West Virginia Wrestling

WVU Wrestling to Host Cradles for Cancer

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (February 3, 2015) – On Saturday, coach Sammie Henson and the West Virginia University wrestling team will host its first ever Cradles for Cancer event when they welcome Big 12 foe Iowa State to the WVU Coliseum.

The Mountaineers will honor breast cancer survivors, as well as those who lost their lives to the disease, at the match. The wrestlers will don pink socks and athletic tape, while the coaching staff will wear pink ties and bow ties.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match to support patients battling the disease and those who have survived it. The first 500 fans will receive a pink rally towel courtesy of WVU Healthcare, and those in attendance will receive pink breast cancer ribbons from the WVU dance team.

Henson started the event in in support of a cause that he and his family know well. His wife, Stephanie, was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring and was undergoing treatments for the disease when the family moved to Morgantown.

“Cradles for Cancer is really personal for us because my family is affected by it,” said Henson, who is in his first season at the helm of the Mountaineers. “It’s a great event for us to put on and showcase our support for all the people that have had cancer, who’ve lose their lives to it or who are fighting it right now.”

Stephanie Henson was previously honored as part of breast cancer awareness games for both WVU volleyball and women’s soccer. She served as an honorary coach for volleyball’s Dig Pink match against Oklahoma, and helped present a check from the Mountaineers to the Betty Puskar Breast Care Center at the women’s soccer game against Oklahoma this October. On Saturday, she will be joined by fellow survivors and supporters.

The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start time, with a special presentation at the intermission following the fifth bout.

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