Mountaineers Prepped for Final Duals
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (February 18, 2016) – The West Virginia University wrestling team (6-10, 0-4) will look to rebound from a pair of setbacks as they close out the regular season with a pair of duals this weekend. The Mountaineers will host Clarion (6-11, 2-4 EWL) on Friday night in an 8 p.m. match at the WVU Coliseum before traveling to Edinboro (8-9, 6-0 EWL) for a 7 p.m. dual at McComb Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Tickets for Friday’s match are available at the cost of $5 for adults, $3 for youth/seniors and $2 each for groups of 10 or more. Students get in free by showing a valid WVU student ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME, at WVUGame.com or at the WVU Ticket Office at the Coliseum. Attendees will also get a Buy One, Get One offer on all Coke and popcorn at the concession stands.
Live stats for both matches can be found at TrackWrestling.com. A free live stream of Friday’s match will be available at WVUsports.com. Saturday’s dual at Edinboro can be viewed at FloWrestling.com for a fee.
As WVU closes out the regular season this weekend, four seniors will be honored during Friday's home match against Clarion. Bubba Scheffel, A.J. Vizcarrondo, Ross Renzi and Chris Nelson will be celebrated at various intermissions throughout the dual. Nelson, Scheffel and Vizcarrondo are four-year members of the program, while Renzi is in his fifth season as a Mountaineer. Vizcarrondo, Scheffel and Renzi are four-year starters, with Scheffel and Vizcarrondo exiting as NCAA qualifiers.
West Virginia is 22-14-2 as it enters its 39th all-time meeting with former EWL foe Clarion. The two have met every season since 1979. The Mountaineers earned a 26-9 victory over the Golden Eagles in Pennsylvania last season.
WVU is 5-3 at the WVU Coliseum this season, most recently knocking off No. 17 Pitt in Morgantown on February 7. The Backyard Brawl victory marked the Mountaineers' first win at home over a ranked opponent since 2003 when they topped No. 24 Cleveland State, 25-16.
The Mountaineers close out the regular season with their 32nd all-time dual against former EWL foe Edinboro. The Fighting Scots own a 19-10-2 lead in the series, which has been around since 1977. West Virginia dropped a 25-9 match to Edinboro at the WVU Coliseum last season. The Mountaineers' most recent win in the series came in 2012.
No. 17 Dylan Cottrell registered a 16-0 tech. fall over Iowa State's Logan Brietenbach in Sunday's loss to the Cyclones. It was the Spencer, West Virginia, native's second tech. fall of the season and his team-leading 13th bonus-point victory of the season. Cottrell leads the Mountaineers with nine major decisions and also has a pair of pins.
No. 9/10 Jacob A. Smith went 2-0 last weekend against South Dakota State and Iowa State, remaining undefeated in Big 12 action. Smith is 4-0 with a major decision in Big 12 duals and is 7-0 with a pair of falls against Big 12 wrestlers this season. He is tied for the team lead with 26 wins, going 14-2 in dual matches.
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