Mountaineers to Face ASU, Stanford
TEMPE, Ariz. (January 22, 2016) – The West Virginia University wrestling team (5-4, 0-2) travels to Tempe, Arizona, this weekend for a pair of duals at Arizona State’s Wells Fargo Arena. The Mountaineers will face the host Sun Devils (6-6) in a 1 p.m. ET dual before taking on Stanford (7-2) in a 3 p.m. ET neutral site matchup.
Both matches will be available on the Pac-12 Network. Check local listings for channel information. Live stats can be found at TrackWrestling.com.
The Mountaineers and the Sun Devils square off in the tenth meeting in program history on Saturday in a series that originated in 1984. Though WVU trails 5-4 in the all-time series, the Mountaineers have taken three in a row from ASU and are 3-1 in the Sammie Henson/Zeke Jones era.
In the last meeting between the two, Jacob A. Smith scored a pin off a reversal at 197 pounds to lead West Virginia past Arizona State, 22-14, at the Mountaineer Quad on Nov. 8 in Morgantown. Each team took five bouts in the match, but the Mountaineers used a pair of bonus-point victories, as well as an injury default by ASU, in taking the dual.
The team’s trip to Phoenix will be a homecoming for WVU assistant coach Danny Felix. Felix is a Phoenix native and was an All-American at ASU, graduating in 1998 with a degree in fine arts. The Mountaineers also boast other ASU connections, as WVU senior Ross Renzi's brothers, Rick and Ron, both wrestled for the Sun Devils. In addition, ASU head coach Zeke Jones was formerly an assistant at West Virginia.
WVU and Stanford meet for just the second time this weekend. The Mountaineers previously took a 22-14 victory from the Cardinal in a neutral site match back in 2004. WVU is 1-1 against the Pac-12 this season, defeating ASU but falling to then-No. 20 Oregon State, 23-9, at the Northeast Duals on Nov. 15. West Virginia is 6-6 all-time against current Pac-12 teams. Zeke Moisey previously wrestled Connor Schram at the Southern Scuffle, winning a 2-1 decision on a stalling call in sudden victory.
The first NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings were released on Thursday, with five Mountaineers ranking in the top 33 of their respective weights. Zeke Moisey ranks at No. 13 at 125 pounds with a 21-7 mark, defeating four ranked opponents this season. Dylan Cottrell is 14th at 157 pounds, topping three nationally ranked foes on his way to a 21-5 mark. Freshman Connor Flynn is 27th at 165 pounds after having his redshirt pulled in early December. Bubba Scheffel is No. 30 with a 14-8 mark at 184 pounds and Jacob A. Smith rounds out the WVU crew at No. 8 at 197 with a 20-6 mark. The Coaches' Panel Rankings are used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers for the 2016 NCAA National Championships in New York.
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