Wrestling Finishes 12th at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (12/7/24) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team completed competition at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite on Saturday inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Pokes finished 12th with 38.5 points.

Oklahoma State won the tournament accumulating 192 points. Nebraska and Ohio State rounded out the top three with 115 and 110.5 points, respectively.

No. 13 Joey Novak (197) paced the Cowboys. He competed Saturday, going 1-1.

Novak claimed a sudden victory over Northern Iowa’s No. 13 Wyatt Voelker, 5-2, before falling to Oklahoma State’s No. 11 Luke Surber via default in the third-place match. He placed four spots ahead of his pre-seed, taking fourth.

No. 21 Jared Hill (157) also got on the podium. He claimed fifth and was unseeded coming into the competition.  

Hill only wrestled once Saturday. He dropped a close 5-4 decision to Ohio State’s No. 6 Paddy Gallagher.

Novak and Hill were the two Pokes still alive Saturday. The eight other Wyoming student-athletes were all eliminated Friday, however, that batch wasn’t devoid of highlights.

No. 33 Stockton O’Brien seized three wins Friday. No. 28 Cole Brooks (141), No. 18 Gabe Willochell and Eddie Neitenbach (184) all logged a pair of wins each, while Cooper Voorhees (165) and Kevin Zimmer (HWT) recorded one victory apiece in the tournament.

Wyoming dips back into dual action next weekend. The Pokes travel to No. 1 Penn State on Dec. 15 for an 11 a.m. match inside Rec Hall.

125: Jack Braman

Round of 16: No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) technical fall Braman, 19-1

Consolation of 16 #2: Logan Brzozowski (Harvard) technical fall Braman, 17-2

133: No. 33 Stockton O’Brien

Round of 32: O’Brien decision Chase Liardi (Hofstra), 9-6

Round of 16: No. 6 Evan Frost (Iowa State) decision O’Brien, 16-10

Consolation of 16 #2: O’Brien decision Jacob Macatangay (Purdue), 8-4

Consolation of 8 #1: O’Brien sudden victory Micah Roes (Binghamton), 4-1

Consolation of 8 #2: No. 8 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) fall O’Brien, :20

141: No. 28 Cole Brooks

Round of 32: Brooks major decision Alek VanBebber (Cal Poly), 11-2

Round of 16: No. 7 Tagen Jamison (Oklahoma State) technical fall Brooks, 15-0

Consolation of 16 #2: Brooks major decision Justin Hoyle (Hofstra), 12-4

Consolation of 8 #1: McKenzie Bell (Rider) major decision Brooks, 9-1

149: No. 18 Gabe Willochell

Round of 16: No. 20 Steven Alvarez (Rider) decision Willochell, 9-6

Consolation of 16 #2: Willochell major decision Ayden Garver (Oregon State), 14-6

Consolation of 8 #1: Willochell major decision No. 33 Richard Fedalen (Columbia), 10-2

Consolation of 8 #2: No. 13 Colin Realbuto (Northern Iowa) decision Willochell, 13-12

157: No. 21 Jared Hill – 5th

Round of 32: No. 4 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) decision Hill, 8-3

Consolation of 16 #2: Hill decision No. 20 Colton Washleski (Rider), 8-2

Consolation of 8 #1: Hill decision Nate Wade (Cornell), 5-1

Consolation of 8 #2: Hill medical forfeit No. 10 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern)

Consolation Quarterfinals: Hill medical forfeit Rafael Hipolito (Virginia Tech)

Consolation Semifinals: No. 6 Paddy Gallagher (Ohio State) decision Hill, 5-4

Fifth-Place Match: Hill medical forfeit Joey Blaze (Purdue)

165: Cooper Voorhees

Round of 32: No. 33 Mac Church (Virginia Tech) decision Voorhees, 8-2

Consolation of 16 #1: Voorhees decision Kekana Fouret (Oregon State), 3-0

Consolation of 16 #2: Kyle Mosher (Hofstra) decision Voorhees, 11-7

174: Riley Davis

Round of 32: Lucas Uliano (Appalachian State) decision Davis, 8-2

Consolation of 16 #2: No. 27 Joseph Walker (Michigan) major decision Davis, 12-2

184: Eddie Neitenbach

Round of 32: Dennis Robin (West Virginia) fall Neitenbach, 6:42

Consolation of 16 #2: Neitenbach fall Hunter Perez (Sacred Heart), :51

Consolation of 8 #1: Neitenbach decision Jon Halverson (Northwestern), 5-4

Consolation of 8 #2: No. 4 Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) major decision Neitenbach, 12-2

197: No. 13 Joey Novak – 4th 

Round of 16: Novak decision No. 15 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 5-1

Quarterfinals: No. 7 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) decision Novak, 5-3

Consolation of 8 #2: Novak decision No. 26 Chase McDaniel (Nebraska), 6-4

Consolation Quarterfinals: Novak sudden victory No. 13 Wyatt Voelker (Northern Iowa), 5-2

Consolation Semifinals: Novak medical forfeit Andy Smith (Virginia Tech)

Third-Place Match: No. 11 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) win via default Novak

HWT: Kevin Zimmer

Round of 32: No. 5 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) technical fall Zimmer, 19-4

Consolation of 16 #2: Zimmer major decision Brendan Gilchrist (Sacred Heart), 12-4

Consolation of 8 #1: No. 14 Cory Day (Binghamton) fall Zimmer, 4:27