WVU Wrestling (5-2, 0-1) returns to the mat for two meets on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Mountaineers take on Arizona State (January 9) and California Baptist (January 11), with both being road meets. Read more: WVU Wrestling faces Arizona State, Cal Baptist in busy week on the mat.
West Virginia has not graced the floor since December 14, when the squad fell to a powerhouse Oklahoma State team. It was the second consecutive loss to end the first half of the season, as North Carolina handled WVU before the OSU loss.
There are no easy meets, especially on the road, but ASU and CBU present the Mountaineers with a golden opportunity to get back in business. The two opponents have a combined record of 1-12.
Arizona State (0-6, 0-3)
WVU is 0-1 in Big 12 Conference action thanks to the home loss at the hands of OSU. The Sun Devils are 0-3 in the league this season.
Most recently, ASU fell to highly-ranked Iowa State on January 6. The Cyclones took seven of 10 individual matches, dominating the event.
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The Mountaineers trail the series against the Sun Devils, with ASU leading 5-4 since 1987. WVU did not get the best of its foe until November 2014.
Keep an eye out for the likes of Ty Watters and Jett Strickenberger to try and stick to their winning ways when WVU hits the mat in Tempe. ASU’s Kyler Larkin (133 lb.) is coming off a win by fall, a result he secured against Iowa State.
Friday’s meet is slated for an 8:30 p.m. EST start.
Cal Baptist (1-6)
WVU’s trip out west comes to a close on Sunday, when head coach Tim Flynn’s squad faces off with Cal Baptist. The Lancers’ lone win thus far in the 2025-26 season came against Presbyterian College, a meet CBU won in dominant fashion (42-3).
Richard Murillo (141 lb.) is the standout of the bunch for CBU, scoring 12 match points with a 5-2 season record. He posts a 17-4 overall record.
The Lancers should be well-rested coming into the meet, as their most recent action came on December 30. CBU dropped a narrow one to Northern Colorado to wrap up the calendar year.
WVU has the opportunity to drop CBU to 0-5 at home this season if the Mountaineers can escape Van Dyne Gym with a victory.
Competition from Walnut, California, gets going at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday.
Tune in
Friday’s meet can be viewed on ESPN+, and Sunday’s tilt on FloWrestling.
Stay tuned for a joint recap of both meets at the end of the weekend. The two opportunities prime WVU for what is sure to be a thrilling spring portion of the team’s schedule.
As always, stay up to date with WV Sports Nation for more WVU Athletics coverage.
