From the WVU Wrestling Website


Mountaineers Fall at No. 11 Wyoming

January 27, 2019

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three Mountaineers came away with wins, as the West Virginia University wrestling team (4-12, 3-5 Big 12) dropped a 33-15 match to No. 11 Wyoming (12-3, 3-1 Big 12) at the UniWyo Sports Complex, in Laramie, Wyoming, on Sunday afternoon.

Redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157) and redshirt freshman Noah Adams (197) each earned a pin at their respective weight classes, while redshirt senior Christian Monserrat claimed an 8-4 decision at 149 pounds to cap the dual with a Mountaineer victory.

"We are getting better," first-year coach Tim Flynn said. "Noah had a big win today, and Christian and Zach also wrestled really well. We are excited to come back home and wrestle in front of Mountaineer Nation at the Coliseum on Friday."

Starting at 157 pounds, Moore pinned Wyoming's Jed Loveless in 1:03 to give the Mountaineers a 6-0 lead right out the gate. The Oklahoma City native also recorded a win by fall in his match against Utah Valley on Friday. Moore now has a team-leading seven pins on the year, with all seven coming within the first three minutes of action.

No. 9 Branson Ashworth cut the Cowboys' deficit to three, snapping sophomore Nick Kiussis' four-match win streak at 165 pounds. No. 19 Kiussis deferred his choice following a scoreless first period, which allowed Ashworth to start the second on bottom and earn the escape. Kiussis began the final frame in the defensive position, but could not escape, as Ashworth rode him through the period to tack on the riding time point for the 2-0 decision.

Wyoming then picked up a pair of bonus-point victories at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, for a 15-6 lead before Adams countered with a six-point victory of his own at 197 pounds. The Coal City, West Virginia, native took down Cale Davidson, who is ranked at No. 18 by FloWrestling, in 4:17 to collect his second win over a ranked opponent this season.

Junior Brandon Ngati then dropped a 4-0 decision to Brian Andrews at heavyweight, as Wyoming extended its lead back to six at 18-12. The Mountaineers did not weigh in a wrestler at 125 pounds, which added six more points to the Cowboy's team total.

Down 24-12 with three bouts remaining, redshirt sophomore Matthew Schmitt, who is ranked at No. 14 by The Open Mat, faced No. 11 Montorie Bridges for the second time in his career. Bridges scored a first-period takedown, but Schmitt escaped to trail 2-1 entering the second. Schmitt deferred his choice, which permitted Bridges to start on bottom and earn his second escape in the match for a 3-1 lead. Schmitt escaped in the third, but could not find the takedown he needed, as Bridges walked away with the 3-2 decision to increase the Cowboys' lead to 15.

Freshman Luke Martin then fell to No. 18 Sam Turner in 1 minute, 33 seconds at 141 pounds, though No. 16 Monserrat pulled through with a trio of takedowns for an 8-4 decision over Jaron Jensen in the final bout of the day to cap the dual on a positive note.

Looking ahead, West Virginia will wrap up its home slate on Friday, Feb. 1, with a nonconference match against Army at 8 p.m. ET. The Mountaineers and the Black Knights meet for just the third time overall, with the all-time series knotted at one win apiece.

It is Senior Day, and WVU will celebrate the careers of Joe Wheeling and Monserrat following the match. It's also Mountaineer Kids Club Day, and fans will have an opportunity to receive the Mountaineers' autographs one last time following the match.

No. 11 Wyoming 33, West Virginia 15
157: Zachary Moore (WVU) wins by fall Jed Loveless (WYO), F 1:03
165: No. 9/8/9 Branson Ashworth (WYO) dec. No. 19/19/19 Nick Kiussis (WVU), 2-0
174: Anthony Lombardo (WYO) wins by fall James Wujek (WVU), F 2:50
184: No. -/-/20 Tate Samuelson (WYO) wins by fall Jackson Moomau (WVU), F 1:50
197: Noah Adams (WVU) wins by fall No. -/18/- Cale Davidson (WYO), F 4:17
HWT: Brian Andrews (WYO) dec. Brandon Ngati (WVU), 4-0
125: Brock George (WYO) wins by forfeit
133: No. 11/11/11 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. No. 14/16/15 Matthew Schmitt (WVU), 3-2
141: No. -/11/18 Sam Turner (WYO) wins by fall Luke Martin (WVU), F 1:33
149: No. 20/-/16 Christian Monserrat (WVU) dec. Jaron Jensen (WYO), 8-4

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

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