Trailing 8-0 to start the match, West Virginia won seven of the last eight bouts to move to 5-2 on the year and 1-1 in Big 12 action. WVU also topped its four-match win total from 2019 and 2020 - coach Tim Flynn's first two seasons at the helm of the Mountaineer wrestling program.
No. 1 Noah Adams, a redshirt junior, showed how dominant he could be by earning a 13-1 major decision over No. 16 Jacob Seely to put the Mountaineers on the board. The Coal City, West Virginia, native put on a clinic in the second period, scoring a takedown and four nearfall points for the 9-1 advantage. Adams scored his third takedown in the final frame and forced two stall calls for the extra point. He also accumulated over five minutes of riding time at the end of regulation, which put the final score at 13-1.
The 197-pound grappler owns a pair of bonus victories this season and has outscored his opponents 59-15. With the win, Adams improves to 7-0 on the year and extends his win streak to 39, which dates back to Nov. 3, 2019.
"I thought he was dominant, and that's what we are trying to get him to do," Flynn said. "We want him to use all his weapons. He was shooting. He was attacking the legs. He was using an under hook. He looked good."
Redshirt freshman Michael Wolfgram (HWT) and redshirt junior Killian Cardinale (125) each won by decision in their respective bouts, as West Virginia took a 10-8 lead with five bouts remaining. Wolfgram picked up a 5-3 decision over Robert Winters at heavyweight, while Cardinale, ranked No. 24 by The Open Mat, notched a 7-2 decision over Jace Koelzer at 125 pounds.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Sullivan made a statement in his Mountaineer debut at 133 pounds, pinning No. 20 Theorius Robison in 3:48 to put WVU on top for good at 16-8.
"That was huge," Flynn said. "I was happy for Ryan. He's put in a lot of work. He came back kind of heavy, and he worked at getting his weight down. He not only got his weight down, but he looks good. He looks sharp. He did a really nice job today. The kid was hurting. We could see he was hurting. He (Ryan) smelled the blood and got the fall. He did a great job, and I'm happy for him."
At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Jeffrey Boyd captured a 7-1 decision over No. 24 Chris Sandoval. With the score knotted at one point apiece, the two grapplers entered sudden victory. However, it wasn't until the second overtime period that Boyd made Mountaineer Nation stand on their feet, as he scored a takedown and four nearfall points for the win. The victory marked Boyd's first over a ranked opponent.
Freshman Brayden Roberts dropped a hard-fought, 4-3 match to Nathan Moore at 149 pounds, as the Bears added three points to the scoreboard to cut their deficit to eight.
Redshirt sophomore Alex Hornfeck (157) and freshman Peyton Hall (165) sealed the win for the Mountaineers, as they each picked up a win by decision in their respective bouts to cap the day. Hornfeck topped Brody Lamb by a score of 6-1, while Hall, ranked No. 24 by FloWrestling, scored an 8-5 win over Jordan Robison. Of note, Hall captured his second Big 12 dual-match win of the season to move to 6-1 on the year.
With the win, WVU improves to 4-1 all-time against the Bears.
Looking ahead, WVU opens the month of February on the road, as the Mountaineers head to Laramie, Wyoming, for a dual against Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 1 p.m. ET.
Following its match against the Cowboys, WVU travels to Greeley, Colorado, for a pair of neutral-site matches against Air Force (9:30 p.m. ET) and Fresno State (10:45 p.m. ET) later that evening.
Results:
174: No. -/23/24 Jackson Hemauer (UNC) major dec. Scott Joll (WVU), 11-2
184: No. -/24/23 Alan Clothier (UNC) major dec. Jackson Moomau (WVU), 10-2
197: No. 1/1/1 Noah Adams (WVU) major dec. No. -/16/26 Jacob Seely (UNC), 13-1
HWT: Michael Wolfgram (WVU) dec. Robert Winters (UNC), 5-3
125: No. -/-/24 Killian Cardinale (WVU) dec. Jace Koelzer (UNC), 7-2
133: Ryan Sullivan (WVU) wins by fall No. -/20/28 Theorius Robison (UNC), F 3:48
141: Jeffrey Boyd (WVU) dec. No. -/-/24 Chris Sandoval (UNC), 7-1 [SV-2]
149: Nathan Moore (UNC) dec. Brayden Roberts (WVU), 4-3
157: Alex Hornfeck (WVU) dec. Brody Lamb (UNC), 6-1
165: No. -/24/25 Peyton Hall (WVU) dec. Jordan Robison (UNC), 8-5
Extra Matches:
133: No. -/20/28 Theorius Robison (UNC) dec. Colton Drousias (WVU), 6-3
157: Caleb Dowling (WVU) major dec Nick Knutson (UNC), 12-3
165: Jack Blumer (WVU) dec. Jordan Robison (UNC), 12-7
174: No. -/23/24 Jackson Hemauer (UNC) major dec. Casey Recrosio (WVU), 13-4
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