Wrestling Closes Out its Dual Season at Air Force and at Home versus Northern Colorado

LARAMIE, Wyoming (2/12/25) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team wraps up its dual season this week. The Pokes travel to Air Force on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. dual inside Clune Arena before hosting Northern Colorado on Sunday at 2 p.m. inside the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Wyoming is 10-6 this season, 4-3 in the Big 12, and has enjoyed a strong closing stretch to its season. The Cowboys have won seven of their past nine duals, including most recently upsetting No. 20 West Virginia this past Saturday.

“We have made a lot of progress this past month, and I want to see that continue,” head coach Mark Branch said. “There are still things we can do better, and I certainly think we can still be more aggressive. It would be nice to finish the season with these two wins, but most importantly we need to come out firing. If we do that, I think we will win both.”

Wyoming boasts five ranked grapplers who’ve all been on a tear of late. No. 10 Joey Novak (197) has won 11 bouts in a row. No. 18 Cole Brooks (141) and No. 19 Gabe Willochell (149) have each won seven of their last nine matches. No. 19 Jared Hill (157) has a win in four of his most recent five bouts, and No. 25 Eddie Neitenbach (184) is five for his last six with a pair of upsets.

The rest of the lineup will look to catch fire with a couple duals left before the Big 12 Tournament in March. The remaining five include Garrett Ricks (125), Stockton O’Brien (133), Cooper Voorhees (165), Riley Davis (174) and Sam Mitchell (HWT).

Air Force lays claim to a 5-6 record and a 0-6 mark in the Big 12. The most recent meeting between the two at the Academy went in favor of the Falcons, 25-11, in 2022.

Air Force doesn’t currently own a ranked guy, but a couple have bounce in and out of the polls. Their lineup will feature Bubba Wright or Nico Tocci or Nick Gonzalez (125), Gavin Caprella (133), Carter Nogle (141), Alec Viduya (149), EJ Beloncik or Josh Palacio (157), Logan Fowler (165), Jack Ganos (174), Gage Musser (184), Brian Burburija (197) and Antonio Ramos (HWT).

Northern Colorado is 9-5 on the season and 2-4 in the Big 12. The Bears are receiving votes in the NWCA Coaches’ Poll, sitting just ahead of Wyoming with 11 votes to the Pokes’ 10. Northern Colorado won the last matchup in Laramie two years ago, 19-16.

The Bears lineup showcases four ranked wrestlers. No. 2 Andrew Alirez (141) – who won the national championship two seasons ago before taking an Olympic redshirt last year – No. 12 Vinny Zerban (157) and No. 13 Dominick Serrano (133) are joined by Bryson Valdez (125), Benji Alanis (149), Clayton Ulrey or Daishun Powe (165), Aydin Rix McElhinney (174), AJ Heeg (184), Andrew Donahue (197) and Remington Peterson or Jose Valdez (HWT).

Sunday is Senior Day for 10 Wyoming student-athletes. Cooper Birdwell, Warren Carr, Mason Ding, Josh Kyle, Brett McIntosh, Mitchell, Aidan Noonan, O’Brien, Ricks and Voorhees will be honored before the dual.

Following Sunday’s match, the Pokes host the Cowboy Shootout on Feb. 23 in the Arena-Auditorium prior to the Big 12 Tournament, which spans March 8-9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.