West Virginia Wrestling

2015 NCAA Division I Championships

March 19-21, 2015
Scottrade Center, St. Louis MO

Team Scores
1. Ohio St. 102.0
2. Iowa 84.0
3. Edinboro 75.5
4. Missouri 73.5
5. Cornell 71.5
6. Penn St. 67.5
7. Oklahoma St. 65.0
8. Minnesota 59.5
9. Nebraska 59.0
10. Virginia Tech 56.0
11. Michigan 54.0
12. Illinois 51.0
13. Lehigh 39.5
14. Iowa St. 39.0
15. Northwestern 34.5

16. North Carolina St. 34.0
17. Wisconsin 32.5
18. Oklahoma 29.5
19. Virginia 26.5
20. West Virginia 23.5
21. Pittsburgh 23.0
22. Old Dominion 22.0
23. North Dakota St. 19.5
24. Indiana 18.0
24. North Carolina 18.0
26. Kent St. 16.0
27. Rider 15.5
28. Duke 14.0
29. Arizona St. 12.5
30. Oregon St. 11.5

31. Ohio 9.5
31. Princeton 9.5
31. Rutgers 9.5
34. Northern Iowa 9.0
35. Hofstra 8.0
35. Stanford 8.0
37. Lock Haven 7.5
38. Penn 6.5
39. Maryland 6.0
39. Wyoming 6.0
41. Drexel 5.0
42. Purdue 4.5
43. Appalachian St. 4.0
43. Boise State 4.0
45. Chattanooga 3.5

46. American 3.0
46. Brown 3.0
46. Bucknell 3.0
46. Northern Colorado 3.0
50. Army 2.5
50. Central Mich. 2.5
52. Air Force 2.0
53. Cleveland St. 1.5
53. Davidson 1.5
53. Eastern Mich. 1.5
53. Navy 1.5
53. South Dakota St. 1.5
58. Binghamton 1.0
58. Cal Poly 1.0
58. Citadel 1.0

58. Columbia 1.0
58. CSU Bakersfield 1.0
58. SIU Edwardsville 1.0
58. Utah Valley 1.0
65. George Mason 0.5
65. Harvard 0.5
67. Gardner-Webb 0.0
67. Northern Ill. 0.0
69. Michigan St. -0.5

2015 NCAA Division I Championships Results for West Virginia

125 - Zeke Moisey (31-14) placed 2nd and scored 19.00 team points. (Bracket)
Champ. Round 1 - Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 31-14 won by major decision over Chasen Tolbert (Utah Valley) 18-8 (MD 14-6)
Champ. Round 2 - Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 31-14 won by decision over Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) 34-5 (Dec 5-2)
Quarterfinal - Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 31-14 won by decision over Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma St.) 24-7 (Dec 5-2)
Semifinal - Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 31-14 won by fall over Thomas Gilman (Iowa) 31-6 (Fall 0:52)
1st Place Match - Nathan Tomasello (Ohio St.) 33-4 won by decision over Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) 31-14 (Dec 9-5)

141 - Mike Morales (31-16) place is unknown and scored 3.50 team points. (Bracket)
Champ. Round 1 - Mike Morales (West Virginia) 31-16 won by decision over George Fisher (Michigan) 24-19 (Dec 8-4)
Champ. Round 2 - Logan Stieber (Ohio St.) 29-0 won by fall over Mike Morales (West Virginia) 31-16 (Fall 2:10)
Cons. Round 2 - Mike Morales (West Virginia) 31-16 won by fall over Jameston Oster (Northwestern) 22-14 (Fall 0:20)
Cons. Round 3 - Geo Martinez (Boise State) 29-6 won in sudden victory - 1 over Mike Morales (West Virginia) 31-16 (SV-1 6-4)

184 - Jakob Scheffel (21-19) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points. (Bracket)
Champ. Round 1 - Max Thomusseit (Pittsburgh) 26-3 won by major decision over Jakob Scheffel (West Virginia) 21-19 (MD 14-4)
Cons. Round 1 - Brett Harner (Princeton) 29-9 won by decision over Jakob Scheffel (West Virginia) 21-19 (Dec 7-1)

197 - Jake Smith (25-11) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points. (Bracket)
Champ. Round 1 - Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) 33-12 won by decision over Jake Smith (West Virginia) 25-11 (Dec 3-1)
Cons. Round 1 - Jake Smith (West Virginia) 25-11 won in TB-3 by riding time over Zach Nye (Virginia) 17-11 (TB-3 (RT) 3-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Jake Smith (West Virginia) 25-11 won by decision over Jeffrey Koepke (Illinois) 21-17 (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 3 - Canaan Bethea (Penn) 19-9 won in sudden victory - 1 over Jake Smith (West Virginia) 25-11 (SV-1 3-1)



Moisey Caps Season as NCAA Runner-Up

ST. LOUIS (March 21, 2015) – West Virginia University wrestler Zeke Moisey’s incredible NCAA tournament run came to end with a 9-5 loss to No. 4 seed Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State in the championship finals at the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday night at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The true freshman from Northampton, Pennsylvania, will cap his rookie season as the NCAA runner-up in addition to receiving All-America honors. He finishes with a mark of 32-14, tying the program mark for wins at 125 and ranking second in program history in wins as a freshman.

