focus. The match was one of the better ones that evening and it came down to a 6-6 score with 30 seconds left. Scott was the one who scored the winning takedown. It was a very dramatic moment for him and a significant moment for the program. To me, it was a very significant coming-of-age moment for the program.” – Coach Craig Turnbull
DEAN MORRISON
AMITYVILLE, NEW YORK
1994 » 177 POUNDS
Dean Morrison entered the 1994 nC aa Championships with a sevenmatch win streak and finished the tournament with five-straight wins, plus a national championship, WV u ’s second-ever. ranked no. 2 heading into the tournament, Morrison defeated three ranked opponents to make the finals. He defeated Wyoming’s Reese Andy 3-2 in the finals and finished the season by winning 22 of 23 matches.
»
Morrison posted a 33-3 record his senior season, which tied him for fifth on the all-time senior wins list at WV u, a ranking he still holds today. t hose 33 wins also tied him for most wins by a 177-pounder and put him at 10th on WV u ’s top season list. it was his second straight 30-win season. two of his losses came to future oly mpian l es gutches of o re gon state at the l as Vegas invitational and the n WC a a ll -star Classic.
Morrison won his third consecutive EWL championship in 1994, the first Mountaineer to accomplish the feat. During the season, Morrison won the navy Classic and great Plains invitational and placed second at the WV u o pen and the l as Vegas invitational.
He ranks sixth on WV u ’s all-time wins list with a 103-32-2 record.
“Dean is a great success story. He had never won a New York state title. I believe he placed once, but he never placed in a national tournament. He was a very average student out of high school. When he applied to the university – we were recruiting him out of high school – he was denied admission. We took him to a committee to appeal that and they decided to give Dean an opportunity.
Dean worked hard enough. It took a while and he had to go at a slow pace. He graduated in engineering, and when he left the university, he was a three-time Eastern Wrestling League champion and an NCAA champion.
“Dean, being an engineering major and an NCAA champion, were equally as unlikely, so it was a testament really to his ability to set goals that were outside his reach when no one believed they were possible and make them a reality.” –
Coach Craig Turnbull
GREG JONES
SLICKVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
THREE-TIME CHAMPION
2002 » 174 POUNDS
2004 » 184 POUNDS
2005 » 84 POUNDS
2005 » 184 POUNDS
greg Jones capped off one of the greatest collegiate wrestling careers in nC aa history by becoming just the 39th wrestler to ever win three national championships. He also became the first wrestler from the Eastern Wrestling league to ever win the nC aa tournament’s Most out standing Wrestler title.
Jones, a slickville, Pennsylvania, native took home his third championship with a 5-3 decision against Cornell’s tyler Baier. Jones dazzled the 16,302 fans in attendance at the s av vis Center. He jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then extended it to 5-1 before Baier earned two points late in the period.
t he match concluded the story of WV u ’s greatest wrestler, as Jones left with a 126-4 career record. in 20 04-05, he outscored his opponents, 298-82, and was taken down just 10 times in 130 career matches.
For the second-consecutive season, Jones finished 2004-05 with an undefeated season. Only Oklahoma State’s Steve Mocco and Jones finished the year undefeated.
2004
» 184 POUNDS
Jones turned in one of the finest individual seasons by a WVU wrestler in school history, going a perfect 26-0. He also became the first Mountaineer to win multiple national titles with his 184-pound championship in st. l ouis
Jones posted his third victory of the tournament over Ben Heizer of northern illinois and won his second crown, 10-5, in front of 15,081 fans at the savvis Center. Jones’ performance was so dominant that he did not give up an offensive point during the entire 2004 nC aa tournament, going 5-0.
He opened the season by winning the prestigious Midlands Classic title in late December. Jones’ unblemished start led to WVU’s first undefeated season.
He won his third-consecutive e W l crown, leading the Mountaineers to a share of the 2004 e W l Championship title. His 7-0 record in league contests earned him the e W l Points Champion award. Jones was then named the e W l Wrestler of the Year for the second time in his career.
2002 » 174 POUNDS
it will long be remembered as one of the greatest accomplishments in West Virginia history. gre g Jones became just the 10th freshman since 1970 to win a national championship.
Coming off a tiebreaker win over edinboro’s Josh Koscheck in the e W l finals, Jones entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 2 seed. Jones showed two losses entering the tournament, one of them coming to top-seeded o tto olson of Michigan and the other coming by way of injury
default, meaning that the last time Jones was outscored in a match was Dec. 1.
Although he battled nerves in his first appearance at the NCAA Championships in a lbany, new York, he quickly got into a comfort zone. He won by scores of 17-10, 8-3, 10-4, 15-5 and 12-5 and was not taken down after the first round.
