West Virginia freshman Ty Watters wins 149-pound weight class at Big 12 Championship

"“I’m going to go to work and break myself every day.”"

- Ty Watters

In an interview earlier this season, West Virginia freshman wrestler Ty Watters made clear what his approach to his time in Morgantown would look like.

“I’m going to go to work and break myself every day,” he said.

On Sunday night, that mentality paid off as he captured a first-place finish in 149-pound weight class at the Big 12 Championship. With the victory, Watters became the first true freshman to win a Big 12 Championship in program history, and just the fourth overall Mountaineer grappler to earn a Big 12 title.

Watters, an Imperial, Pa. native, reeled off four consecutive wins over two days en route to capturing the conference title. He now holds a 25-4 record on the season. His also paced the Mountaineer squad with 10 total pinfalls on the year.

With the win, Watters secures a spot in the 149-pound bracket at the NCAA Championships, which are set to be held from March 21-23 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.