Branch Announces 2024-25 Wrestling Schedule
LARAMIE, Wyoming (9/11/24) – University of Wyoming wrestling head coach Mark Branch released his team’s 2024-25 schedule Wednesday. The Cowboys will compete in 18 different competitions – 13 duals and five invitationals/tournaments – that’ll test a roster that returns quite a bit of production.
“Our message to our team is, raise your expectations,” Branch said. “We have a very solid lineup and a lot of experience, yet we are still relatively young. We need to take that experience we gained last year and make big jumps. Our schedule is tougher than it has been in several years, and we expect our team to step up to the challenge.”
Wyoming and Campbell will not only open their respective seasons against one another, but it will also be the sport’s first dual of the 2024-25 season. Both squads received special permissions to begin the season on Thursday, Oct. 31 at Cheyenne Frontier Days in a dual that’ll have limited attendance.
The Cowboys return home Nov. 9 for a home match against Western Wyoming. That proceeds a pair of duals at Oklahoma State (Nov. 22) and Oklahoma (Nov. 23).
The Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas runs from Dec. 6-7. Wyoming travels to defending national champion, Penn State, on Dec. 15 prior to the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 22.
“When the opportunity to dual against Penn State came up, we jumped on it,” Branch said. “Those are the kind of opportunities we want for this team. We have several guys who can be All-Americans, so you want to wrestle the best, and Penn State has proven who they are for the last decade.”
The Cowboys participate in a pair of tournaments in Iowa. The Soldier Salute Tournament is Dec. 29-30 in Coralville, while the Elite Duals spans Jan. 10-11 in Waterloo.
The Pokes travel to Oregon State (Jan. 19) before home duals against Utah Valley (Jan. 24) and Cal Baptist (Jan. 25). Wyoming goes to North Dakota State (Jan. 31) and South Dakota State (Feb. 1). The Cowboys host West Virginia (Feb. 8), go to Air Force (Feb. 14) and conclude the dual portion of the schedule at home versus Northern Colorado (Feb. 16).
Wyoming hosts the second-annual Cowboy Shootout on Feb. 22, which wraps up the regular season. The Big 12 Tournament is March 8-9 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, and the NCAA Championships is March 20-22 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
-WYO-
Bud Denega
Assistant Director, Media Relations (Men's Golf, Soccer, Wrestling)
University of Wyoming