In the finals, Jones went up against Greg Parker of Princeton. Jones scored the first takedown of the match and dictated the tempo from there. Parker was no match for Jones’ speed and strength, and Jones went on to the title.
“Greg was given advice often that ‘you should probably go somewhere else because you don’t want to be in the shadow of your brother (Vertus). How are you going to match what he accomplished? He won four EWL titles, was in the NCAA finals twice and was third the other time.’
“I think having an older brother is a tremendous help. His title match in the EWL Championships as a freshman was against a defending national champion from Edinboro. It was an overtime win, and I think it provided Greg with a lot of confidence going into the national tournament. He really took it one match at a time and wrestled a very confident semifinal match and made the finals as a freshman. It really was a credit to Greg and also his background, family support and brothers’ support.
“People, when they look at a career like Greg’s, they just think he did really well and everything came easy. There were tremendous challenges, especially coming from that second season and going into the next two, learning the things that he needed to from that year and coming back with a new perspective of what he had to bring to the practice and his preparation. He won the next two and was named the Outstanding Wrestler his senior year. In the three national tournaments that he won, he was only scored on once with offensive points and that was his first match – as a freshman, he gave a takedown up and was never scored on again offensively. I think historians will put Greg into a category of one of the greatest wrestlers in NCAA history.” – Coach Craig Turnbull
ALL-AMERICANS
1929 » 135 POUNDS WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA
The first WVU wrestler to attain All-America honors, Jimmie Cox, placed third at the 1929 nC aa Championships at o hio state. Cox won three matches at 135 pounds in guiding West Virginia to a ninth-place team finish.
1955 » 115 POUNDS GROVE CITY, PENNSYLVANIA
robert Perry was one of two Mountaineers to earn a ll-a merica honors in 1955 at Cornell. Perry won his opening round match, via fall, over syracuse’s Don Clark at 115 pounds. He won two more matches before taking fourth-place honors to become WV u ’s second a ll -a merican.
1955 » 123 POUNDS MCMURRAY, PENNSYLVANIA
Mountaineer lewis “lou” guidi was the second WVu wrestler to earn all-america status at the 1955 nCaa Championships with a second-place finish. WVU’s 123-pounder posted a 4-1 record before falling in the championship match to Pitt’s ed Peery. Guidi’s runner-up finish, along with teammate robert Perry’s fourth-place result, pushed West Virginia to a 12th-place team finish. He was inducted into the WVu sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
1979 » 134 POUNDS PHOENIXVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA
Mark Cagle placed eighth out of 32 competitors at the 1979 nC aa Championships at iowa state. Wrestling at 134 pounds, the sophomore posted a 21-5 record, with all five losses coming to grapplers who also had qualified for NCAAs, including eventual national champion Darryl Burley of lehigh. Cagle became the Mountaineers’ fourth a ll -a merican.
1987 » 150 POUNDS ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA
West Virginia’s fifth All-American wrestler, Jim a kerly, brought the program national publicity with his back-to-back national rankings (ranked No. 3 as a sophomore and a junior). The first Mountaineer invited to participate in the east-West a ll-star Classic, a kerly collected more wins (119) than any previous WV u grappler, leading the Mountaineers to four-consecutive top-20 finishes. During his four-year association
with the Mountaineer wrestling program, a kerly was a driving force behind a 45-23 team record. t he erie, Pennsylvania, native earned a ll -a merica status in 1987 at the NCAA Championships at Maryland, where he finished eighth at 150 pounds.
1988 » 158 POUNDS ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA
Wrestling only one season at WV u, Michael Carr, an iowa state transfer, set a Mountaineer record at the time for most takedowns in a season with 70. Posting 39 wins, Carr became West Virginia’s second eastern Wrestling league individual champion. He also won titles at the nav y tur key Bowl, Hoosier invitational and the WV u o pen. Carr earned a ll -a merica honors for his seventhplace finish in the 158-pound weight class at the 1988 nC aa Championships at iowa.
1990, 1991 » 167 POUNDS YORK, PENNSYLVANIA
Wrestling for West Virginia from 1990-91, Mark Banks was one of the most accomplished wrestlers in Mountaineer history. Banks earned back-to-back fifth-place finishes at the NCAA tournament in 1990 and 1991 at 167 pounds to become the Mountaineers’ first two-time a ll-a merican. Banks, who competed in the national Wrestling Coaches a ssociation a ll -star Classic in 1991, also won consecutive 167-pound e W l titles with the Mountaineers, West Virginia’s first two-time league titlist. Throughout his four-year career, which included two years at Bloomsburg, Banks compiled a 22-1 record in e W l dual matches. During his stay in Morgantown, Banks never lost a league match in 13 decisions, helping WV u win two league titles and earn a sixth-place finish at the 1991 NCAA Championships.
