MORGANTOWN — The WVU men’s swimming and diving team defeated rival Pitt for the second consecutive time at the WVU Natatorium on Jan. 18.
The Mountaineers won 11 events and set three pool records to earn a 187-113 victory in the Backyard Brawl. The WVU women won two races in a 193-107 defeat.
Junior Merwane El Merini led the Mountaineers men with two individual wins and a pair of relay victories, while freshman David Dixon notched two individual wins and contributed to one relay win. Sophomore Luke Hene also won two individual races, while redshirt junior Tristen Di-Sibio posted an individual win and a relay victory.
WVU won both men’s dives, behind seniors Logan McHenry (1-meter) and Michael Proietto (3-meter).
For the women, sophomore Morgan Bullock posted two individual wins.
The pool marks came in the men’s 200 medley relay (Angelo Russo, DiSibio, Dixon and El Merini, 1:29.94), the men’s 200 butterfly (Dixon, 1:45.80) and the women’s 200 butterfly (Bullock, 2:00.47).
Up next, the Mountaineers host Iowa State and Villanova, on Jan. 27 for Senior Day.
WRESTLING
The Mountaineers embark on their first Big 12 Conference road trip of the season with a dual meet today at No. 5 Oklahoma State. The match will be streamed live on FloWrestling.com.
The Mountaineers (3-3, 2-1 Big 12) and the Cowboys (6-1, 3-0) meet for the 13th time on Friday in a series that dates to 1927. Oklahoma State owns a 12-0 lead in the series.
“It’s going to be tough a match,” WVU coach Sammie Henson said. “We are wrestling one of the most historic programs in the country. I told our guys it’s an exciting time.”
The Mountaineers will enter the dual with a pair of wrestlers nationally ranked by a trio of media outlets. The Cowboys have eight.
However, Oklahoma State recently suffered its first loss of the season, 20-12, to No. 7 Iowa.
The 197-pound bout will be the most anticipated match of the evening, as WVU redshirt senior Jacob A. Smith and Preston Weigel meet. The two went head-to-head in the finals at the Big 12 championship. Smith was injured on a takedown in the first period and fell to Weigel in 2 minutes, 24 seconds. Weigel holds a 2-1 all-time edge.
The Mountaineers then head to Iowa State for a match Sunday.
— The first of four coaches’ panel rankings for the season was released Thursday, with four Mountaineers in the top 33 of their respective weight classes: Zeke Moisey (125 pounds), No. 14; Jacob A. Smith (197), No. 17; Matthew Schmitt (133), No. 32; and Zachary Moore (157), at No. 32.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Two Mountaineers were selected in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) college draft. Forward Michaela Abam and defender Amandine Pierre-Louis were taken with the No. 4 and No. 6 overall picks by Sky Blue FC.
BASEBALL
All-session tickets for 15 games at the Big 12 tournament, in Oklahoma City, are on sale. The championship will be played in a double-elimination format from May 23-27.
Visit Big12Sports.com/ BuyTickets. Tickets start at $69 for terrace seats, with field level ($99) and club seats ($169) available.
Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Oklahoma City Dodgers, at 405-218-2180.
Tickets for groups of 10 or more start at $12 per session. Groups can reserve the best seats before single-session tickets go on sale to the public.
INDOOR TRACK
The Mountaineers hit the road for the first time this season to compete in the YSU College Invitational, today, in Youngstown, Ohio.
WVU will be joined by over two dozen teams at the meet, including Division I schools such as Duquesne, Ohio, Pitt, Robert Morris and Youngstown State.
It’s the first of six consecutive weekends in which the Mountaineers will travel to meets, leading up to the Big 12 indoor championship, Feb. 23-24, in Ames, Iowa.