“I’m extremely proud of Zeke and his performance this weekend,” said WVU coach Sammie Henson. He represented West Virginia University and the Mountaineer wrestling program with guts and honor. We have a bright future with an extremely motivated coaching staff, support staff, administration and wrestlers.”

After battling through two scoreless minutes in the first, Tomasello hit Moisey for a takedown with 44 seconds remaining. Moisey escaped to trail 2-1 as the first came to a close. Starting the second in the defensive position, Moisey tied the score 2-2 on an escape 26 seconds into the period. Tomasello added another takedown as the period wound down, taking a 4-2 lead into the final stanza. Starting on top, Moisey yielded an escape to Tomasello, who took a 5-2 lead, but scored a takedown to cut the deficit to two at 5-4. Tomasello escaped to push his advantage to 6-4, then registered a final takedown with just under a minute to go. Battling through injury, Moisey escaped to trail 8-5 with 33 seconds left, but couldn’t come from behind. Tomasello tacked on a point for riding time to take the 9-5 decision and the NCAA title.

The first unseeded wrestler since 2003 to compete for a national title, Moisey was the first Mountaineer to reach the NCAA semifinals since 2005 when Greg Jones won the national championship at 184 pounds. He is the 30th All-American in WVU program history and the first to earn the honor since Brandon Rader in 2007.

West Virginia finished the tournament with in 20th place with 23.5 points. It marks the Mountaineers’ first top-25 finish since 2005, when they took 18th overall with 34.00 points.

Entering the tournament as an unseeded, unranked true freshman, Moisey pulled off four consecutive upsets in earning his spot in the finals. He defeated No. 15 seed Chasen Tolbert of Utah Valley in a 14-6 major decision in the first round before upsetting No. 2 seed Nahshon Garrett of Cornell in a 5-2 decision. Moisey then beat Big 12 foe and No. 7 seed Eddie Klimara in a 5-2 decision to earn his spot in the semifinals.

Moisey’s NCAA Tournament Run

125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) major dec. No. 15 Chasen Tolbert (UVU), 14-6
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 5-2
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 7 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 5-2
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) pinned No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), 0:52
125: No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) dec. Zeke Moisey (WVU, 9-5



Moisey to Wrestle for National Championship

ST. LOUIS (March 20, 2015) – Taking down his fourth seeded wrestler of the tournament, true freshman Zeke Moisey won by fall over No. 6 seed Thomas Gilman to qualify for the finals of the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Friday evening.

Moisey will take on No. 4 seed Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State for a 125-pound national championship on Saturday evening. The event will start with the Parade of All-Americans at 7:35 ET with the finals starting at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“You need to stay consistent and stay in the moment,” said WVU coach Sammie Henson. “Zeke is wrestling on full throttle and moving the best I have seen him all year. This says a lot about our program and where we are headed. I’ve said it before – we have the best coaching staff in the country from administrators, to trainers and coaches. We are a family.”

A native of Northampton, Pennsylvania, Moisey entered the tournament unseeded and unranked in most polls. He was one of three unseeded wrestlers and also one of three true freshman to qualify for this year’s semifinals. Moisey will be the first unseeded wrestler in the NCAA finals since 2003, and the first Mountaineer to do so since Greg Jones in 2005 when he won the national championship at 184 pounds.

Moisey took his shots on Gilman early, scoring two on the takedown before Gilman escaped to pick up a point. He then hit Gilman with a nearside cradle, putting him to the mat for the win in 52 seconds.

A redshirt freshman, Tomasello is a familiar foe for Moisey, as they wrestled in high school before facing off twice in their first collegiate season. The two first met on November 2 at the Michigan State Open, where Tomasello took a 19-6 major decision from Moisey. A rematch came on December 5 at Cliff Keen, with Tomasello winning a 15-10 decision.