1991 » 177 POUNDS LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
enjoying a banner collegiate career with the Mountaineers, Dominic Black finished as one of only five wrestlers in school history at the time to amass more than 100 career victories. Black capped his career with stellar seasons in 1990 and 1991. a s a junior, he went 33-5 to establish a record for wins in a season by a Mountaineer 177-pounder, won an eWl title and competed in his second-consecutive nC aa tournament. the following year, Black posted a 39-win season (third-best in school history), earned his second-consecutive EWL title and had a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. In 1995, Black became the first West Virginia wrestler to ever represent the united states in an international event, as he won a gold medal in the 198-pound weight class at the World Cup of Freestyle. in 1999, Black made the u.s. World Wrestling team. He won a national title and was a gold medalist at the 1999 Pan-american games. He was inducted into the WVu sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
JIMMIE COX
ROBERT PERRY
LEWIS GUIDI
MARK CAGLE
JIM AKERLY
MICHAEL CARR
MARK BANKS
DOMINIC BLACK
1991 » 142 POUNDS CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA
scott Collins was one of the greatest wrestlers in West Virginia history. The two-time EWL finalist became the first Mountaineer to win a national title when he claimed first-place honors at the 1991 nC aa Championships at iowa City. By becoming the e Wl’s 12th national champion, Collins was named co- e Wl Wrestler of the Year. the 142-pounder also captured the 1991 e Wl title. Collins, who went undefeated in e Wl action during his national title season in 1991, ranked second in EWL history for most dual wins by a 142-pounder. Collins finished his career as the school’s all-time wins leader, helping the Mountaineers win two e Wl titles. Collins registered a sixth-place finish at the 1991 NCAA Championships. He was inducted into the WVu sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
1993 » 158 POUNDS MILESBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Making his first NCAA appearance, Doug Taylor became West Virginia’s seventh all-american at the 1993 nC aa Championships in ames, iowa. taylor, who battled an injury-plagued season, finished fifth at 158 pounds. taylor lost a controversial overtime decision in the semifinals, trying to become only the second Mountaineer wrestler to reach the nC aa final round. Taylor advanced to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of his second-place finish at the eWl Championships.
1994 » 177 POUNDS AMITYVILLE, NEW YORK
in 1994, Dean Morrison concluded his outstanding career by becoming the second West Virginia wrestler to win an nC aa title. Morrison defeated Wyoming’s reese andy in Chapel Hill, nor th Carolina, to claim national supremacy and lead the Mountaineers to a 14th-place team finish. During his career, Morrison became the first wrestler in school history to win three eastern Wrestling league titles (1992-94) and just the fourth to win more than 100 career matches (103). named the 1994 e Wl Wrestler of the Year, Morrison competed in the prestigious national Wrestling Coaches a ssociation all-star Classic in Pittsburgh. Morrison’s 33 wins in 1994 also tied him with Dominic Black for the most wins by a Mountaineer 177-pounder in a season.
1997 » 177 POUNDS COLLINGSWOOD, NEW JERSEY
A powerful wrestler, John Koss became the first four-time NCAA qualifier in WVU history. Koss capped off a brilliant campaign by advancing to the semifinals of the 1997 NCAA Championships. He recorded an impressive 87 wins as a Mountaineer, which was seventh best at the time in school history. Koss wrestled to an 8-0 dualmeet record at 177 pounds his senior season to top off a career 23 wins in the EWL. After his first nC aa appearance as a freshman, Koss was named a fifth-team selection to the Amateur Wrestling News’ all-rookie team.
1997, 1998 » 150 POUNDS WILLIAMSTOWN, WEST VIGINIA
Mike Mason is remembered as one of the most diligent and hard-working wrestlers in the history of the program. the second WVu wrestler to be a two-time all-american – both at 150 pounds – and the first All-American from the state of West Virginia, Mason earned his first All-America honors in 1997 when he was seeded eighth and wrestled to the quarterfinal round. He posted a 35-5 record his junior year, including a 10-0 dual meet record. a s a senior, Mason advanced to the nC aa semifinals, losing a controversial double-overtime decision, then came back to win two hard-fought matches and finish third for his second All-America honor. He competed in the nWC a all-star Classic, won an e Wl title and was the fifth WVU wrestler to reach 100 career wins.
a dangerous force at 134 pounds his junior year and 141 pounds his senior year, Whitey Chlebove became a two-time a ll -a merican with his seventh-place finish at the 1998 NCAA Championships in Cleveland and his sixth-place finish at the 1999 NCAA Championships at Penn state. a s a senior, Chlebove was ranked as high as fourth nationally during the season. a s a junior, he was ranked as high as third. in 19 96, Chlebove was one win away from a ll -a merica honors with a 3-2 finish at the tournament. After a redshirt season in 1997, he posted a 27-8 record in 1998 to set a WV u record at 134 pounds.
