Cowboys Commence 2019 Postseason at Big 12 Championships
LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 6, 2019) – The Wyoming wrestling team opens postseason action this weekend as it travels to Tulsa, Okla., for the Big 12 Championships. The two-day tournament is set to begin Saturday morning at the BOK Center and run through Sunday evening.
Tournament Coverage
Fans can stream the first three sessions at the Big 12 Championships live on FloWrestling. The conference finals on Sunday night will be broadcast live on the Fox Sports regional networks.
Tournament Schedule
Saturday, March 9
11 a.m. CT | Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches
5 p.m. CT | Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches
Sunday, March 10
12 p.m. CT | Consolation Semis, 3rd & 5th Place Matches
7 p.m. CT | Championship Matches
From Coach Branch:
“This is a new season. I think it’s good that we’ve had a nice break between our last competition to get ready for this. I think training’s gone well, but you have to put the regular season behind you at this point. Everything you’ve done this season has led up to this point, but look at it as a fresh opportunity because some guys are in great position, regardless of how they perform, and some guys are going to need to wrestle the best they have all year. Our goal is for all 10 guys to go out there and compete as well as they have all year because we should. All of our training has pointed to this being the best competition of the year.”
Last Time Out
The 12th-ranked Wyoming wrestling team finished off the 2018-19 dual season on Sunday afternoon, handling Big 12 foe Northern Colorado, 26-19, at Bank of Colorado Arena.
With the win, the Cowboys (16-4, 6-2 Big 12) have eclipsed the 16 dual wins this season, which are the most since winning a school-record 17 during the 1966-67 season. Cowboy head coach Branch is now 116-53 in dual meets during his career at Wyoming.
In the dual, Wyoming recorded four bonus point wins, including a fall by Tate Samuelson, technical falls by Branson Ashworth and Brian Andrews, and a major decision by Montorie Bridges.
2018 Big 12 Championships Recap
Seniors Archie Colgan and Bryce Meredith led the University of Wyoming wrestling team on the final day of the 2018 Big 12 Championship, as both became the first Cowboys to earn individual Big 12 titles. Wyoming took fourth-place as a team with 82.5 points. It was the highest finish for the Brown and Gold since joining the Big 12. The Pokes had finished fifth in the previous two tournaments.
It also became the first time since 2014 that UW had two individual conference champions when Ben Stroh (184 pounds) and Shane Woods (197 pounds) were both crowned while Wyoming was a member of the Western Wrestling Conference.
Wyoming at the Big 12 Tournament
• Since joining the Big 12 Conference for wrestling prior to the 2015-16 season, the Cowboys have landed in the top five at the conference tournament each year.
• The Cowboys finished fifth in their first two seasons in the Big 12, totaling 71.5 team points both years at the championships.
• The team’s 82.5 points at 2018’s tournament are the most the program has recorded at the event.
• Last year’s fourth-place finish was also the team’s highest Big 12 finish so far.
• The Cowboys will be looking to add to the list of Big 12 inidividual champs this weekend, after crowning their first two in 2018 with seniors Bryce Meredith (141) and Archie Colgan (157).
Weight-by-Weight Previews
125 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Cole Verner, Jr., No. 6 seed
• 2018 Champion: Nick Piccininni, Oklahoma State
• 2019 Overview: The Big 12’s 125-pound weight class is one of six classes in the conference with two top-10 grapplers. Those include returning Big 12 Champion Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State and North Dakota State’s ninth-ranked Brent Fleetwood. Also included in the class are Northern Colorado’s No. 17 Rico Montoya and 20th-ranked Cole Verner of Wyoming. Overall, the 125-pound class features seven ranked wrestlers.
• NCAA Allocations: Five
133 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Montorie Bridges, RSo., No. 3 seed
• 2018 Champion: Seth Gross, South Dakota State
• 2019 Overview: The 133-pound weight class will feature a new Big 12 champ in 2019, with SDSU’s Gross sidelined for the season due to injury. The class is highlighted by 2018 All-American Montorie Bridges, as well as freshmen standouts Daton Fix (OSU) and Austin Gomez (ISU). Other headliners include North Dakota State’s Cam Sykora and Matthew Schmitt of West Virginia, both 2018 NCAA qualifiers.
