West Virginia Wrestling Edges Arizona State in Thrilling 20-19 Big 12 Matchup
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The No. 21 West Virginia University wrestling team secured its first big 12 Conference victory of the season with a narrow 20-19 win over the arizona State Sun Devils on Friday at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona. A dramatic finish, fueled by a late pin, proved to be the difference for the Mountaineers.
Langley’s Late Heroics Seal the Victory
TJ langley (149 lbs), a redshirt freshman, delivered a pivotal performance for West virginia (6-2, 1-1 Big 12). He secured a fall over daniel Miranda in the 149-pound bout, a victory that proved crucial in the Mountaineers’ one-point win.”TJ really stepped up when we needed him most.”
A Back-adn-Forth Battle in tempe
The match was a tightly contested affair, with the Mountaineers and Sun Devils splitting the 10 individual bouts, each winning five. louie Gill (125 lbs) began the night strong for WVU, earning his 14th win of the season with a dominant 14-2 major decision over Ane’e Vigil.
Though, Arizona State responded with consecutive victories, briefly taking control of the dual. No. 2 ranked Ty Watters (157 lbs) faced a tough challenge from Kaleb Larkin, who competed at a weight class above his usual 149 lbs ranking of No. 3 by flowrestling. Despite a late rally, Watters suffered a 4-2 decision loss, marking his first defeat since the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He entered the match with a perfect 12-0 record this season.
West Virginia quickly regained momentum,winning three of the next four matches. Brody Conley (174 lbs), returning to the mat after a hiatus as November 23rd, defeated Cael Valencia by a 2-0 decision. Ian Bush (184 lbs) followed with a commanding 13-1 major decision victory over Azizbek Faizullaev, securing his 13th win of the season. Rune Lawrence (197 lbs) added another decision win for the Mountaineers, completing their rally.
Match Results Breakdown
Here’s a complete rundown of the individual match results:
- 125: louie Gill (WVU) over ane`e Vigil (ASU) (MD 14-2)
- 133: No. 5 Kyler Larkin (ASU) over No. 16 Gunner Andrick (WVU) (Dec 7-4)
- 141: No. 18 Pierson Manville (ASU) over Jordan Titus (WVU) (Dec 2-0)
- 149: TJ Langley (WVU) over Daniel Miranda (ASU) (Fall 6:58)
- 157: No.3 (149) Kaleb Larkin (ASU) over No. 2 Ty Watters (WVU) (Dec 4-2)
- 165: No. 18 Nicco Ruiz (ASU) over shawn Taylor (WVU) (TF 20-4 6:19)
- 174: No. 20 Brody Conley (WVU) over Cael Valencia (ASU) (Dec 2-0)
- 184: No. 23 Ian Bush (WVU) over Azizbek Faizullaev (ASU) (MD 13-1)
- 197: No. 22 Rune Lawrence (WVU) over Colton Hawks (ASU) (Dec 9-2)
- 285: No.19 David Szuba (ASU) over Brock Kehler (WVU) (TF 20-4 6:06)
Looking Ahead
West Virginia will continue its road trip, facing California Baptist on Sunday, January 11, at 5 p.m. in Walnut, California. the match will be available for streaming on flowrestling.
For the latest updates and data on the Mountaineers wrestling program, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
