West Liberty, W.Va. – With major excitement and energy surrounding the West Liberty University wrestling team, the 2023-24 season will start off with a top-15 showdown as they welcome No. 14 Pitt-Johnstown to the ASRC. The Hilltoppers and Mountain Cats are set for a 7 p.m. start on Alumni Night.
MATCH DETAILS
Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Academic Sports & Recreation Complex "ASRC")
First Serve: 7 P.M.
Promotions: The West Liberty wrestling team is set to host Alumni Night in their season opener and looks to draw in an opening night attendance of 1,000 fans.
#2 WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES
- West Liberty enters the 2023-24 season with the program's highest ranking of the DII era, coming in at No. 2 in the NWCA polls with five individuals ranked within the top-4 of their respective weight classes.
- The 3-time defending Mountain East Conference champions, the Hilltoppers were once again picked to defend their title in the MEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Black & Gold have a combined ten individual conference titles among wrestlers on the 2023-24 roster.
- Ty McGeary, who was named the Most Dominant Wrestler of the 2022-23 Season, looks to defend his title at 184 pounds as he enters the year as the No. 1 wrestler in his weight class. A year ago, he posted a 29-1 record with 17 bonus point wins (12 wins by fall, 4 wins by major decision, and 1 by technical fall).
- Alec Cook enters the season at No. 3 nationally in the 165 pound weight class after making his first appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championships. He went on to earn All-American status with a sixth place finish and a 28-14 record overall.
- Vincent Scollo makes it three returning All-Americans for the Black & Gold as the 2-time national qualifier earned a sixth place finish in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He enters the season ranked No. 4 in the 133 pound weight class after finishing 2022-23 with an overall record of 26-9.
- Francesco Borsellino is a 3-time national qualifier and 2-time conference champion at 285 pounds. He ranks No. 4 in the NWCA poll at heavyweight after a 22-6 record in 2022-23, which included ten wins by fall and four by major decision.
- In his first year on the hilltop, Jamar Williams won his second career MEC title and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time. He recorded an overall record of 19-9 a year ago and enters this season ranked No. 4 in the 157 pound weight class.
- Other notable wrestlers to watch for the Hilltoppers include two athletes who are regionally ranked, which include Khyvon Grace who ranks No. 3 at 141 pounds and Jordan Watters who is No. 4 at 149 pounds. Watters is also a 2022 national qualifier for WLU.
- Danny Irwin enters his fifth season as the head coach at West Liberty, leading the Hilltoppers to a 45-15 dual meet record and three consecutive top-6 finishes at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Overall, Irwin enters his seventh season as a head coach after spending his first two seasons at Wheeling and has compiled a 65-24 career dual meet record and four total top-6 national championship finishes.
#14 PITT-JOHNSTOWN STORYLINES
- Pitt-Johnstown enters the 2023-24 season at No. 14 in the NWCA poll with four individuals ranked in their respective weight classes.
- The Mountain Cats return six national qualifiers from a year ago, with Trevon Gray (125 lbs.), Byron Daubert (133 lbs.), Jacob Ealy (149 lbs.), Dillon Keane (165 lbs.), Dakoda Rodgers (197 lbs.), and Isaiah Vance (285 lbs.) all back in the lineup.
- Ealy spent a majority of the 2022-23 season ranked No. 1 at 149 pounds and posted a 29-2 overall record en route to his third All-American honor and a fifth place finish at nationals. He enters the season at No. 3 in the 149 pound weight class rankings.
- Gray, the No. 7 ranked wrestler at 125 pounds entering the season, looks to make a return trip to the DII national championships. As a redshirt freshman he posted a 22-6 overall record and won the NCAA Super Region I title.
- Keaane, a 2021-22 national qualifier, fell short of his second consecutive appearance with a fifth place finish in the NCAA Super Region I tournament after recording a 19-7 overall record during the season.
- Rodgers enters the season ranked at No. 9 in the 197 pound weight class after his first appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championship a year ago. He posted a record of 23-10 overall and finished third at the NCAA Super Region I Tournament.
- Vance, the No. 7 ranked wrestler at 285 pounds, rounds out the group of national qualifiers for UPJ after earning his first trip to the national tournament in 2022-23. He posted a 20-4 overall record, with 14 wins by fall, and was the Super Region I runner-up last season.
- Pat Pecora, a 1975 graduate of West Liberty, enters his 47th season as the head coach at Pitt-Johnstown. Pecora has led the Mountain Cats to a 646-152-5 record to become college wrestling's all-time winningest coach. Over his more than four decades as a coach his teams have claimed a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships.
SERIES HISTORY
- Since the 2011-12 season Pitt-Johnstown holds the 9-2 series lead and has won nine straight match-ups.
- In yet another top-15 battle, the then No. 11 Mountain Cats won last season's meeting 28-9 on November 3, 2022, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
- WLU earned team points in last year's match as Cole Laya and Vincent Scollo both won by decision, while Ty McGeary won in sudden victory-1.Â
POTENTIAL LINEUPS
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