West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men's wrestling team heads to Painesville, Ohio on Wednesday night for a nonconference dual against Lake Erie College.

The Hilltoppers enter the midweek matchup coming off a challenging weekend at the 46th Annual Midwest Classic, hosted by the University of Indianapolis, where West Liberty competed against one of the nation's deepest fields. The tournament was highlighted by a fourth-place finish from Nico Taddy and several strong individual performances throughout the lineup.

Taddy led the Hilltoppers at 157 pounds, turning in an outstanding showing to place fourth while scoring 19 team points. He opened the tournament with an 18–0 technical fall over Kevin Boston (CSU Pueblo), followed by a 16–4 major decision against Fernando Lopez (Ashland). Taddy continued his run with a 1–0 decision over Matt Hoelke (Newberry) and a 14–3 major decision against Mike Zacur (Seton Hill) in the quarterfinals. After a setback in the semifinals, he rebounded with a pin of Vincent Cabral (Western Colorado) before closing out the tournament in the third-place bout.

At heavyweight, Parker Bentley posted a 3–2 record. Bentley opened with an injury default victory and a decisive win over Tyler Wise (Fairmont State), then added a consolation-round victory against Eli Reese (Chadron State).

Bodie Morgan (165) also finished 3–2, putting together a strong consolation run that included a decision over Gavin Nelson (Ashland), a major decision against Jake Taylor (Wheeling), and a pin of Anthony Lawrence (East Stroudsburg).

At 149 pounds, Anthony Wood went 2–2, earning back-to-back consolation victories with decisions over Daniel Sinclair (Millersville) and Micah Cotrell (Findlay).

Khyvon Grace (141) recorded a 2–2 performance, highlighted by a 6–3 decision over Rylen Campbell (Ashland) and a 10–4 consolation-round win against Tanner Arjes (Upper Iowa).

Carter Winegardner (174) rounded out the scorers with a 2–2 finish, collecting a 14–4 major decision over Zach Meisenzahl (Glenville State) and a decision victory against Breck Williams (Adams State).

West Liberty has won each of the last three meetings with the Storm, including a 27–11 victory in West Liberty during the 2024–25 season. The Hilltoppers also earned road wins in Painesville during the 2023–24 season (26–13) and at home in 2022–23 (30–9).