LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 4th ranked West Liberty University wrestling team advanced to the semifinals at the NWCA National Duals after earning a pair of hard fought victories over No. T16 Colorado Mesa (20-19) and No. 5 Lander (17-16) earlier today inside the Kentucky Expo Center.

"I've never seen 10 guys that fought the way they did today," said Head Coach Danny Irwin. "I'm just super proud of each and every one of our guys."
 
Francesco Borsellino headlined the day with dual-deciding victories in both outings at 285. The Hilltoppers trailed 19-16 to Colorado Mesa and 16-13 versus Lander heading to Borsellino's match. The graduate student from Waynesburg, Ohio picked up an 8-0 major decision to secure four points and the win the dual for WLU against Mesa. Then, it was a nationally-ranked battle in the Hilltopper-Bearcats finale, as Lander's Juan Holmes came in ranked 7th and Borsellino 6th in the weight class. Borsellino scored early and held on for a 6-3 decision sending the match to a tiebreak. Total points was the deciding factor and the 'Toppers outscored the Bearcats 43-38 in the dual to earn the win and advance to the semifinals of the bracket.

6th ranked Jamar Williams kept his perfect record intact on the season with a 2-1 decision over #5 Ryan Wheeler, of Colorado Mesa, then tallied nine points which proved to be huge in a major decision over his Lander opponent.

Jacob Simpson went 2-0 on the day, as well, with a 3-1 decision versus Lander and 13-5 major over a Colorado Mesa combatant.

West Liberty dropped a pair of tough battles early in the Colorado Mesa matchup, before rattling off four straight wins by Khyvon Grace, Simpson, Williams, and an Alec Cook pin to take control of the dual 16-6. However, Mesa fought right back with three straight wins before the Borsellino major sealed the deal.

Against Lander, top-ranked Cole Laya and #6 Vincent Scollo battled out victories to put WLU ahead 6-0 early. Laya downed #7 James Joplin in a 7-4 decision, while Scollo edged out his opponent in overtime. Freshman Khyvon Grace took #1 ranked and defending national champion Zeth Brower down to the wire before coming up just short 1-0. Simpson and Williams put the 'Toppers up 13-3 before Lander went on a string of four straight wins that featured three decisions and a major. The run was stopped by the heavyweight Borsellino yet again.

West Liberty will take on No. 1 ranked Central Oklahoma in the semifinals tomorrow at 11 am. The championship and third-place matches are both scheduled for 3 pm.

Follow Hilltopper wrestling all season online at HilltopperSports.com as well as on Twitter (@WLU_Wrestling | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_wrestling | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.

Post-Dual Interviews

Head Coach Danny Irwin


Francesco Borsellino