WHEELING, W.Va. – The Wheeling Jesuit Wrestling team took a massive step toward establishing themselves as a program on the rise on Saturday, claiming their first-ever team tournament victory at the West Virginia College Wrestling Invitational.
In the process of winning the tournament, the Cardinals also earned a major victory over rival West Liberty, who had beat WJU just a week previous, and earned the “best team in West Virginia” moniker… a designation WJU’s mostly freshmen team can be proud of. Also attending the tournament were squads from West Virginia Tech, Alderson Broaddus, Ohio Valley University, and WVU. Wheeling Jesuit worked their way to eight top-three finishes that included first-place performances from Ryan Winslow (184lb), Damon Outward (141lb), and Scott Lopez (133) to earn 132.5 points, and beat West Liberty by a single point. “Me getting the win in my weight class was great, but getting the team win to me means more than anything else,” said Outward, the freshman from St. Clairsville. “I’ve been wrestling since I was five, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a team win at any tournament. Especially being a first year program at a DII college, its really awesome being the best program in West Virginia. It’s a great honor; I love every bit of it.” |
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