Moisey had a tough road in earning his spot in the national finals. He defeated No. 15 seed Chasen Tolbert of Utah Valley in a 14-6 major decision in the first round before upsetting No. 2 seed Nahshon Garrett of Cornell in a 5-2 decision. Moisey then beat Big 12 foe and No. 7 seed Eddie Klimara in a 5-2 decision to earn his spot in the semifinals.

West Virginia is currently in a tie for 17th place with 23.5 points midway through the semifinals. The Mountaineers’ last top-25 finish came in 2005 when they took 18th overall.

Moisey’s NCAA Tournament Run

125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) major dec. No. 15 Chasen Tolbert (UVU), 14-6
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 5-2
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 7 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 5-2
125: Zeke Moisey (WVU) pinned No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), 0:52



All-American Moisey to Wrestle in NCAA Semis

ST. LOUIS (March 20, 2015) – True freshman Zeke Moisey defeated No. 7 seed Eddie Klimara of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals to earn All-America honors and a spot in the semifinals at the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Friday morning.

With a 5-2 decision win over Big 12 foe Klimara, Moisey became the program’s first All-American since Brandon Rader in 2007. He is set to face No. 6 seed Thomas Gilman of Iowa in tonight’s semifinals, which will start at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

No. 16 seed Michael Morales concluded his WVU career, dropping a 6-4 decision in sudden victory to Geo Martinez of Boise State. He had previously pinned Northwestern’s Jameston Oster in 20 seconds in the first round of consolations.

Jake A. Smith was also eliminated from competition after suffering a 3-1 loss to Canaan Bethea of Penn in sudden victory. He had taken an 8-3 win over Jeffrey Koepke of Illinois earlier in the day.

“It was a rollercoaster of a session with some hard-fought battles,” said WVU coach Sammie Henson, who has now produced an All-American in every season of his coaching career. “I’m proud of the way our Mountaineers gave it everything they had. It was a tough loss for Mike – I really thought he had the match won, as did Jake. Both dominated their bouts in all areas but unfortunately ended with the loss.”

With Klimara leading the all-time series between the two at 2-0, Moisey entered the quarterfinals looking for revenge. Neither wrestler scored in the first period, although Moisey was awarded a takedown that was waived off as time had expired. Starting the second period in the defensive position, Moisey escaped 25 seconds into the period for a 1-0 lead. He padded his advantage with a takedown midway through the half, leading 3-0 entering the final period. Klimara started on bottom and escaped five seconds in to get on the board down 3-1. Moisey took him down again with 20 seconds remaining, though Klimara escaped with four ticks to go. However, Moisey had sealed the deal and took the 5-2 decision to advance.

“Zeke needs to continue with the system and stay in the moment,” said Henson. “Everything else will work out.”

Moisey’s win avenged a 5-3 loss to Klimara in the Big 12 finals on March 7. He had also previously dropped a 10-2 major decision when West Virginia faced Oklahoma State in dual match action on January 16 in Stillwater.

Morales made quick work of Oster, scoring the takedown just 13 seconds into the bout. He soon turned Oster, picking up his fifth pin of the season in just 20 seconds to advance in the consolation bracket.

He then took on Martinez of Boise State, who knocked him out of Cliff Keen in December with an 8-4 decision. Martinez scored a takedown in the first minute of action, but Morales escaped soon after to make it 2-1 to close the first. He started on bottom in the second, escaping ten seconds in to tie the score 2-2 before Martinez took a 4-2 lead on his second takedown of the bout. Morales escaped seconds later, but couldn’t score and trailed 4-3 entering the third. With Martinez on bottom, Morales attempted to turn him but couldn’t pick up nearfall points. However, he rode Martinez for the period, tying the match 4-4 on riding time at the end of regulation. Martinez go the takedown midway through the sudden victory period for the 6-4 win, eliminating Morales.

Smith took an 8-3 decision from Koepke of Illinois to pick up his 27th win of the season. Smith registered a takedown on Koepke in the first minute of action before putting his shoulders to the mat for a pair of back points and a 4-0 lead. Koepke escaped with 30 seconds to go, but not before Smith had put more than a minute of riding time on the board. Koepke won choice and chose to start the second in the defensive position, with Smith riding him for the majority of the period. Koepke escaped with 30 seconds to go, trailing Smith 4-2. Smith chose bottom to start the third, but escaped five seconds in to stretch his lead to 5-1. He added a takedown to make it 7-2, but cut Koepke with 30 to go.

