MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia wrestling team started the 2021 season with a pair of wins over Kent State and Ohio before dropping a hard-fought match to No. 8 Virginia Tech on Sunday at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers posted a 22-9 win over the Golden Flashes to start the day, followed by a 36-3 victory over the Bobcats. The last time WVU scored 30 or more points in a match was against Harvard at the Pitt Duals in 2017. Despite two wins under its belt, WVU suffered a 24-10 setback to the No. 8-ranked Hokies in the squad’s final dual of the day.
“I thought the first match was flat,” third-year coach Tim Flynn said. “I thought we were a lot better than that, but we were a little flat. The first match didn’t look great. The second match looked a lot better. The third match, we ran into a team that quite frankly is a bit better than we are right now. I like where we are at. I think we can get a lot better, but I thought it was a good start.”
Redshirt junior Noah Adams and true freshman Peyton Hall each recorded a 3-0 mark in their respective weight classes to start the season.
Adams, who is ranked No. 1 at 197 pounds by a trio of media outlets, claimed an 11-5 victory over Kent State’s Colin McCracken before he walked away with a win by forfeit against Ohio. Adams then capped the day with a 7-4 decision over Virginia Tech’s Andy Smith. With a trio of season-opening wins, the Coal City native extended his win streak to 35 — a streak that dates back to last season.
At 165 pounds, Hall earned a decision and two major decisions in his collegiate debut, including a win over No. 22 Colt Yinger of Ohio. The Chester native finished the weekend with 10 takedowns and a pair of reversals.
Classmate Brayden Roberts also donned the Old Gold and Blue for the first time in his career at 149 pounds. The Parkersburg native posted two wins before suffering an 11-3 setback to No. 12 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech in his final match of the day.
Additionally, redshirt sophomore Alex Hornfeck (157), sophomore Scott Joll (174) and redshirt freshmen Jeffrey Boyd (141) and Michael Wolfgram (HWT) each tallied a 2-1 record to start the year.
Several Mountaineers also participated in extra matches throughout the day, including true freshmen Colton Drousias (125), Caleb Dowling (157), Jace Bradbury (197) and Pitt transfer Ryan Sullivan (141).
Looking ahead, West Virginia will welcome Bucknell and No. 19 Oklahoma to Morgantown for a tri-meet at 2 p.m. next Sunday.
