Men’s wrestlers roll over Golden Bears in final dual match, first in LaHaye Event Space

Thursday, February 6

Lynchburg, VA

6:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

West Virginia Tech Dual

Aiden Scheeringa Liberty wrestling vs. West Virginia Tech

Flames 141-pound senior Garrett Good earned a 15-0 technical fall against West Virginia Tech's Corbyn Cunningham on Thursday night in the LaHaye Event Space. (Photos by Ethan Smith)

Men’s wrestlers roll over Golden Bears in final dual match, first in LaHaye Event Space

2/7/2025 4:05:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

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Liberty won three matches by fall, three by technical fall, one by forfeit and one by injury default to improved to 9-0 against West Virginia Tech.

Gallery: (2-6-2025) Liberty vs. West Virginia Tech wrestling

For the ninth time in as many meetings between the two programs, Liberty University's NCWA Division I men's wrestling team dominated West Virginia Tech's NAIA lineup, recording three pins and three technical falls to pull away for a 46-9 triumph Thursday night in the LaHaye Event Space.

The location was much smaller and more intimate than the LaHaye Multipurpose Center on the opposite side of the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center where the Flames (10-8) typically compete and will again for the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championships on March 2. In recent years, Liberty has hosted the NCWA National Duals in the LaHaye Ice Center and the MAC Championships in the Liberty Indoor Track Complex.

"This is interesting," Liberty Head Coach Jesse Castro said, comparing the atmosphere in the Event Space to that of a boxing ring. "I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not. Overall, I liked it."

"It was a good show-out," Flames 184-pound freshman Paul Moore added of the crowd that included several members of Liberty's women's wrestling team. "There were a lot of people here. I was very surprised."

Castro was also uncertain how his wrestlers would fare coming off their third-place showing over the weekend at the NCWA National Duals in Newport News, Va., where they wrestled six dual matches in two days.

"I wasn't sure what to expect after a hard weekend, but they bounced back really well," Castro said. "I like what I'm seeing. The guys are getting better in certain positions, so we're improving, and we hope we are peaking at the right time. We had pretty good momentum. They're growing in their confidence and that's helpful."

Sophomore Aiden Scheeringa, a returning NCWA All-American, set the tone for Thursday's match by pinning West Virginia Tech's Jayden Rouse in the 125-pound opener. Freshman Blaise Verdino and senior Garrett Good followed with back-to-back tech falls over the Golden Bears' Jathan Roby at 133 and Corbyn Cunningham at 141 pounds, respectively, as the Flames opened an early 16-0 lead.

"I felt better in all of my positions than (Roby and) was confident in my ability that I could put him away early," Verdino said. "He came out kind of hot with the hand fighting, but I just stayed to my guns … and got the job done."

Flames freshmen Drake Bowers (165) and Paul Moore (184) added pins to expand the Flames' lead to 34-9.

"We're a very young team but we don't use that as an excuse," Moore said. "We use that as encouragement to go out there and give it our all every single time we step out on that mat."

Moore used a "chicken wing" move to put Alexander Tempus into a reverse headlock before pinning him just 2 minutes, 2 seconds into the first period.

"I rolled the wrist and got his arm behind his back," he said. "Once you get it running and you have it secured, when he's on his back, it's pretty much over."

Moore kept his resounding win in perspective, as the Flames do as a team.

"We come out here and we do our best and we give all of the glory to God," Moore said. "We give it our all, we train hard in practice and at the end of the day, we perform the best that we can."

Senior 197-pounder Gabe Hayes used a takedown on the edge of the mat to open a lead on Jackson Evans in the final minute of the first period before escaping to start the second and adding another three-point takedown at the end to extend his lead to 7-0. Starting on top in the third, Hayes turned Evans to his back before closing out his 15-0 tech fall with four back points.

Junior heavyweight Wade Wheeler capped the team scoring by opening a 10-2 lead on Maxwell Underwood before he was forced to withdraw due to injury.

The Flames left on Friday morning to arrive in Grantham, Pa., in plenty of time to train and cut weight for Saturday's Messiah University Open, their last tournament before the MAC Championships and NCWA Grand Nationals near Shreveport, La.

"We have a lot to work on and we're just going to keep going 110 percent in practice and we're going to work on things that we need to work on so that we can perform to the best of our ability when we face (NCWA National Duals runner-up Apprentice) again," Moore said. "We're going to peak when we need to peak."

"The team's been looking better and better," Verdino added. "There have been a lot of hard battles this year just getting used to the college experience, but I think we're all getting there and will all be better by the time the (MAC) Tournament comes here."

Liberty 46, West Virginia Tech 9
125: Aiden Scheeringa (Liberty) d. Jayden Rouse; 133: Blaise Verdino (Liberty) t.f. Jathan Roby, 17-1; 141: Garrett Good (Liberty) t.f. Corbyn Cunningham, 15-0; 149: Troy Harris (West Va. Tech) p. Lucas Viana; 157: Matox Allen (Liberty), by forfeit; 165: Drake Bowers (Liberty) p. Nicholas Vincent; 174: Ryan Turney (West Va. Tech) d. Ronald Black, 13-6; 184: Paul Moore (Liberty) p. Alexander Tempus, 2:02; 197: Gabriel Hayes (Liberty) t.f. Jackson Evans, 15-0; HWT: Wade Wheeler (Liberty) d. Maxwell Underwood, by injury default.
Records: Liberty 10-8; West Virginia Tech 5-1.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer