No. 21 WVU Wrestling kicked off the 2026 portion of its schedule with a strong weekend on the road, securing back-to-back victories. On Friday, January 9, the Mountaineers pulled off a nail-biting 20-19 triumph over the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona, claiming their first Big 12 Conference win of the season in a tightly contested dual. Read more: WVU Wrestling: Dramatic 20-19 edge over ASU, followed by 29-10 triumph at CBU.
Then, on Sunday, January 11, WVU dominated the California Baptist Lancers with a decisive 29-10 victory at the Mt. SAC Gym on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California.Â
WVU vs. Arizona State recap
In the 125-pound match, redshirt sophomore Louie Gill captured his 14th win of the season with a masterful performance. Gill defeated ASU’s Ane’e Vigil by a significant 14-2 decision, giving the Mountaineers a 4-0 lead to start the night. The Sun Devils secured back-to-back wins to take the lead over the Mountaineers.
West Virginia responded in the 149-pound match with a victory from redshirt freshman TJ Langley. Langley secured the victory thanks to a late takedown to win the match by fall over Daniel Miranda. Langley broke the tie in the final seconds of the third period thanks to an escape. With the win already secured due to riding time, Langley sealed the victory by fall with less than five seconds remaining to earn six points for WVU.
No. 2 Ty Watters falls in gritty battle against Kaleb Larkin, WVU rallies with key wins
Ty Watters battled Kaleb Larkin in the 157-pound match (Larkin, ranked No. 3 at 149 pounds by FloWrestling, moved up a weight class to face Watters). Despite mounting a strong push in the third period, Watters could not overcome the deficit—this marked his first defeat since the 2024 NCAA Championships, snapping a perfect 12-0 start to the 2025-26 season.
Related: Wheeler and Harrison spearhead road win against No. 11 Iowa State
West Virginia rallied and won three of the next four matches. Redshirt junior Brody Conley (174) defeated Cael Valencia by a 2-0 decision. The match was Conley’s first since November 23. Redshirt junior Ian Bush (184) won his 13th match of the season, defeating Azizbek Fayzullaev by a significant decision, 13-1.
Redshirt freshman Rune Lawrence (197) posted WVU’s final victory of the night, defeating Colton Hawks by a 9-2 decision.
WVU vs. California Baptist recap
The Mountaineers continued the road trip to Walnut, California, to face California Baptist. After not facing Arizona State, WVU’s Jett Strickenberger faced Cooper Shore in the 125-pound match. Strickenberger dominated the math, winning by technical fall 18-3. Freshman Gunner Andrick picked up his fourth-ranked win of the season with a fierce battle against Richard Murillo. Andrick won the match by a 9-7 decision.
No. 2 Ty Watters rebounds with a ranked win, WVU rolls to 29-10 dominance over California Baptist
The Lancers won back-to-back matches to get on the board and trail WVU 8-6. The Mountaineers would go on to win five of the next six matchups. Redshirt sophomore No. 2 Ty Watters rebounded after his loss against ASU by defeating No. 33 Drayden Morton by a 6-1 decision.
Related: Full team effort propels WVU past No. 22 Kansas in instant classic
Redshirt freshman Shawn Taylor (165) scored on a late takedown and an escape in the third period to defeat Timothy Cowan by a 12-6 decision.
Following Taylor’s victory, redshirt juniors Brody Conley (174) and Ian Bush (184) both secured victories over their opponents. Conley scored a takedown and three near falls in the first period against Mason Espinoza to win by technical fall 18-1. Bush recorded his third fall of the season, defeating David Alonso. The Mountaineers ended the night with a 29-10 win over California Baptist.
Up next for the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Pitt Panthers at Fitzgerald Field House on Friday, January 16. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. ET.
