Mountaineers Stumble vs. No. 12 Jackrabbits

By Amy Salvatore
February 11, 2018

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three Mountaineers claimed wins in Big 12 action, as the West Virginia University wrestling team dropped a 24-9 dual to No. 12 South Dakota State on Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.

Redshirt junior Zeke Moisey (125), redshirt freshman Kyler Rea (149) and freshman Nick Kiussis (165) won by decision for the Mountaineers (5-6, 4-4 Big 12).

"I really thought we could win this dual," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "I still believe that we could win this dual even though we just lost. We scouted. We just have to have our guys believe in our scouting and what we do. We had four matches get away from us. They fought, and that's great. I'm proud of them for fighting, but it's time to turn the page. It's time to get wins. We need to do it as a unit."

Moisey, ranked 14th nationally, started the Mountaineers off with a win by decision at 125 pounds. The WVU grappler rode a 4-0 lead into the second stanza following a takedown and two nearfall points in the first period over No. 19 Conner Brown. Neither wrestler scored in the second, as Brown elected to start the final frame in the defensive position. He then scored a reversal in the third to cut his deficit to two, down 4-2. However, it didn't take long for Moisey to escape and add another takedown for the 8-3 decision, giving WVU a 3-0 lead over SDSU.

Of note, the Northampton, Pennsylvania, native earned his team-leading 19th win on the year. Moisey boasts a 6-2 record in league action and has won eight of his last nine duals.

Following the 125-pound bout, redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt dropped an 8-2 decision to No. 1 Seth Gross at 133 pounds. The Jackrabbits then took a bonus victory in the next bout, as junior Christian Monserrat suffered an 11-3 major decision to Henry Pohlmeyer at 141 pounds.

Down 7-3 in team scoring, Rea claimed his second straight Big 12 victory at 149 pounds with a 6-3 decision over Isaac Andrade. After three minutes of action, Rea added a pair of takedowns and an escape for the 5-2 lead. A second-period escape put Rea up 6-2 before he started the final frame on top. Though Andrade managed to earn an escape of his own, Rea walked away with the 6-3 decision that brought the Mountaineers within one at 7-6.

However, the Jackrabbits claimed another bonus victory at 157 pounds for the 11-6 advantage.

Following intermission, Kiussis collected a hard-fought 5-4 decision over Logan Peterson. The two remained scoreless in the first, with Kiussis electing to start on bottom in the second. Kiussis then notched an early reversal, riding Peterson through the period for the 2-0 lead into the final frame. With a neutral start in the third, the Brunswick, Ohio, native added an early takedown for the 4-0 advantage, but it was Peterson who continued to put up a fight, adding a reversal and two nearfall points of his own to tie the bout at 4-4 with under a minute remaining. With 20 seconds left in regulation, Kiussis scored an escape to take the 5-4 decision and bring the Mountaineers within two, down 11-9, with four bouts remaining in the match.

South Dakota State then capped the dual with four straight wins, including one bonus victory at 174 pounds, for the 24-9 team win.

Of note, the Mountaineers have more than doubled their Big 12 win total from last season, completing their conference slate with a 4-4 mark overall. WVU earned its first Big 12 win in program history last season.

Looking ahead, the Mountaineers will cap their regular season slate with a pair of non-conference duals. First up, West Virginia travels to Edinboro, Pennsylvania, for a match with the Fighting Scots on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. The Mountaineers then return home three days later for their final regular-season match of the year, as they take on Clarion in a 2 p.m. ET dual on Sunday, Feb. 18.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

No. 12 South Dakota State 24, West Virginia 9
125: No. 15/14/14 Zeke Moisey (WVU) dec. No. -/19/- Conner Brown (SDSU), 8-3
133: No. 1/1/1 Seth Gross (SDSU) dec. Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 8-2
141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) major dec. Christian Monserrat (WVU), 11-3
149: Kyler Rea (WVU) dec. Isaac Andrade (SDSU), 6-3
157: No. 14/12/13 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) major dec. Hunter Jones (WVU), 14-0
165: Nick Kiussis (WVU) dec. Logan Peterson (SDSU), 5-4
174: No. 12/11/13 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Parker VonEgidy (WVU), 10-2
184: No. -/20/- Martin Mueller (SDSU) dec. Brenden McRill (WVU), 12-8
197: No. 11/11/12 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. No. -/18/- Jacob A. Smith (WVU), 7-6
285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 5-3

*Rankings are listed as followed: FloWrestling/Intermat/The Open Mat*

Return to the WV-Mat front page