• NCAA Allocations: Five
141 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Sam Turner, RSo., No. 6 seed
• 2018 Champion: Bryce Meredith, Wyoming
• 2019 Overview: With the departure of Wyoming Cowboy legend Bryce Meredith, a stacked, young 141-pound class takes aim at the 2019 title this weekend. The class features six top-20 grapplers, including Wyoming’s Sam Turner, a 2018 NCAA qualifier, along with No. 7 Josh Alber (UNI), No. 10 Matt Findlay (UVU), a 2018 133-pound All-American and 11th-ranked Kaid Brock (OSU), No. 12 Ian Parker (ISU) and No. 16 Dom Demas (OU).
• NCAA Allocations: Six
149 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Jaron Jensen, RSo., Unseeded
• 2018 Champion: Boo Lewallen, Oklahoma State
• 2019 Overview: Cowboy Jaron Jensen will face off with seven top-20 wrestlers in one of the deeper brackets in the conference for the 149-pound Big 12 title. Five of the contenders in the class are returning NCAA qualifiers in Max Thomsen (UNI), Jarrett Degen (ISU), Khristian Olivas (FS) Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) and Davion Jeffries (OU). Also highlighted in the class is young gun Kaden Gfeller of Oklahoma State, ranked No. 8.
• NCAA Allocations: Seven
157 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Dewey Krueger, Jr., No. 6 seed
• 2018 Champion: Archie Colgan, Wyoming
• 2019 Overview: Cowboy Dewey Krueger is set to compete in one of the more open weight classes in the conference that features no top-20 contenders. Krueger is 1-0 against the field, after knocking off current No. 28 Alex Mossing in the Cowboys’ dual against Air Force. Other names to watch out for at the weight include Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Sheets (No. 23) and Oklahoma’s Justin Thomas (No. 26).
• NCAA Allocations: One
165 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Branson Ashworth, Sr., No. 1 seed
• 2018 Champion: Chandler Rogers, Oklahoma State
• 2019 Overview: Ashworth figures to be the favorite in another strong weight class, going 4-0 over the over top seeds at the weight. It will be no easy task for the Cowboy senior, however, as he’ll look to best four other top-20 foes in No. 10 Demetrius Romero (UVU), two-time Big 12 Champion and All-American Joe Smith (OSU), No. 12 Bryce Steiert (UNI) and No. 17 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU).
• NCAA Allocations: Six
174 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Hayden Hastings, RFr., No. 5 seed
• 2018 Champion: Taylor Lujan, Northern Iowa
• 2019 Overview: Along with No. 22 Hayden Hastings, the 174-pound weight class includes top-20 contenders No. 7 defending champ Taylor Lujan (UNI) and No. 12 Kimball Bastian (UVU). Also included is 2018 All-American Jacobe Smith of Oklahoma State, who has slid back and forth between 174 and 184 this season. Hastings, with three top-12 wins on the year as a freshman, could be a factor in his first Big 12 appearance.
• NCAA Allocations: Five
184 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Tate Samuelson, Fr., No. 4 seed
• 2018 Champion: Drew Foster, Northern Iowa
• 2019 Overview: Samuelson enters his first Big 12 appearance as one of four top-20 grapplers set to compete for the conference title. To do it, the Cowboy freshman will have to go through reigning champ No. 10 Drew Foster of Northern Iowa, along with No. 11 Samuel Colbray (ISU) and No. 20 Jackson Hemauer (FS). The class also features No. 25 Will Sumber of Utah Valley, who Samuelson knocked off last month in Orem.
• NCAA Allocations: Five
197 pounds
• Wyoming Starter: Cale Davidson, RFr., No. 8 seed
• 2018 Champion: Nate Rotert, South Dakota State
• 2019 Overview: Cowboy redshirt freshman Cale Davidson will compete amongst a number of NCAA qualifiers, All-Americans and conference champions in a strong 197-pound weight class. Along with 2017 All-American and two-time Big 12 Champion Preston Weigel (OSU), the class also features three-time All-American Willie Miklus (ISU). Overall, the class features five top-20 wrestlers.
• NCAA Allocations: Seven
Heavyweight
• Wyoming Starter: Brian Andrews, So., No. 5 seed
• 2018 Champion: Derek White, Oklahoma State
• 2019 Overview: Following a strong sophomore season, Cowboy Brian Andrews will look to make noise at his first Big 12 Tournament. He’ll have a tough road to the heavyweight title, though, as the bracket is set to feature second-ranked reigning Big 12 Champion Derek White of Oklahoma State, along with 2018 NCAA qualifier AJ Nevills of Fresno State. Also figuring into the equation at the weight will be No. 17 Tate Orndorff of Utah Valley.
• NCAA Allocations: Six