No. 21 WVU Hosts No. 5 Northern Iowa for Gold Rush – West Virginia University Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 21 West Virginia University wrestling team hosts No. 5 Northern Iowa at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

 

The theme for the match is Gold Rush as fans are encouraged to wear gold.

 

“We have a really good team coming to Morgantown on Saturday,” head coach Tim Flynn said. “It’s not often we get to host a top-five team. It’s a real test and we need a big crowd.”

 

This marks West Virginia’s (8-5, 2-4 Big 12) sixth consecutive match against a ranked opponent. Northern Iowa is WVU’s second top-five opponent in its last three matches.

 

In ranked matchups this season, West Virginia is 1-4. Its lone win came against No. 20 Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, on Jan. 17.

 

Fifth-year No. 3 Peyton Hall remains undefeated on the year, sitting at 23-0. Hall has defeated top 10 opponents in back-to-back matches.

 

In this week’s edition of the FloWrestling individual rankings, West Virginia is represented by five Mountaineers. Hall (165) leads the way at No. 3, senior Jett Strickenberger (125) is No. 10, redshirt sophomore Brody Conley (174) is No. 30, redshirt senior Dennis Robin (184) is No. 19 and redshirt sophomore Ian Bush (197) is No. 33.

 

West Virginia is 0-8 all-time against Northern Iowa in a series dating back to 1982. Last season, the Mountaineers lost, 26-12.

 

West Virginia’s Probable Lineup

Weight            Rank                Name

125                 No. 10             Jett Strickenberger

133                                         Tommy Maddox

141                                         Jordan Titus

Or                                            Blake Boyers

149                                         Sam Hillegas

157                                         Sasha Gavronsky

165                 No. 3               Peyton Hall

174                 No. 30             Brody Conley

Or                                            Dylan Kohn

184                 No. 19             Dennis Robin

197                 No. 33             Ian Bush

HWT                                       Wilson Spires

 

Northern Iowa’s Probable Lineup

Weight            Rank                Name

125                 No. 22             Trever Anderson

133                 No. 21             Julian Farber

Or                                            Cory Land

141                 No. 5               Cael Happel

149                 No. 10             Colin Realbuto

157                 No. 5               Ryder Downey

165                 No. 18             Jack Thomsen

174                 No. 16             Jared Simma

184                 No. 2               Parker Keckeisen

197                 No. 12             Wyatt Voelker

Or                                            Kalob Runyon

HWT                No. 15             Lance Runyon

Or                                            Adam Ahrendsen

 

Support the Wrestling Sport Enhancement Fund to help make a difference in the experience provided to our student-athletes and coaches! Our teams rely on these donations for equipment purchases, team travel, ever-increasing recruiting costs, and other operational expenses. Invest in champions today!

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on X, Instagram and Facebook.