Wrestling Celebrates Seniors with a 26-9 Victory Over Northern Colorado

LARAMIE, Wyoming (2/16/25) – Sam Mitchell (HWT) has only been with the University of Wyoming wrestling team for a little over six months, but you could feel his impact Sunday inside the UniWyo Sports Complex. With a sizable lead and the dual no longer in doubt, Mitchell’s name was utilized in a chant, ‘Let’s go Sam.’

The crowd was greedy. They wanted one more win in what was a Wyoming rout of Northern Colorado. And Mitchell, on Senior Day, gave it to them.

The grad student from Marshfield, Wisconsin, put an exclamation point on a 26-9 victory with a 5-1 decision win over Jose Valdez. It gives Wyoming a 12-6 overall record and 6-3 mark in the Big 12 this season.

“It was cool to get the crowd chanting,” head coach Mark Branch said. “I love that they stuck around until the end and that they were getting behind Sam on Senior Day. I hope he recognizes how special our fans are because we know how special he’s been to us and our success this year.”

Mitchell was one of 10 seniors recognized before the dual. Two of his fellow elder statesmen got a win, as well. Garrett Ricks (125) started things off with a 5-3 decision over Bryson Valdez, and Cooper Voorhees (165) was in the middle of a wave of Wyoming momentum, earning a 7-3 decision over Daishun Powe.

“Some of those guys got to go out there and finish their home career on the mat and get their hands raised, and I’m really proud of them,” Branch said. “We have been through a lot of trials and tribulations. We have a really good team, and we need to recognize that. They put together quite a season when we had a rocky start with injuries and adversity. This was a great way to finish the regular season.”

The seniors performed well, but perhaps the biggest victory occurred at 157 pounds. No. 17 Jared Hill outdueled No. 14 Vinny Zerban in tiebreaker-1, 3-1. It avenges an earlier season loss for Hill when Zerban won in sudden victory, 4-1.

No. 25 Eddie Neitenbach (184) and No. 9 Joey Novak (197) continued on their recent tear, and their work Sunday clinched the dual win. Neitenbach boasted a 15-3 major decision over AJ Heeg and Novak earned a 16-2 major decision over Andrew Donahue.  

No. 19 Gabe Willochell (149) and Riley Davis (174) rounded out the victorious Cowboys. Willochell methodically defeated Benji Alanis via decision, 2-0, and Davis utilized a late takedown to beat Clayton Ulrey by decision, 4-1.

“We didn’t have one guy today that didn’t go out and fight for the entire match,” Branch said. “We bounced back well after Air Force. I think they listened to the message on how to wrestle and how to compete.”

Many of Wyoming’s backups will be in action next weekend. The Pokes host the Cowboy Shootout on Feb. 23 in the Arena-Auditorium before turning their attention to the Big 12 Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from March 8-9.

Wyoming 26 | Northern Colorado 9  

125: Garrett Ricks (Wyoming) decision Bryson Valdez (Northern Colorado), 5-3

133: No. 13 Dominic Serrano (Northern Colorado) fall Stockton O’Brien (Wyoming), 3:26

141: No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) decision No. 18 Cole Brooks (Wyoming), 11-6

149: No. 19 Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) decision Benji Alanis (Northern Colorado), 2-0

157: No. 17 Jared Hill (Wyoming) tiebreaker-1 No. 14 Vinny Zerban (Northern Colorado), 3-1

165: Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) decision Daishun Powe (Northern Colorado), 7-3

174: Riley Davis (Wyoming) decision Clayton Ulrey (Northern Colorado), 4-1

184: No. 25 Eddie Neitenbach (Wyoming) major decision AJ Heeg (Northern Colorado), 15-3

197: No. 9 Joey Novak (Wyoming) major decision Andrew Donahue (Northern Colorado), 16-2

HWT: Sam Mitchell (Wyoming) decision Jose Valdez (Northern Colorado), 5-1

-WYO-