Moving on in the bracket, Smith faced Bethea to close out the day for the Mountaineers. The two battled to a scoreless first period before Bethea won choice and started on bottom in the second, looking to score. He successfully escaped, taking a 1-0 lead though neither scored again in the second. Smith started in the defensive position at the beginning of the third, escaping 26 seconds in to tie the match 1-1. The tie sent the match in sudden victory, where Bethea earned the takedown with 12 remaining to take the 3-1 decision.

125 pounds
Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 7 Eddie Klimara (OSU), 5-2

141 pounds
No. 16 Michael Morales (WVU) pinned Jameston Oster (Northwestern), :20
Geo Martinez (BSU) dec. Michael Morales (WVU), 6-4 SV-1

197 pounds
Jake A. Smith (WVU) dec. Jeffrey Koepke (Illinois), 8-3
Canaan Bethea (Penn) dec. Jake A. Smith (WVU), 3-1 SV-1



Moisey Upsets No. 2 Garrett, Moves to NCAA Quarterfinals

ST. LOUIS (March 19, 2015) – True freshman Zeke Moisey upset returning national finalist and No. 2 seed Nahshon Garrett of Cornell to advance to the 125 pound quarterfinals at the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Thursday evening.

After suffering an 18-9 major decision loss to Garrett at the Northeast Duals in November, Moisey came through when it mattered most in earning his second NCAA tournament victory. He is one win away from All-America status, and will take on No. 7 seed Eddie Klimara of Oklahoma State in Friday morning’s quarterfinals. The two have met twice this season, with Klimara winning a 5-3 decision on March 7 at the Big 12 Championship.

Jake A. Smith stayed alive with a 3-3 decision win over Virginia’s Zach Nye on riding time in tiebreaker three. He will take on Jeff Koepke of Illinois in the second round of Friday’s wrestlebacks. Michael Morales will also wrestle tomorrow, dropping to the consolation bracket after falling to No. 1 seed Logan Stieber in 2:10. He is set to face Jameson Oster of Northwestern. Bubba Scheffel was eliminated after a 7-1 decision loss to Princeton’s Brett Harner.

Session III featuring the quarterfinals and second-round wrestlebacks will start at 11 a.m. ET. The action will be broadcast on ESPNU as well as ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.

Nearly a redshirt this season, Moisey instead becomes the first Mountaineer to make the quarterfinals since heavyweight Brandon Williamson did so in 2010.

“Zeke wrestled smart, stayed within the game plan and showed his maturity,” said first-year head coach Sammie Henson. “He needs to wrestle with the same mindset tomorrow and live in the moment. Great things happen you do that.”

Moisey controlled the majority of the match, scoring a takedown in the first minute of action and adding a pair of nearfall points for the 4-0 lead. He rode Garrett for the rest of the period, taking the advantage and 2:13 riding time into the second. Starting in the defensive position, Moisey was unable to escape, but Garrett couldn’t put points on the board as Moisey kept his 4-0 advantage. With Moisey on top to start the third, Garrett scored an early reversal to put two on the board. Moisey escaped with just under a minute to go, and neither wrestler scored the rest of the period as Moisey took the 5-2 decision.

No. 16 Michael Morales fell in the first period to No. 1 seed Logan Stieber at 141 pounds. Stieber, the three-time defending national champion, scored a takedown :30 in and added a pair of nearfall points soon after. He once again put Morales to the mat for a trio of back points before adding two more to take a 9-0 advantage. Stieber would get the fall over Morales in 2:10.

Scheffel suffered his second setback of the day in the first round of wrestlebacks. He trailed 2-0 early on after a Harner takedown, and couldn’t put a point on the board to close out the first period. Scheffel won choice but deferred in the second, starting on top. Harner escaped to take a 3-0 lead, which he kept throughout the second period. The two started in the neutral position in the third, with Harner recording a takedown midway through for a 5-0 advantage. Scheffel was hit with his second stalling call, making it a 6-0 before Harner was also called for stalling to put Scheffel on the board with a point. Harner rode Scheffel out before adding a point for riding time to take the 7-1 decision.

Smith battled to the end, and it paid off for the sophomore. Neither Smith nor Nye scored in the first, entering the second period with Nye in the defensive position. He escaped :30 in to take a 1-0 lead, which he carried through to the third period. Smith returned the favor eight seconds into the third period to know the score 1-1. The two were scoreless sin sudden victory, as well as the first overtime. Smith took a 2-1 lead on an escape, but Nye matched his feat as the period came to a close to knot the score at 2-2. Nye escaped in the third overtime to take a 3-2 lead, and nearly won the match before Smith was able to get out with two seconds remaining. He had previously accrued ten seconds of riding time, giving him the decision win.

