Wheeling, W. Va. – After a year away from the Alma Grace McDonough Center where they competed in solely tournaments 2022-2023, the Wheeling University Wrestling team (0-1) was back on Wednesday night. They competed in their first dual meet since October 25th, 2022, when they welcomed in Frostburg State. The Cardinals won three of their seven bouts during the night as they fell to Frostburg State 38-13 to start their season.
The highlight of the night for the Cardinals came in the 174 lb weight class as redshirt sophomore
Brennon Reid took the mat. For Reid, It has been a long road back to the mat after dealing with an injury that forced him to miss his entire sophomore season. He would wrestle in his first collegiate match at the 174 lb weight class when he took on Frostburg State's Charley Turney. The two wrestlers locked up early as both were trying to gain advantage on the mat. Reid Made a move to get Turney down on the mat and was working flat on the map. He would do just that, earning his first pinfall of season in 1:15. It was a big six point for his team as Reid picked up the first pinfall of his collegiate career.
The other two wins for the Cardinals came in the 141 lb weight class and the 184 lb weight class, who were both making their Cardinal debut. It began in the 141, as senior transfer Zach LaRue took the map for the first time this season. He was in the driver's seat early, building a 7-0 lead before his opponent could get on the board. He rode that lead to victory as he picked up a Major Decision with a 14-4 win as he earned four points for his team. The other win was a milestone win For freshman
Alex Finsley has he made his collegiate debut. He took on Frostburg State's Joe Colony and the two were locked in a back and forth affair that took all three rounds. In the end, the riding time would make the difference as Finsley was able to pick up an 11-8 decision for his first collegiate win.
After forfeiting the first match of the night in the 125 lb weight class,
Caden Canning would get things started in the 133 lb weight class, wrestling there for the first time in his collegiate career. He would fall in a technical fall 17-0 to start the night.
Hunter Randolph would that make his collegiate debut two matches later in the 157 lb weight class as he fell 16-0 in a technical fall. The final Cardinal debut of the night came in the heavyweight class as
Jake Powell competed for the first time as a Cardinal. He would fall in an 8-0 major decision to finish the night for the Cardinals. While the score wasn't what they wanted, it was a strong debut for the team as they continue to grow and build a winning culture once again.
The full results for tonight's dual meet are below:
Frostburg State 38, Wheeling 13
125: Alex Bellarin (FRO) wins by Forfeit
141: Zach LaRue (WHL) over Logan Intrieri (MD 14-4)
149: Austen Slaybaugh (FRO) wins by Forfeit
197: William Applegarth (FRO) wins by Forfeit
The Wheeling University Wrestling Team returns to action on Saturday, November 4th, when they compete at the Glenville State Invitational with the first matches beginning at around 9 AM.
