Big performances for WVU Tech athletes

A week of big performances by WVU Tech student-athletes wasn’t limited to the men’s soccer team.

Golden Bears wrestler Troy Harris is off to a fast start, winning his first 11 matches in the 141-pound weight class. He was particularly productive over the weekend, earning Appalachian Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week honors after winning the championship at the Lucha Open hosted by NAIA power Life University.

Harris, a sophomore and 2024 Woodrow Wilson High School graduate, went 6-0. Among his victories were three pins, a technical fall and a major decision.

The Golden Bears will close out the first semester Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Southeastern Open in Lakeland, Fla.

Also honored for WVU Tech was Cadence Stewart, who scored 21 points in her team’s 59-57 win over Salem University. The effort earned her the River States Conference Offensive Player of the Week award.

Stewart was 8-of-16 from the floor, and the Golden Bears needed every bit of her production. They led by as much as 17 in the fourth quarter before the Tigers fought it off and made it a one-point game, 54-53, with 1:12 to go.

Alexis Sexton hit a 3-pointer with 37 seconds on the clock to help Tech survive.

Stewart is third in the conference in scoring at 19.2 points per game. Her 54.1 3-point percentage (20-for-37) is second.

The Golden Bears (5-1) were at Alice Lloyd on Tuesday, then will go to Ohio Christian on Saturday, Dec. 6.

There were no awards on the men’s side, but there was certainly a big-time performance.

The Golden Bears trailed Carolina University 89-87 in the closing seconds of their game in the Bevo Francis Classic hosted by Rio Grande. Jackson Tackett took a pass from Cole Chapman at the right elbow and dished off to Brandon Moore outside the arc. Moore drove to the right side of the basket but threw the ball long to Trayten Woods on the left wing.

Woods shook off an oncoming defender, then released the 3-pointer with a tenth of a second on the clock. The ball went through and the Golden Bears came away with the 90-89 victory.

The win snapped the Golden Bears’ six-game losing streak.

Tech (2-6) is off until Saturday, Dec. 6, when it hosts Appalachian Bible College in Van Meter Gymnasium on the Tech campus. A tip-off time still has not been announced.