MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s Noah Adams has had so much success in his wrestling career that the lows — and there aren’t many of them — stick out in his mind like a sore thumb.
While at state powerhouse Independence, Adams took home three state championships during his freshman, junior and senior years in the 152, 195 and 220-pound weight classes, respectively.
But in his mind, Adams should have four states titles to his name.
“I was beating this kid that I had wrestled before in the quarterfinals, and I did an illegal slam,” Adams said. “He got hurt, couldn’t finish the match and I had to forfeit.”
While he just missed a perfect high school career, Adams has been excellent as a redshirt-sophomore with the Mountaineers. His success at Independence has translated to the next level, and he is off to a 24-0 start this season and comes in at No. 2 nationally in the initial NCAA coaches’ panel rankings in the 197-pound weight class, behind only Ohio State’s Kollin Moore.
Adams’ impressive season comes on the heels of a redshirt-freshman campaign that saw him qualify for the NCAA tournament after going 19-15. He took what he learned at NCAAs — where he fell in the second round of the consolation bracket — and has taken it to the next level this year.
“My work effort has gone up and I’ve stepped it up in practice,” Adams, a Coal City native, said. “I took my offseason work seriously and really worked on my conditioning. Those have been the big things I really wanted to work on heading into this season.”
Of Adams’ 24 wins, eight have come against nationally ranked opponents. He will put his perfect record on the line today as WVU hosts South Dakota State at 7 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum. It’s the Mountaineers’ first match since Jan. 19 at Oklahoma.
Overall, WVU is 3-8 as a team, but Adams is hoping to put his stamp on this season by making another appearance at NCAAs and taking what he learned in last year’s tournament to move forward this year — set for March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Arena in Minneapolis.
“It was more about getting used to the environment, and now that I’ve gotten a taste, it’ll be better for this year,” Adams said. “Winning the whole thing would be the culmination of everything I’ve worked for. It would be great for me and the program.”
Adams gained a lot of his national notoriety following the Southern Scuffle tournament Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tenn., going 5-0. The tournament is structured similarly to the NCAAs in format and competition, so that’s something else Adams believes will help him come March.
“The Scuffle is one of the best tournaments out there for sure,” he said. “Winning down there helped me with my confidence, and now I know that I can compete with others gets nationally at that level.”
As a spry 9-year-old, Adams was convinced to hit the mat like many good athletes from Coal City. It wasn’t until he got through elementary and middle school that he realized he could have an extensive future in the sport if he put his mind to it.
During the summer before he began high school, Adams wondered if continuing was worth it because he was fringe against certain wrestlers in middle school, knowing he’d have to face them again in high school.
With the help of coaches Cliff Warden, Jeremy Hart and David Hart, Adams decided to truly dedicate himself, and the fruits of his labor are paying off.
“His success is certainly deserved,” coach Tim Flynn said. “While some people look at his record and his ranking and are shocked, believe me, if you saw what he did all summer, the amount of work he put in, how hard he trains, you wouldn’t have that reaction at all.”
