No. 20 WVU Wrestling Snaps Losing Streak; Hall Suffers First Loss

No. 20 WVU and Big 12 conference opponent Utah Valley started Thursday’s dual meet with the 174-pound bout, making the best match of the night the main event.

With the Mountaineers already holding an insurmountable lead, No. 3 ranked Peyton Hall took on No. 4 Terrell Barraclough in the 165-pound match, marking Hall’s toughest test of the season.

After a hard-fought battle, Barraclough came out on top with a 5-2 decision victory, giving Hall his first defeat of the season, while West Virginia prevailed 29-12 to end a three-match losing skid.

Hall, a two-time All-American, now sits at 24-1 on the season. The Mountaineers improved to 9-6 (3-5 in the Big 12) as West Virginia is on the cusp of its third consecutive 10-win campaign. West Virginia will visit Wyoming at 8 p.m. Saturday for another conference matchup.

Brody Conley started the meet with a 6-3 decision over Mark Takara at 174 pounds. Utah Valley quickly evened the score after Caleb Uhlenhopp defeated No. 19 Dennis Robin in overtime at 184.

The Mountaineers then took six of the ensuing seven matches to pull away.

Ian Bush shutout Kael Bennie 5-0 at 197 before Rune Lawrence picked up his first dual meet victory with an 8-1 decision over Jack Forbes in the heavyweight bout. No. 10 Jett Strickenberger defeated Bridger Ricks by an 11-2 major decision for his sixth consecutive victory.

After Tommy Maddox fell via pinfall at 133, Jordan Titus and Sam Hillegas grabbed back-to-back technical falls and Caleb Dowling added a decision win at 157.

This was Dowling’s first action since November.

Find more coverage of WVU wrestling at WV Sports Now.