West Liberty, W.Va. – Following a power outage that delayed the start of the dual by an hour, the No. 1 West Liberty University wrestling team made their return to the mats in the ASRC with a 31-18 win over No. 20 Ashland. Not including the win by forfeit in the opening bout of the night the Hilltoppers scored bonus points in four of their six wins, including a pair of pins by No. 5 Nico Taddy and No. 1 Francesco Borsellino to secure the victory.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: No. 1 West Liberty 31, No. 20 Ashland 18
Team Records: No. 1 West Liberty 9-6, No. 20 Ashland 1-8
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Alexander Crane won the opening match of the night by forfeit to give West Liberty a 6-0 lead in the dual.
• In a tightly contested 133 pound bout, Matt Englehardt fell in a 3-2 decision to Tyler Masters. The pair entered the third period scoreless and Englehardt was able to get on the board first with an escape, however, he was unable to get a takedown of his own late in the match after escaping from Masters.
• Khyvon Grace pushed the Hilltopper lead to 11-3 in the dual with a 17-1 win by tech fall (5:19) over Jeremiah McKee at 141 pounds. Grace tallied a takedown in all three periods and added a 4-point near fall in the second.
• No. 5 Nico Taddy recorded the first win by fall of the night for WLU, pinning Zander Graham in 2:30. Following his initial takedown, Taddy was able to turn Graham for a 4-point near fall and was then able to end the match in the first period.
• Jordan Watters made it three consecutive wins for the Hilltoppers with a 6-2 decision over Evan Davis at 157 pounds. Watters held a 4-0 lead late in the third period before Davis was able to notch a reversal with only 11 seconds remaining, however Watters was able to get an escape in the closing seconds and added the riding time point for the 4-point win.
• At 165 pounds, Nick Carbone earned six points for Ashland with a win by forfeit.
• Christian Chavez lost by fall at 174 pounds as Hayden Flynn earned the pin. Flynn was able to record the early takedown and ended the bout with a turn in 1:01.
• West Liberty secured the dual win with the 184 pound bout as No. 1 Ty McGeary improved to 20-0 with his 14^th bonus point win of 2023-24, a 15-0 win by tech fall against Nate Barrett. McGeary scored one takedown in each period, however he added a 4-point near fall in the final minute and earned the riding time point to earn the five dual points.
• Ashland earned their final win of the night in a 7-2 decision at 197 pounds as Peyton Lemon defeated Mason Christian. Christian recorded escapes in the second and third periods, however he was unable to match Lemon's pair of takedowns in the bout.
• Moving to 6-0 on the year with his fifth win by fall, No. 1 Francesco Borsellino defeated Wyatt Bailey to end the night. Borsellino notched a takedown midway through the first and held the ride out the remainder of the period. He then restarted the second on top and was able to complete the turn in 3:32.

DUAL SCORING

Match Summary		WLU	AU
125	Alexander Crane (West Liberty) over Unknown (For.)	6	0
133	Tyler Masters (Ashland) over Matt Englehardt (West Liberty) (Dec 3-2)	0	3
141	Khyvon Grace (West Liberty) over Jeremiah McKee (Ashland) (TF 17-1 5:19)	5	0
149	Nico Taddy (West Liberty) over Zander Graham (Ashland) (Fall 2:30)	6	0
157	Jordan Watters (West Liberty) over Evan Davis (Ashland) (Dec 6-2)	3	0
165	Nick Carbone (Ashland) over Unknown (For.)	0	6
174	Hayden Flynn (Ashland) over Fabian Chavez (West Liberty) (Fall 1:01)	0	6
184	Ty McGeary (West Liberty) over Nate Barrett (Ashland) (TF 15-0 7:00)	5	0
197	Peyton Lemon (Ashland) over Mason Christian (West Liberty) (Dec 7-2)	0	3
285	Francesco Borsellino (West Liberty) over Wyatt Bailey (Ashland) (Fall 3:32)	6	0
Team Score:		31	18

 
HEAD COACH DANNY IRWIN POST DUAL INTERVIEW


TY MCGEARY POST DUAL INTERVIEW


NICO TADDY POST DUAL INTERVIEW


UP NEXT
No. 1 West Liberty will have wrestlers in action on Sunday as they compete at the Mount Union Open. The Hilltoppers start the day at 10 a.m. in Alliance, Ohio.