One of the finest athletes to come through the WVu program, Vertus Jones became the Mountaineers’ first three-time All-American with his second-place finish at the 2000 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. His first All-America honor came with a second-place finish at 177 pounds at the 1998 nC aa Championships in Cleveland. His second all-america honor came with a third-place finish at the 184-pound weight class at the 1999 nC aa Championships at Penn state. a s a sophomore, Jones was the youngest of 20 finalists at the 1998 tournament and the youngest in WVU history to reach the NCAA finals. He is the first Mountaineer to be a four-time eWl champion and only the third eWl wrestler to be a four-time champion. He was the second WVu wrestler to win the eWl s as a freshman. Jones posted a stellar 30-2 senior season at 184 pounds, setting the all-time West Virginia consecutive-wins streak at 24 and finishing his career with a 95-21 mark, which was sixth best at the time at WVu
1999 » 174 POUNDS ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA
a master of using his speed and size at 174 pounds, Sam Kline finished third at the 1999 nC aa Championships at Penn state to garner a ll-a merica honors, defeating three ranked opponents along the way. Kline capped off a stellar career with a 28-5 senior campaign, finishing with 84 wins to 22 losses. Kline won the 1999 e W l tournament, the 1997 and 1998 WV u o pen, and the 1997 and 1998 nav y Classic. He finished eighth at the 19 98 Las Ve gas Invitational. During his career, Kline qualified for three NCAA Championships.
Greg Jones became the first Mountaineer to win multiple national titles with his 184-pound championship in st. louis as a junior. He added to his legacy as a senior after blowing through competition yet again for his third national championship in four years. During his senior year, Jones posted a perfect 25-0 record and was named the nC aa tournament’s Most out standing Wrestler. He became just the 20th wrestler in nC aa history to win multiple national titles at different weight classes. a s a junior, Jones posted his third victory of the tournament over Ben Heizer of nor thern illinois in winning his second crown, 10-5. Jones’ performance was so dominant that he did not give up an offensive point during the entire 2004 nC aa tournament, going 5-0. in one of the most remarkable performances in the history of West Virginia athletics, freshman Jones cruised through the 174-pound bracket en route to the nC aa Championships. Jones was 34-2 and raked in numerous honors in his rookie campaign. At the NCAA Championships, Jones dominated the field by outscoring his opponents 62-27 and only allowing a takedown in the first round. He defeated Greg Parker of Princeton 12-5 in the finals. A four-time e Wl champion, he was twice named e Wl Wrestler of the Year and was named the 2004 e Wl Points Champion. in 20 02, he was the e Wl tournament’s Most out standing Wrestler and the e Wl Freshman of the Year.
2003 » 133 POUNDS HIGHLAND, MARYLAND
Despite missing portions of the season to injury, Brandon l auer fought his way to an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City. Lauer trailed early in his first-round match, but went on to stun fifth-seeded Zach Roberson of iowa state by pinning him at 4:21. He continued to roll with another fall in the second round, this time finishing off Jason Cuocolo of Sacred Heart in 2:19. after a narrow loss in the championship quarterfinals, Lauer needed one more win to assure himself of a ll -a merica status. He seemingly had the match in hand, but a late rally by tom Clum of Wisconsin forced the match into overtime. Lauer was able to collect himself, finishing off the match with a takedown four seconds into the extra session for the sudden victory. nur sing an ailing knee, Lauer dropped his last two matches to finish eighth in the nation at 133 pounds.
VERTUS JONES
SAM KLINE
GREG JONES
BRANDON LAUER
GREG JONES
SAM KLINE
2003 » 141 POUNDS SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
using intensity, determination and superior conditioning, shane Cunanan willed himself to the national semifinals and All-America honors in 2003. After cruising to a first-round victory, he scored one of the tournament’s biggest upsets at 141 pounds by shocking fifth-seeded Zach Esposito of oklahoma state, 3-1, in overtime. Cunanan controlled most of the match, but could not convert on several opportunities. Finally, his tireless effort produced a takedown. in the national quarterfinals, the story was again the same as Cunanan controlled the match and wore his opponent down before taking the 5-3 victory over the tournament’s seventh seed, Dana Holland of arizona state. His roll ended with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the national semifinals, eventually finishing sixth. Cunanan, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times, finally was able to finish his career as an NCAA All-American.