125 pounds
Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. 2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 5-2

141 pounds
No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) pinned No. 16 Michael Morales (WVU), 2:10

184 pounds
Brett Harner (Princeton) dec. Bubba Scheffel (WVU), 7-1

197 pounds


Jake A. Smith (WVU) dec. Zach Nye (UVa.), 3-3 TB-3 (RT)


Moisey, Morales Advance at NCAA Championships

ST. LOUIS (March 19, 2015) – Zeke Moisey and Michael Morales won their initial bouts to advance to the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon.

Morales and Moisey become the first Mountaineers to advance to the second round since 2012, when Lance Bryson (174) and Brandon Williamson (HWT) earned first-round wins.

“We started the day out strong with some good wins and some tough losses at the end in the upper weights,” said WVU coach Sammie Henson. “You have to want to battle in this tournament. You have to want to take the wins from your opponent, not just survive. We need to come out and make it happen tonight.”

Moisey started the tournament off on a high note for the Mountaineers at 125 pounds, taking a 14-6 major decision from No. 15 seed Chasen Tolbert of Utah Valley to advance to the second round Thursday evening, where he will face No. 2 seed Nahshon Garrett of Cornell. The two previously squared off at the Northeast Duals in November, with Garrett winning a 19-8 major decision.

Morales, who entered the tournament as the No. 16 see, used an 8-4 decision over Michigan’s George Fisher to move to the second round. He will face No. 1 seed and defending national champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State.

With four wrestlers in action, the Mountaineers went 2-2 in the first round. Bubba Scheffel dropped a 14-4 major decision to No. 2 seed Max Thomusseit of Pittsburgh, while Jake A. Smith lost a 3-1 decision to No. 15 seed Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska. The two will compete in Thursday evening’s wrestlebacks.

Moisey, who had previously defeated Tolbert at the Cliff Keen Invitational in December, scored a takedown a minute into the first period and added a pair of nearfall points to take a 4-0 lead. Tolbert escaped with a minute to go in the first, but Moisey countered with escape and two more back points before taking an 8-2 lead to close the first. With Tolbert on bottom, Moisey started the second period off with a trio of nearfall points to make it an 11-2 lead before Tolbert escaped and registered his first takedown. Moisey escaped midway through the period and quickly sent Tolbert to the mat for two, leading 14-3 to start the third. Starting on bottom, Moisey was unable to escape, giving Tolbert the point for riding time, but took the 14-6 major to advance.

The first WVU wrestler to earn a seed since 2009, Morales yielded a takedown to Fisher to trail 2-0 in the first minute of action. However, he escaped with 1:39 to go and countered with a takedown of his own for a 3-2 advantage in the closing seconds of the first. Starting on bottom, he escaped less than 15 seconds into the second period to push his lead to 5-2 before adding another takedown to make it 6-2. Fisher escaped, putting the score at 5-3 after five minutes of action. Fisher registered an escape to start the third, making it a one-point match at 5-4. However, Morales added a takedown with three seconds remaining, and tacked on a point for riding time, in earning the 8-4 decision.

Scheffel entered the day with the toughest match up, facing No. 2 seed Thomusseit. Thomusseit took a 2-0 lead on a takedown less than a minute in, though Scheffel escaped to trail 2-1. Thomusseit added another takedown with: 55 remaining in the first, ending the period with a 4-1 advantage. Starting on bottom, Scheffel escaped early in the second looking to make up ground with a 4-2 deficit. However, Thomusseit countered with a pair of takedowns in the second, with Scheffel adding another escape to put the score at 8-3 in favor of Thomusseit at the end of the period. Scheffel started on top in the third, but Thomusseit registered the escape and a takedown midway through the period. Scheffel got a point for the escape, but Thomusseit recorded another takedown and adding the point for riding time in taking the major decision.

Smith and Studebaker wrestled a scoreless first period, with Smith deferring and Studebaker choosing bottom in to start the second. Studebaker registered and escape midway through the period, taking a 1-0 lead thought neither wrestler scored an offensive point in the second. Smith started on bottom in the third, escaping early on to tie the score 1-1. Studebacker scored the first takedown of the bout with 1:20 to go, riding Smith out to take the 3-1 decision.

The second round of the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will begin at 7 p.m. ET Thursday evening.

125 pounds
First round: Zeke Moisey (WVU) major dec. No. 15 Chasen Tolbert (UVU), 14-6

141 pounds
No. 16 Michael Morales (WVU) dec. George Fisher (Michigan), 8-4

184 pounds
No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) major dec. Bubba Scheffel (WVU), 14-4

197 pounds
No. 15 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) dec. Jake A. Smith (WVU), 3-1

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