WVU ANNOUNCES WRESTLING SCHEDULE

IOWA STATE AND OHIO STATE HIGHLIGHT HOME DUAL SCHEDULE

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (October 22, 2002) - West Virginia University athletic director Ed Pastilong today announced the 2002-03 wrestling schedule.

Highlighting the home slate will be visits by two of the top programs in the nation as well as the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) tournament. Iowa State, who finished second at the NCAA championships last season, will travel to Morgantown on January 4, to open the home dual schedule for WVU. The Mountaineers host Ohio State, who finished runner-up at the National Duals last season, on January 9. Perennial EWL power Edinboro pays a visit to the Coliseum on February 21.

The WVU Coliseum will also be the site for the 2003 EWL tournament. The two-day event will take place March 8 and 9.

The Mountaineers are slated to participate in the National Duals for the seventh time in the program's history on January 18 and 19, in Columbus, Ohio.

The Mountaineers will play host to the annual WVU Open on November 16, and will take part in the Navy Classic, the Las Vegas Invitational and the Midlands Tournament before beginning their dual slate.

Date Event Location
Nov. 16 WVU Open Morgantown, W.Va.
Nov. 23 Navy Classic Anapolis, Md.
Dec. 6-7 Las Vegas Inv. Las Vegas, Nev.
Dec. 27-28 Midlands Tourn. Chicago, Ill.
Jan. 4 Iowa State Morgantown, W.Va.
Jan. 9 Ohio State Morgantown, W.Va.
Jan. 11 Bloomsburg Bloomsburg, Pa.
Jan. 18-19 National Duals Columbus, Ohio
Feb. 2 Clarion Clarion, Pa.
Feb. 7 Lock Haven Lock Haven, Pa.
Feb. 9 Virginia Tech Morgantown, W.Va.
Feb. 14 Pitt Pittsburgh, Pa.
Feb. 15 Ohio Morgantown, W.Va.
Feb. 21 Edinboro Morgantown, W.Va.
Feb. 23 Cleveland State Morgantown, W.Va.
Mar. 8-9 EWL Championships Morgantown, W.Va.
Mar. 20-22 NCAA Championships Kansas City, Mo.



WVU WRESTLERS OPEN SEASON IN RANKINGS

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. (October 22, 2002) - After finishing 13th in the nation at the NCAA championships last season, several sources have ranked West Virginia among the top 15 wrestling teams in the nation heading into the 2002-03 season.

Intermatwrestle.com ranked WVU 11th in the nation based on dual meet strength while Amateur Wrestling News had the Mountaineers 9th based on tournament team strength. TheMat.com rated the Mountaineers as the 5th-best team in the country–the team's highest ranking in any poll. TheWrestlingMall.com ranked WVU 13th in the nation.

In addition to the team's lofty rankings, eight out of the 10 wrestlers in WVU's projected starting lineup are ranked. Sophomore Greg Jones, the defending national champion, is the unanimous top-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds. Jones is the third wrestler in WVU history to hold a No.1 ranking. Shane Cunanan (141) and Tom McMath (165) were the other Mountaineer wrestlers ranked in the top 10. Brent Miller was ranked as a 197 pounder and Adrian Thompson was ranked at heavyweight, but the two will switch positions when the season begins.

"It's a compliment to the people in our program and the work they did last year," head coach Craig Turnbull said. "We have a team that is very similar to our team last year that was very successful. I'm not so much concerned with our ranking but with our schedule. We could realistically see 15 or 16 of the top teams in the nation throughout the season. Our goal is to be prepared at the end of the season."

West Virginia begins its season November 16, with the annual WVU Open.

AWN TheMat.com TheWrestlingMall.com Intermatwrestle.com
WVU Team 9th 5th 13th 11th
Brandon Lauer (133) 18th No individual rankings NR 18th
Shane Cunanan (141) 5th No individual rankings 9th 5th
Billy Smith (149) 11th No individual rankings 11th 12th
Tom McMath (165) 6th No individual rankings 7th 11th
Greg Jones (174) 1st No individual rankings 1st 1st
Ryan Wilman (184) 19thNo individual rankings NR HM
Adrian Thompson* (197) 19th No individual rankings 15th NR
Brent Miller** (HWT) 9th No individual rankings 5th 7th

*Ranked at heavweight, will wrestle 197

**Ranked at 197, will wrestle heavyweight


Return to the WV-Mat WVU Main Page