WVU Wrestling Welcomes Lock Haven
By Ira Green
WVU Sports Information Office
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (January 30, 2010) – The West Virginia University wrestling team will continue Eastern Wrestling League action on Sunday, Jan. 31, with a home match against Lock Haven. The contest at the WVU Coliseum is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Admission to the match is free for WVU students with a valid student ID.
In their last time out, the Mountaineers (1-7, 1-1 EWL) defeated Bloomsburg, 21-18, courtesy of back-to-back wins at the 197-pound and heavyweight positions. Down 18-12, junior Kyle Rooney defeated Bloomsburg’s Brian Shaw, 3-1, to bring the team score to within three. Junior Brandon Williamson followed the victory by pinning Zac Walsh in 1:43 to complete the comeback. The Mountaineers had started off the match with three-straight wins, courtesy of freshman Shane Young (125), sophomore Colin Johnston (133) and freshman Anthony Curcio (141).
Ranked 18th at 133 pounds, his fourth-straight week in InterMat’s Top 20, Johnston leads the team with 17 wins. Currently, the Eighty-Four, Pa., native owns a 6-2 dual record, including a 2-0 mark against league action. Redshirt senior Donnie Jones is not too far behind with 14 victories; Jones is tops on the team in takedowns with 44.
"I think it's pretty similar every match now, where we're going to be a bit of the underdog,” coach Craig Turnbull says. “We're going to have to win some matches that are hard fought, are going to be close and have to go our way. We were able to do that last Sunday, and it's going to be a similar challenge for us this Sunday. We're going to have win some close matches and ones that we're not supposed to in order to compete for a win."
Lock Haven enters the weekend with a 1-5 overall mark, including a 0-2 record in EWL action. The Bald Eagles play host to conference foe Cleveland State today and then head to Morgantown for Sunday’s dual.
In their last dual, the Bald Eagles fell to then-No. 21 Edinboro, 32-9, on Jan. 23. Lock Haven received wins from 133-pounder John Trumbetti, Brock Parker (149) and Jeremie Cook (184). All wins came by decision.
The squad is led by Trumbetti, who is the lone ranked wrestler on the team at No. 20. He owns a 23-5 mark and has won his last five matches. Lock Haven also has received strong performances from 125-pounder Nick Hyatt (15-9 overall record) and 174-pounder Derek Caldwell (15-5 overall mark).
The Bald Eagles are under the direction of first-year coach Robbie Waller, who spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma. Last year, the team registered a 7-9-1 overall record, including a 2-5 mark against league competition. Former Bald Eagle Matt Fittery won the 149-pound conference title and was the lone NCAA qualifier from the team.
All-time, WVU is 17-14 against Lock Haven.
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