WVU Returns to Action Against No. 12 Indiana
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (January 1, 2010) – The West Virginia University wrestling team will open the new year with a test against 12th-ranked Indiana on Saturday, Jan. 2. Action at the WVU Coliseum is set to begin at noon.
Admission to the match is free for WVU students with a valid student ID.
The Mountaineers (0-3, 0-0 EWL) last wrestled on Dec. 20, competing at the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. As a team, WVU placed 12th with 42.5 points. Sophomore Colin Johnston (133) and redshirt senior Donnie Jones (165) placed third and fourth, respectively. Johnston went 6-1 at the event, while Jones registered a 5-2 mark, including a 3-1 decision over eighth-ranked Alex Meade of Oklahoma State. Freshman Shane Young (125) and redshirt sophomore Ryan Goodman (157) also performed well, picking up three victories apiece.
Currently, Johnston leads the Mountaineers with a 14-1 record, including a 3-0 mark in dual meet competition. Jones, who is 12-6 on the year, holds the top spot on the team with 35 takedowns, followed by Goodman (19) and Johnston (18).
A Slickville, Pa., native, Jones is likely to face Indiana’s Paul Young, ranked No. 14, for the second time this season. The first time the two squared off was at the Cliff Keen Invitational in which Young posted a 9-5 decision.
Indiana enters Saturday’s match with four wrestlers ranked inside the Top 20 and an 8-0 overall mark. The Hoosiers are coming off a third-place finish at the UNC Greensboro Southern Scuffle, which concluded on Dec. 30. Angel Escobedo, the 2008 national champion at 125 pounds, and Nate Everhart (HWT) each won titles at their respective weight classes.
IU last wrestled in a dual match on Dec. 12, defeating Eastern Michigan, 30-6, and SIU-Edwardsville, 50-0.
The Hoosiers are led by sixth-ranked Everhart, who has a 21-0 record this season, and Escobedo, who is ranked second nationally and holds a 19-0 mark. Ranked No. 12 at 157 pounds, Kurt Kinser is 15-2, and 165-pounder Young is 21-4.
The squad is under the guidance of coach Duane Goldman, who is in his 17th season and owns a 209-109-4 mark with the Hoosiers. Last year, Indiana finished the regular season tied for seventh in the Big Ten, took ninth at the league championships and 24th at the NCAA Championships.
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