2005 » 157 POUNDS
JEANNETTE, PENNSYLVANIA
Matt lebe became WV u ’s 20th a ll -a merican the hard way by fighting through the 157-pound consolation bracket after losing his opening match of the nC aa tournament. lebe pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2005 tournament when he knocked off stanford’s defending national champion, Matt gentry, 5-3. t he Jeannette, Pennsylvania, native then faced Clarion’s Chris Horning, whom he had beaten twice before earlier in the season. lebe jumped out to a 4-1 lead and held off Horning for the rest of the match to escape with a 6-5 win. He later was knocked out of the tournament by a rizona State’s Brian Smith and finished seventh overall.
2006, 2007 » 141 POUNDS PARKERSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA
no WV u t rue freshman had ever wrestled his way to a ll-a merica status before Parkersburg native Brandon rader did so at the 2006 nC aa Championships in o klahoma City, oklahoma. t he Parkersburg High graduate finished sixth in the tournament to become just the fourth West Virginia native to earn a ll -a merica status. rader, seeded ninth in the 141-pound weight class, got off to a blistering pace, as he pinned his first two opponents. in his third bout, the freshman faced no. 1 seeded and undefeated nate gallick of iowa state and lost a very close 3-0 decision. rader rebounded in the consolation bracket by defeating Pitt’s ron tarquinio for the third time in 2006. He then defeated Virginia Tech’s Dave Hoffman, 11-7, in the consolation quarterfinals. In 2007 Rader repeated his All-America status by finishing sixth for the secondconsecutive year. t his time, he rebounded from a second-round loss, which forced him to win four-consecutive matches to get back to the nC aa platform. His defining match occurred in the consolation semifinals against no. 4-seeded Manny rivera of Minnesota when he came away victorious, 9-5. t he win for rader made him just the sixth Mountaineer wrestler in school history to earn multiple a ll -a merica honors when he did so during the third session of the nC aa Championships in Detroit.
2015, 2018 » 125 POUNDS NORTHAMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
Zeke Moisey started the season as a redshirt freshman and went on to end it as the nC aa runner-up at 125 pounds. after competing unattached for the first few weeks of the season, Moisey’s redshirt was pulled on nov. 13, 2015, when first-year head coach Sammie Henson inserted him into the lineup against a rizona state, where Moisey claimed a major decision. He topped several ranked opponents during the season before taking the runner-up spot at the 2015 Big 12 Championship in a mes, iowa, dropping a 5-3 decision to no. 9 eddie Klimara of o klahoma state. Moisey earned an at-large bid to the nC aa Championships, entering the tournament unseeded. He then upset no. 15 Chasen tolbert of utah Valley in a 14-6 major decision before knocking off no. 2 seed nahshon gar rett of Cornell in a 5-3 decision. Moisey got his revenge on No. 7 seed Klimara in the quarterfinals, winning a 5-2 decision. However, his most impressive feat came in the semifinals when he used a cradle to pin no. 6 seed t homas gilman of iowa in just 52 seconds, advancing to the NCAA finals, where he lost a 9-5 decision to No. 4 seed nathan tomasello of o hio state to end his magical run. t hough he did not come away with a national title, Moisey made his way into several record books. He became the first WVU All-American since 2007 and the 30th overall and was the first Mountaineer to wrestle for a national championship since Greg Jones did so in 2005. Moisey also was the first unseeded wrestler to make it to the NCAA finals since 2003. Moisey returned to the national spotlight in 2018 following an injury, upsetting no. 7 seed taylor l aMont of utah Valley in the fourth round of wrestle-backs to earn a ll-a merica status for the second time in his career.
SHANE CUNAHAN
MATT LEBE
BRANDON RADER
ZEKE MOISEY
SHANE CUNAHAN
2020 » 197 POUNDS
COAL CITY, WEST VIRGINIA
CoV i D-19 took away the Mountaineers opportunity, including two-time NCAA Qualifier noah adams, to compete at the 2020 nC aa Division i Wrestling Championships, and there was a very good chance the Coal City, West Virginia, native could have gone through the entire season undefeated and been standing at the top of the podium at nC aa s. leading up to nationals, adams defeated s outh Dakota state’s tanner sloan in a 5-1 decision to capture the 197-pound title at the 2020 Big 12 Wrestling Championship. He completed the 2019-20 season with a perfect 32-0 record, as well as a 13-0 mark against conference opponents, tying for the most wins by a WV u sophomore. In an impressive sophomore campaign, Adams was the first wrestler in program history to be named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Year and the second to be picked as a finalist for the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge trophy. adams, a no. 2 seed in the 197-pound bracket at nC aa s, also earned WV u ’s red Brown Cup, an award given to the university’s most outstanding student-athlete, and received the 2020 Hardman award, an honor given to West Virginia’s amateur athlete of the year, as selected by the West Virginia sports Writers a ssociation. additionally, adams was crowned the 197-pound champion at the prestigious Southern Schuffle and was awarded the event’s Most outstanding Wrestler after going 5-0 with three wins over ranked opponents at the two-day tournament.
