Lyons Reveals 2018-19 Wrestling Slate

By Amy Salvatore
September 27, 2018

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons announced the 2018-19 wrestling schedule on Thursday.

Coach Tim Flynn's inaugural season will be highlighted by 18 dual matches, including six in front of the Mountaineer faithful at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers will wrestle nine Big 12 duals, including four at home. Of note, West Virginia will face seven opponents that finished in the Top-25 at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

"It's a really difficult schedule, but we want our guys to be tested and prepared for the big show at the end of the year," Flynn said. "It's a really challenging schedule, but we're excited for it."

Fans will get a sneak peek of the squad on Saturday, Oct. 27, when the team hosts wrestle-offs. The event will be held in the WVU Shell Building at 2 p.m.

West Virginia opens the season on Nov. 1, as the team welcomes Big 12 affiliate member Northern Colorado to the WVU Coliseum, at 7 p.m. The Mountaineers hold a 2-0 lead in the all-time series, defeating the Bears, 24-16, in Greeley, Colorado, last season. WVU will then hop on I-79 South two days later to compete in the Hokie Open on Nov. 4.

The Mountaineers head to their final open tournament of the season a week later, traveling to Troy, New York, for the 2018 Journeymen Collegiate Classic, on Nov. 11. It will mark the first time since 2016 that WVU will compete at the event.

West Virginia will remain on the road, traveling to Ithaca, New York, a week later to face Cornell on Nov. 17, in a 1 p.m. matchup. Both squads will meet for just the second time in program history, as the Big Red earned a win over the Mountaineers in their first-ever meeting at the 2014 Journeymen Duals. Of note, Cornell placed ninth at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Following two weeks on the road, West Virginia returns to the WVU Coliseum to round out the month of November with a 1 p.m. match against Big 12 affiliate Northern Iowa on Nov. 18. The Panthers own a 3-0 lead in the all-time series, with the last meeting taking place in 1991.

Back-to-back rivalry matches highlight the December schedule. WVU travels to Pitt on Dec. 15 for a 7 p.m. dual against the Panthers. The longest-running series in WVU history, West Virginia has topped Pitt four times in the last five seasons, including last year. Following the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineers welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the WVU Coliseum on Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., before the team departs for a holiday break.

The Mountaineers then head south for several matches, taking on Virginia, Michigan State, North Dakota State and Purdue, as part of the South Beach Duals, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, from Dec. 29-30. West Virginia holds a 12-2 all-time series advantage over Virginia. Michigan State holds a 5-1 lead in the all-time series, though WVU claimed a 23-12 win in the squads' most recent meeting in 2012. The Mountaineers went head-to-head with the Bison for the first time in program history last season, notching the 19-12 victory over NDSU in Morgantown. Purdue holds a 1-0 all-time series advantage, though the squads have not faced each other head-to-head since 1954.

The Mountaineers start the new year with a Big 12 road match against Oklahoma on Jan. 4, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. match against NC State, on Jan. 13, in Raleigh, North Carolina. WVU will meet OU for the 10th time in program history, with the Mountaineers upsetting the Sooners, 24-12, last season at the WVU Coliseum, their first win over Oklahoma since 1986. NC State, which finished fifth at the 2018 NCAA Tournament, holds a slim 3-2 advantage in the all-time series.

A dual against Oklahoma State on Jan. 18 is the first of two consecutive home matches for the Mountaineers. Iowa State also comes to Morgantown on Jan. 20 for a 1 p.m. matchup. The Mountaineers earned their first-ever Big 12 win against the Cyclones in 2017, as now-junior heavyweight Brandon Ngati pinned Joe Scanlan in the final bout to claim a thrilling comeback win, 22-20, inside the WVU Coliseum.

WVU hits the road for the next three matches to close out the month of January. The team will start the road swing in Orem, Utah, as WVU faces CSU Bakersfield in a neutral-site matchup on Jan. 25, at 5 p.m., followed by a dual against Big 12 affiliate Utah Valley at 9 p.m. From there, the Mountaineers will trek to Laramie, Wyoming, to square off with Wyoming, the squad's second Big 12 match of the weekend, on Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. The Roadrunners own a 2-0 lead in the all-time series, with the last meeting taking place in 2017. West Virginia met Utah Valley for the first time in program history last season, as the Wolverines walked away with the 24-9 neutral-site victory. Wyoming holds a 1-0 all-time series advantage, though the squads have not faced each other head-to-head since 2009.

West Virginia wraps up its home slate on Feb. 1, with a nonconference match against Army. The Mountaineers and the Black Knights meet for just the third time overall in February, with the all-time series knotted at one win apiece.

The regular season will come to a close on Feb. 24, in Brookings, South Dakota, where the Mountaineers and the Jackrabbits square off in a 7 p.m. match. South Dakota State, which finished 12th at Nationals, holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series.

The Big 12 Championship will return to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 9-10. The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place March 21-23, at PPG Paints Arena, in Pittsburgh. Three WVU wrestlers qualified for last year's championships, including redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt at 133 pounds.

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