Missouri Too Much for WVU

By Scott Castleman
WVU Sports Information Office

December 20, 2005

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The No. 24 West Virginia University wrestling team dropped its first dual meet of the season 29-16 to No. 12 Missouri on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the WVU Coliseum.

“We competed very well this evening,” said head coach Craig Turnbull. “That will be the best team that comes to the Coliseum all season. We had our chances but we are getting better with every competition.”

The Tigers (4-0) showed no signs of being tired despite wrestling Pitt the night before and coming away with a 29-9 victory in Pittsburgh. No. 16-rated Austin DeVoe set the tone of the evening by pinning Scott Stuart with 22 seconds remaining in the second period in the 125-pound bout. No. 15 Tyler McCormick made the West Virginia deficit 10-0 when he defeated No. 16 Seth Lisa 9-0 in the 133-pound match.

The Mountaineers (0-1) were led by Brandon Rader who provided a pin for the team in the third match of the evening at the 141 pound weight class against No. 19 Chris McCormick. The No. 17-rated grappler made short work of his Missouri counterpart as the pin came just 1:11 into the match.

Fellow freshman David Jauregui made the team score 10-9 when he knocked off Missouri’s Josh Wagner at the 149-pound weight class. The Santa Ana, Calif., native fell behind 3-1 in the first period but battled back to earn a 4-3 victory.

West Virginia enjoyed the lead midway through the meet as No. 5-rated Matt Lebe took care of Mike Chandler 6-1 in the 157 pound match that was not as close as the score showed. The Jeannette, Pa., native controlled throughout and allowed an escape for Chandler’s only point of the bout that came in the third period. With the win the Mountaineers led 12-10.

But a pair of losses at the 165 and 174 pound weight classes by senior Eric Mullen and sophomore Kurt Brenner put the West Virginia in a 20-12 hole. The two wrestlers faced their best competition of the season as they faced

No. 4 Matt Pell and No. 1 Ben Askren, respectively. Missouri’s No. 17-rated Raymond Jordan was able to put the match away with a pin only 57 seconds before the final buzzer against freshman Chance Litton in the 184 pound class. The fall by Litton made the score 26-12 with only two bouts remaining.

Junior Jared Villers provided WVU’s final win of the evening with a 11-3 decision over Joey Garrity in the 197 pound bout. The Akron, Ohio, native dominated from the opening whistle as he built an 8-2 lead going into the third period. A takedown and a point for riding time earned Villers a major decision in the final frame.

In the evening’s most thrilling match junior Dustin Rogers fell 7-6 in a last second defeat to Sean Connole in the heavyweight class. Rogers held a 6-5 advantage in the final seconds but a takedown by Connole with only one tick left on the clock did the Corning, Calif., native in.

The Mountaineers return to action at the Midlands tournament in Evanston, Ill. The Tournament takes place Dec. 29-30.

Match Results
125: No. 16 Austin DeVoe (MU) FALL Scott Stuart (WVU), 4:38
133: No. 15 Tyler McCormick (MU) MAJOR Seth Lisa (WVU), 9-0
141: No. 17 Brandon Rader (WVU) FALL No. 19 Tyler McCormick (MU) , 1:11
149: David Jauregui (WVU) dec. Josh Wagner (MU), 4-3
157: No. 5 Matt Lebe (WVU) dec. Mike Chandler (MU), 6-1
165: No. 4 Matt Pell (MU) MAJOR Eric Mullen (WVU), 10-1
174: No. 1 Ben Askren (MU) FALL Kurt Brenner (WVU), 3:50
184: No. 17 Raymond Jordan (MU) FALL Chance Litton (WVU), 6:03
197: Jared Villers (WVU) MAJOR Joey Garrity (MU), 11-3,
HWT: Sean Connole (MU) dec. Dustin Rogers (WVU), 7-6

Referee: Fred Ambrose
Attendance: 662




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