West Virginia University wrestling coach Craig Turnbull today announced the signing of 157/165-pound wrestler Alex Meade, a former No. 1 recruit in the country.

Meade, a Camden, Del., native, comes to WVU from Oklahoma State where he redshirted the 2008-09 season before competing last season at 165 pounds for the Cowboys. He will wrestle at 157 pounds for the Mountaineers and is eligible to compete immediately as a redshirt sophomore.

“Out of high school, Alex was one of the top recruits in the country,” Turnbull says. “He visited many schools, including West Virginia, and received attention nationwide. He and his father felt that Coach (Greg) Jones would be an outstanding mentor both from a wrestling and personal perspective. They were very impressed with everything that they saw. Coach Jones and Alex share the same athletic background and style of wrestling.”

At Caesar Rodney High, Meade compiled an impressive 125-4 record throughout his career, including 39-0 as a junior and 44-0 as a senior. A three-time state champion, Meade was also a member of the Junior World team, a two-time Beast of the East champion and two-time FILA cadet freestyle national champion. He was recruited by some of the nation’s top programs, including Iowa State, Ohio State and Nebraska.

Last season at Oklahoma State, he earned a 29-10 record, including a 15-3 mark in dual meets. He defeated four eventual All-Americans during the year, including three wins over Oklahoma’s Tyler Caldwell. He also defeated No. 2 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota, No. 4 Ryan Morningstar of Iowa and Wyoming’s No. 11 Shane Onufer.

Meade placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships last year and earned a spot at the NCAA Championships. Before redshirting in 2008, he compiled a 19-2 record, which included a string of 12 straight victories. His 19 wins tied for the lead among OSU’s redshirts.

“He has a lot of potential and we hope to provide him with an environment that he can reach all of his goals and come out with a degree that’s useful to him,” Turnbull says.