MORGANTOWN, WV – Three Broncs earned individual wins, but bonus points proved to be the difference as No. 18 West Virginia topped Rider on Sunday afternoon.

The dual opened at 125 lbs, where No. 20/21 Tyler Klinsky took on No. 9/9 Jett Strickenberger. After falling behind 6–2 early, Klinsky stormed back in the second period. He escaped from bottom, finished a quick takedown to tie it 6–6, and added a go-behind to move in front 9–6. Another stalling point gave him a 10–8 lead heading into the third. Klinsky stayed aggressive, finishing a single for a 13–9 advantage and adding another go-behind and stall point before closing out a dominant 20–11 victory—his third ranked win of the season—putting Rider ahead 4–0.

West Virginia answered with wins at 133 and 141, setting up Dylan Layton vs. No. 23 Willie McDougald at 149. The two traded escapes to make it 1–1, and after a scoreless sudden victory period, the bout moved to rideouts. Both wrestlers escaped in 11 seconds, keeping it 2–2, before Layton dug deep and scored the winning takedown for a 5–2 upset, cutting the team score to 7–6.

At 157, No. 1 Ty Watters earned a tech fall over Liam Scrivanich, giving WVU needed bonus points. That brought up No. 31/NR Brendon Abdon vs. Shawn Taylor at 165. Abdon struck first with a clean high-crotch finish for a 3–1 lead. After a Taylor escape, Abdon hit another high-c to extend the margin to 6–3. Starting bottom in the third, Abdon escaped to make it 7–3 before Taylor scored late to close the gap. Abdon held strong for an 8–6 decision, bringing Rider within 11–10.

Fireworks followed at 174 lbs, where Enrique Munguia took on No. 20 Brody Conley. After giving up the first takedown, Munguia scrambled to a reversal and put Conley on his back for roughly 90 seconds, nearly securing the fall. Conley survived the period, trailing 6–3. Munguia was ridden out in the second, and Conley quickly reversed in the third to make it 6–5. Momentum then swung as Conley secured the fall, pushing WVU's lead to 17–10.

West Virginia added a win at 184 to extend the margin to 22–10, leading into a ranked showdown at 197 between No. 21/21 Brock Zurawski and No. 27/24 Rune Lawrence. Zurawski scored first on a reshot for a 3–1 advantage, but a late scramble swung the momentum as Lawrence finished a takedown and added two nearfall to grab a 6–3 lead after one period. Zurawski escaped and scored again to take a 7–6 lead in the second, but Lawrence tied it with an escape before the third. Lawrence escaped again to start the final period, though Zurawski rode long enough to secure riding time and force overtime at 8–8. In overtime, Lawrence finished the decisive takedown after series of Zurawski's attacks for an 11–8 win, stretching the Mountaineer lead to 25–10.

WVU closed the dual with a decision at 285 to wrap up a 28–10 team victory.


Quotes and Notes
"The team needs to learn how to close matches out and win the close ones. West Virginia did a better job than us at that today.  

Tyler did a great job today and has been consistent all year; that's a very good kid he beat today." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey

- Klinsky's victory marks his third win over a ranked opponent this season and his second over a top-15 foe.
- The Broncs are now 1–4 all-time against the Mountaineers.

Match Results
Rider 10, West Virginia 28
125: No. 20/21 Tyler Klinsky (RIDE) over No. 9/9 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) (MD 20-11)
133: Gunner Andrick (WVU) over Will Betancourt (RIDE) (Dec 6-3)
141: Jordan Titus (WVU) over No. 19/24 Elijah Griffin (RIDE) (Dec 5-2)
149: Dylan Layton (RIDE) over No. 23/32 Willie McDougald (WVU) (TB-1 5-2)
157: No. 1/1 Ty Watters (WVU) over Liam Scrivanich (RIDE) (TF 18-2 5:57)
165: No. 31/NR Brendon Abdon (RIDE) over Shawn Taylor (WVU) (Dec 8-6)
174: No. 20/19 Brody Conley (WVU) over Enrique Munguia (RIDE) (Fall 6:44)
184: No. 17/18 Ian Bush (WVU) over JP Hangey (RIDE) (TF 16-0 3:38)
197: No. 27/24 Rune Lawrence (WVU) over No. 21/21 Brock Zurawski (RIDE) (SV-1 11-8)
HWT: Brock Kehler (WVU) over Steyn De Lange (RIDE) (Dec 4-2)

Up Next
The Broncs return to the mat Dec. 5–6, heading to Las Vegas for the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational.