West Virginia All-American wrestler ruled out for season with injury

West Allegheny's Ty Watters wrestles Central Dauphin's Ryan Garvick in the 152-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Watters won by major decision, 11-3. Watters is currently a sophomore at West Virginia and was a 2023-24 All-American.
West Allegheny's Ty Watters wrestles Central Dauphin's Ryan Garvick in the 152-pound championship bout at the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center on March 11, 2023, in Hershey. Watters won by major decision, 11-3. Watters is currently a sophomore at West Virginia and was a 2023-24 All-American. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

West Virginia sophomore grappler Ty Watters and 2023-2024 All-American, who hasn't appeared on the mat for the Mountaineers since November, was officially ruled out for the season on Thursday.

"We're really disappointed for Ty," head coach Tim Flynn said. "I think there's hardly a guy in the world who likes to wrestle as much as Ty Watters, so from that standpoint, we're disappointed, but we're happy we're moving forward."

Watters entered the season ranked No. 3 in Division 1 in the 149-pound weight class by prominent wrestling publication FloWrestling, and capped a standout freshman season last winter by capturing a Big 12 Championship and bringing home a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division I Championships in his weight class.

Flynn also noted that Watters will be able to utilize a medical redshirt, meaning he'll retain the year of eligibility that would have been exhausted during the 2024-2025 season and will have three full seasons left to compete.

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