West Liberty State College
Hilltopper Wrestling

From HiltopperSports.com - The Official Athletic Site of West Liberty University

January 16, 2010

West Liberty Wrestlers Split Triangular

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The No. 13-ranked West Liberty University wrestling team split a triangular meet at home Saturday, dropping a 20-16 verdict to Kutztown (Pa.) before rebounding with a thrilling 23-18 win against Seton Hill.

Coach Brian Davis’s Hilltoppers trailed by 10 points heading into the final three matches of the day but mounted a strong finish to salvage the split.

Brandon Neifeld lit the fuse with a 9-4 decision against the Griffins’ Wade Miller in the 184-pound match, trimming the deficit to 18-11 and keeping West Liberty’s hopes alive.

Mitch Knapp, ranked No. 7 nationally at 197 pounds, then brought the crowd to its feet with a pin of Nick Padezan just 95 seconds into their match.

That cut the Seton Hill lead to just 18-17 and set the stage for heavyweight J.D. Ramsey to finish with a flourish, pinning the Griffins’ Greg Vanucci at 3:51 to put the Hilltoppers over the top.

West Liberty’s three nationally-ranked wrestlers all won both of their matches on the afternoon.

Nick Wykoff, No. 8 at 133 pounds, beat Kutztown’s Austin Williams by a 9-3 score in the opener before breezing to an 8-0 major decision against Seton Hill’s Josh Testa.

Mitch Smith, the nation’s No. 1-ranked 149-pounder, rolled to a pair of major decisions. He dominated Kutztown’s Brett Martinez, 12-1, and followed that up with an 18-6 shellacking of Seton Hill’s Kurt McCamley.

Knapp pitched a 2-0 shutout against Kutztown’s Scott Snyder in his first match before coming through with the clutch pinfall in the nightcap.

Ramsey was the only other Hilltopper to win both matches on the day. He outlasted Kutztown’s Kevin Bolinsky, 4-2, in the opener before sending all the West Liberty fans home happy in the finale.

The Hilltoppers go back on the road this weekend when they head south to participate in the NCAA Division II Super Region One Duals. Newberry (S.C.) College is hosting the two-day event on Friday and Saturday.

Kutztown 20 West Liberty 16
125: Chris Sheetz (KU) p. Sean Jordan (WLU), 3:49
133: Nick Wykoff (WLU) d. Austin Williams (KU), 9-3
141: John Paukovits (KU) d. Matt Cunningham (WLU), 6-3
149: Mitch Smith (WLU) md. Brett Martinez (KU), 12-1
157: Derek Schmelyun (KU) md. Brian Leggett (WLU), 11-0
165: Jarrod Shaw (WLU) d. Ricardo Pena (KU), 5-3
174: Dave Zeek (KU) d. Matt Littleton (WLU), 5-2
184: Tim Darling (KU) md. Brandon Neifield (WLU), 9-0
197: Mitch Knapp (WLU) d. Scott Snyder (KU), 2-0
Hwt: J.D. Ramsey (WLU) d. Kevin Bolinsky (KU), 4-2

West Liberty 23 Seton Hill 18
125: Kenny Trumbetta (SHU) d. Sean Jordan (WLU), 5-0
133: Nick Wykoff (WLU) md. Josh Testa (SHU), 8-0
141: Dallas Evans (SHU) p. Matt Cunningham (WLU), 5:51
149: Mitch Smith (WLU) md. Kurt McCamley (SHU), 18-6
157: Josh Voellar (SHU) d. Brian Leggett (WLU), 6-5
165: Randall Wagner (SHU) d. Jarrod Shaw (WLU), 8-3
174: Lewis Spadaro (SHU) d. Matt Littleton (WLU), 9-8
184: Brandon Neifeld (WLU) d. Wade Miller (SHU), 9-4
197: Mitch Knapp (WLU) p. Nick Padezan (SHU), 1:35
Hwt: J.D. Ramsey (WLU) p. Greg Vanucci (SHU), 3:51


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