2021, 2023 » 125 POUNDS BRISTOW, VIRGINIA
after transferring from old D ominion, redshirt junior Killian Cardinale came out of the 2021 campaign standing on the podium of the nC aa Championships to complete his season debut for West Virginia university. no. 17-seed Cardinale captured a seventh-place finish at 125 pounds after defeating no. 19-seed eric Barnett by a 12-7 decision. His performance two years later was one for the ages, as Cardinale became the eighth WV u w restler to be named an a ll -a merican multiple times in spite of battling with a torn aCl in one leg and a meniscus tear in the other entering the 2023 nC aa Championships. Despite dropping a 8-7 decision to No. 4-seed Matt Ramos of Purdue in the quarterfinals of the 125-pound bracket, Cardinale bounced back in the blood round by outlasting no. 15-seed Brett ungar of Cornell via a 3-2 decision to secure his second appearance on the podium. He previously knocked off no. 5-seed Caleb smith of a ppalachian state in session one and no. 21-seed Jore Volk of Wyoming in session two to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals for the second straight year and setup the showdown with ramos. t he Bristow, Virginia, native concluded his time at WV u as a three-time nC aa qualifier, two-time All-American, and the third Big 12 champion in program history.
2022, 2024 » 165 POUNDS CHESTER, WEST VIRGINIA
From capturing the Clarion o pen crown to sealing a spot in the finals of the 2022 Big 12 Championship, the spotlight never was too big for Peyton Hall, as the sophomore led the squad with a 28-6 overall record and placed eighth at the nC aa Championships to become WV u ’s 3 4th a ll-a merican in program history. Despite dropping a 6-2 decision to no. 1-seed evan Wick of Cal Poly in the quarterfinals, Hall bounced back in the wrestlebacks bracket and took down no. 19-seed Justin McCoy of Virginia five times to grab an 11-3 major decision to secure his spot on the podium. t he Chester, West Virginia, native joined Jimmie Cox, Mike Mason, s am K line, Brandon rader, and noah adams as the sixth WV u w restler from the state of West Virginia to be named an All-American. In addition, Hall is the first WVU grappler to take home the honor at 165 pounds; Mark Banks reached the feat twice at 167 pounds back in 1990 and 1991. two years later, Hall would secure another spot on the podium after knocking off no. 3 -seed Julian ramirez of Cornell during the 2024 nC aa Championships in Kansas City to become the ninth multi-time a ll -a merican in program history. t he senior captain responded from a second-round loss to a nt rell taylor of nebraska by picking up a pair of bonus point victories over No. 31-seed Maxx Mayfield of Northwestern and no. 26-seed Dom Baker of Campbell to set up the battle with ramirez in the blood round. Hall eventually defeated taylor in a rematch to seal seventh place.
2024 » 149 POUNDS IMPERIAL, PENNSYLVANIA
For the third time in program history, a true freshman entered the starting lineup looking to make a splash, and Watters did just that by becoming the first wrestler in school history to win a Big 12 Championship and earn a top-8 finish on the mat at nationals, as well as the 13th Mountaineer to win a conference title and reach a ll-a merican status in the same season. t he imperial, Pennsylvania, native also joined elite company in former Mountaineer standouts Brandon rader (2006) and Zeke Moisey (2015) as the third-ever true freshman in program history to claim All-America status, as well as the first WV u grappler to take home the honor at 149 pounds after pinning 2021 a ll-a merican and no. 26-seed Jaden a bas of stanford in the blood round.
Following an 8-3 quarterfinal loss to No. 4-seed Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech, the fifth-seeded Watters went on an incredible run, one that saw the rookie not only take down a bas but also no. 8 -seed Casey swiderski of iowa state and four-time a ll -a merican and no. 2-seed Kyle Parco of a rizona state to advance to the third-place bout and wrap up his nC aa Championships debut in fourth place.
