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OU Downs West Virginia in First Dual Action of the Season

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Oklahoma wrestling got the win in its first dual action of the season in a 28-10 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the WVU Coliseum on Saturday.

The Sooners (1-0, 1-0) won their first five matches to go up 20-0 and never looked back. Four of the seven wins on the day for Oklahoma came with bonus points. The afternoon was highlighted by senior Mitch Moore’s first-period pin (0:58) and Jake Woodley’s tech fall (4:19), as Oklahoma won seven of the ten bouts.

“I think we had some weight classes that were really good, and I think we had some weight classes that need to make some progress,” said head coach Lou Rosselli. “Overall, it’s always good to win.”

Four wrestlers for the Sooners remain unbeaten on the year, with Joey Prata, Tony Madrigal, and Jake Woodley all following up their titles at the Michigan State Open last weekend with victories in Morgantown. Justin Thomas also notched a win on Saturday in his first action of the season.

It is the second straight season in which Oklahoma has opened conference action with a win, beating West Virginia early in the season last year as well.

In the first match of the contest, redshirt senior No. 22 Joey Prata (5-0) made his dual action debut for the Sooners in a 3-0 decision win over West Virginia’s Colton Drousias. The Virginia Tech transfer has not lost in dual action since the 2019-2020 season.

Reigning Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Tony Madrigal (6-0) continued his momentum from last weekend and earned an 8-0 major decision over Garett Lautzenheiser. A first period takedown and near-fall gave Madrigal the early advantage and another takedown with mere seconds left in the match pushed the score to a major decision, earning bonus points for the Sooners.

At 141, redshirt junior Jacob Butler (2-2) competed for Oklahoma, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first period by way of a takedown and two near-falls. He too would secure a takedown in the final seconds of his match against WVU’s Lucas Seibert and make it back-to-back major decisions for Oklahoma as he won 17-6.

No. 18 Mitch Moore (4-1) pushed his fall count on the season up to three with a 0:58 pin of Jeff Boyd. It is the second time this season that Moore has forced a pin in the first period of a match, and the win made it three straight matches with bonus points for the Sooners.

Making his season debut, No. 18 Justin Thomas (1-0) used a third period reversal and long ride to win in a 5-3 decision over Alex Hornfeck. The victory gave the sixth-year senior and three-time NCAA qualifier Thomas his 75th career win.

In the 165-pound bout, Troy Mantanona (2-3) faced the only ranked Mountaineer to wrestle against the Sooners in No. 14 Peyton Hall. Hall, who was an NCAA qualifier as a freshman last season, claimed a 10-1 major decision over Mantanona.

Redshirt senior Anthony Mantanona (4-1) followed his brother in the lineup and fought off a late charge from his opponent Dennis Robin to win via 6-5 decision. Mantanona held a 5-1 lead going into the third period, but a reversal and a near-fall from Robin required Mantanona to escape late to secure his victory.

At 184, redshirt sophomore Carson Berryhill (2-4) made his first appearance in a dual for Oklahoma where he faced off with Anthony Carman. The match was knotted up at 0-0 going into the third period, but a takedown by Carman along with his riding time gave him a 5-0 decision victory over Berryhill.

Redshirt senior All American No. 6 Jake Woodley (5-0) registered his first tech fall of the season and sixth of his career with a 4:19 (20-4) tech fall win over Jackson Moomau. He wasted no time, jumping out to a 12-2 lead in the first period with two takedowns and two near falls. A takedown in the second and two more in the third were enough to give Woodley the victory and earn more bonus points for the Sooners.

No. 17 Josh Heindselman (2-2) battled with the Mountaineer’s Michael Wolfgram to wrap up the dual. A takedown in the third for Wolfgram was enough to give the West Virginia man the upset victory, but the dual was already in hand for Oklahoma who won with a final score of 28-10.

Willie McDougald wrestled in an extra match, claiming a 7-1 decision victory over WVU’s Walker Heard. 

“We’re making progress, but we have to keep doing it,” said coach Rosselli. “Our work doesn’t change on Monday. If we can continue making improvements and making progress each week, I think we’ll be good to go.”

The Sooners have a doubleheader road trip coming up next weekend. They will take on No. 8 Arizona State in Tempe on Friday and then head to Greely, Colo., for a bout with Northern Colorado on Sunday. 

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA-Athletics Communications

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