NOAH ADAMS
KILLIAN CARDINALE
PEYTON HALL
TY WATTERS
WVU PRESIDENT E. GORDON GEE, J.D., ED.D
Currently serving for a second time as president of West Virginia university, Dr. e. gordon gee has been a leader in higher education for more than four decades. in 2009 time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the united states. ten years later, the website great Value Colleges named him the nation’s top university president. in addition to his service at West Virginia university, gee served as president of the ohio state university (twice), Vanderbilt university, Brown university, and the university of Colorado. Born in Vernal, utah, gee graduated from the university of utah with an honors degree in history and earned his J.D. and ed.D. degrees from Columbia university. Before starting his career in higher education, he clerked under Chief Justice David t lewis of the u s. 10th Circuit Court of appeals and was a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the u s supreme Court, where he worked for Chief Justice Warren Burger.
He is the co-author of more than a dozen books, including his latest, What’s Public about Public Higher Education, and two recent ones, Leading Colleges and Universities and Land-Grant Universities for the Future. He has also authored many papers and articles on law and education. His service on education-governance organizations and commissions is extensive. He currently serves on the Board of trustees executive Committee for the national 4-H Council and the national executive Board of the Boy scouts of america. recently, he was awarded the abraham lincoln Vision award by the national 4-H Council, He served as chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors executive Committee for the 2017-18 year and is a Big 12 representative on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. He is a Member of the Center for economic Development (CeD) task Force on Building a More Civil and Just society and an inaugural member of the education advisory Board (eaB) Presidents advisory Council
l aurie e rickson and e g or don g ee
WVU VICE PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS WREN BAKER
In his first two years as West Virginia’s vice president and director of athletics, Wren Baker has faced every challenge head on and has never looked back. His energy has ignited a department, which turned in unprecedented success in 2023-24.
a bowl victory, a men’s soccer College Cup appearance and a first-ever baseball Super Regional were just some of the big moments in year two under Baker, and his high-energy and success have been contagious for Mountaineer athletics in competition and in the classroom.
athletic success and best-ever academic achievement by Mountaineer student-athletes have highlighted Baker’s tenure, while the department also turned in its second-best fundraising numbers ever during the 2024 athletic year. Baker’s success at WVU did not come overnight. He first traveled the state to learn its culture, met Mountaineer fans from all over the world and immersed himself on what it meant to be a proud West Virginian. the results of Baker’s approach and work ethic speak volumes and have re-energized West Virginia athletics Despite already hiring five new head coaches, creating a 20-year facility master plan and developing the department’s strategic vision for the coming years, Baker’s plate continues to be full. Budget concerns, a competitive nil structure, lack of premium seating options in his two major sports venues and new revenue generation are being addressed by his administration to solidify the future of West Virginia athletics.
Before Missouri, he spent time at Memphis from 2013-15 as deputy athletics director.
From 2011-13, Baker was athletics director at nCaa Division ii power Northwest Missouri State. From 2006-11, Baker served as the first athletics director at rogers state in Claremore, oklahoma, where he was also the school’s first men’s basketball coach. His team went 2011 in his only season at the helm, and during his tenure, he developed a full-scale, competitive collegiate athletics program. in 2005, he was the principal and athletics director for Valliant Public schools, and at age 26, was the youngest principal in oklahoma history.
WVu President e. gordon gee named Baker as WVu’s vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics on nov. 30, 2022. He has oversight of 18 varsity sports, a department budget of more than $90 million, approximately 250 employees and nearly 500 student-athletes.
Baker is WVu’s 13th director of athletics and came to Morgantown from the university of north texas, where he had been the associate vice president and athletics director since 2016. With previous stops at Missouri, Memphis, northwest Missouri and rogers state, he brought more than 20 years of experience to WVu at north texas, seven Mean green programs combined to win 17 conference or division championships during Baker’s tenure. unt also reached new heights in the classroom under Baker’s leadership, posting its top aPr scores and four consecutive department graduation success rate (gsr) records. Baker led record fundraising years at north Texas, and the overall top five largest gifts ever at UNT came under Baker’s leadership.
Prior to north texas, Baker was the deputy director of athletics at Missouri from 2015 to 2016, serving as the top advisor and chief of staff.
originally fom Valliant, oklahoma, Baker earned his bachelor’s degree in education from southeastern oklahoma state in 2001 where he was a member of the honors program. He went on to earn his master’s degree in education leadership from oklahoma state in 2003.
While at oklahoma state, Baker was a graduate assistant and basketball operations assistant for the Cowboys’ men’s basketball program under legendary head coach eddie sutton. During his time with osu, the Cowboys posted a 102-30 record, reaching four nCaa tournaments with trips to the 2004 Final Four and the 2005 sweet 16. Baker and his wife, Heather, a Bokchito, oklahoma, native, have two daughters, addisyn and reagan.
WREN BAKER THROUGH THE YEARS
2001-05 oklahoma state university Basketball operations assistant 2005-06 Valliant Public schools Director of athletics/Principal 2006-10 rogers state university Director of athletics
2010-13 northwest Missouri state Director of athletics
2013-15 university of Memphis Deputy Director of athletics
2015-16 university of Missouri Deputy Director of athletics
2016-22 university of north texas Vice President/Director of athletics
2022- West Virginia university Vice President/Director of athletics
t he Baker Family: reagan, addisyn, Heather and Wren
WVU INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
O’DELL
Senior Associate Athletics Director/Student-Athlete Service and Wellness
ROB ALSOP
OMAR BANKS
MURRAY
NATASHA OAKES
WELLS
MICHAEL FRAGALE
APRIL MESSERLY
BRITTNEY
LESLIE NGUYEN
NEAL BROWN Head Football Coach
JASON BUTTS Head Gymnastics Coach
SEAN CLEARY Head Cross Country/ Track and Field Coach
SEAN COVICH Head Golf Coach
DARIAN DEVRIES Head Men’s Basketball Coach
TIM FLYNN Head Wrestling Coach
JEN GREENY Head Volleyball Coach
JON HAMMOND Head Rifle Coach
NIKKI IZZO-BROWN Head Women’s Soccer Coach
MARK KELLOGG Head Women’s Basketball Coach
JIMMY KING Head Rowing Coach
MIHA LISAC Head Tennis Coach
BRENT MACDONALD Head Swimming and Diving Coach
DAN STRATFORD Head Men’s Soccer Coach
STEVE SABINS Head Baseball Coach
MEDIA INFORMATION
MEDIA SERVICES
the West Virginia university athletics Communications Office will be available throughout the 2024-25 wrestling season to accommodate any media requests. Following are some guidelines that should make it easy for media members to cover the West Virginia wrestling team. any additional questions should be directed to wrestling contact Matthew stainthorpe.
MATCH DAY
Parking is free for all home wrestling matches. requested team members and seventh-year coach tim Flynn will be available for interviews inside the theater of the WVu Coliseum following a 15-minute grace period. Please see WVu wrestling contact Matthew stainthorpe at the scorers’ table following the dual for all interview requests.
GAME SERVICES
the athletics communications staff will be at your service throughout the match. all working media will be provided with game notes and other pertinent information. live stats can be accessed from any web browser at the following: https://wvusports.com/sports/ wrestling/schedule. Press seating is located at the top of the concourse, and wireless internet access is available for working media members.
CREDENTIALS
Photographers and media members who wish to cover a match at the WVu Coliseum should contact WVu wrestling contact Matthew stainthorpe, via email (matthew.stainthorpe@ mail.wvu.edu) or phone (304-293-2822), at least 24 hours in advance.
DURING THE WEEK
any member of the media wishing to interview a wrestler or member of the coaching staff during the week should contact WVu wrestling contact Matthew stainthorpe (matthew.stainthorpe@mail.wvu.edu) or phone (304-293-2822), at least 24 hours in advance. every effort will be made to hold a weekly media session on Zoom throughout
the season, and proper media alerts will be emailed in advance. Cell phone numbers will not be provided, and all WVu student-athletes have been instructed to not conduct interviews without prior approval from the athletics communications staff.
RECEIVING INFORMATION
Media members may receive wrestling press releases, notes and more via email. Please email WVu wrestling contact Matthew stainthorpe (matthew.stainthorpe@mail.wvu. edu) to be included to the distribution list.
WVUSPORTS.COM
WVusports.com is the place for media and fans to go for the latest on Mountaineer wrestling. in 2024-25, streamed audio and video broadcast will be available on WVU’s official
athletics website. Wrestler and coaching staff bios are available at the click of a finger by going to WVusports.com. updated following each match, WVusports.com is your place to find the latest statistics for Mountaineer wrestling. Not only will you find this season’s stats and stories, but you also will be able to find the WVU record book for some historical perspective.
SOCIAL MEDIA
the WVu wrestling team is active on various social media platforms: Facebook, twitter and instagram. Visit Facebook.com/WVuWrestling to like the Facebook page. to follow the Mountaineers on twitter, visit twitter.com/ WVuWrestling. to follow the team on instagram, visit instagram.com/WVuWrestling.
ATHLETICS INFORMATION the West Virginia university athletics Communications Office is located in the WVu Coliseum near the Country roads gate. The main athletics communications office is room 214.
