LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 12, 2018) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team took seven of the ten bouts in a 28-9 dual win over CSU Bakersfield on Friday night. The Pokes were led by Branson Ashworth, Kyle Pope, Drake Foster and Sam Turner with bonus-point victories. Additionally, Sam Eagan, Montorie Bridges and Bryce Meredith each added decisions for the Brown and Gold (6-2, 1-1 Big 12).

"I was expecting it to be a little bit of a dogfight," UW head coach Mark Branch said. "Overall, I was pleased with the bonus-points, especially early. I thought a few of our guys wrestled really well, even though the score may not say so. For a couple of our matches, we took care of business. We went out and controlled the heavyweight match, which was great to see from Sam (Eagan). Drake (Foster) may have been an underdog, but looked dominant and has continued to impress. It'll be a quick turnaround at Oregon State on Sunday, but we're looking forward to getting back out there."

Ashworth, No. 14 at 165 pounds, treated himself to a 19-2 tech fall. over Jacob Thalin to begin the dual. The Spanish Fork, Utah, native scored three takedowns to solidify his win and give UW an early 5-0 lead. Pope followed with a tech. fall of his own. The senior was aggressive early with four takedowns in the opening period. Two separate four-point nearfalls in the second helped Pope distance himself, and then an escape and takedown, plus almost 3:00 minutes of riding time gave Pope the 21-5 victory over Bryan Battisto.

At heavyweight, Eagan earned a 6-0 decision over Dominic Ducharme. Eagan scored a first-period takedown for an early lead, only to follow with an escape and one more takedown in the middle period. He closed out the match with an escape for the 6-0 triumph.

Foster went on the offensive at 125 pounds for Wyoming. Thanks to two takedowns and two four-point nearfalls, the sophomore led 12-1 after the first period. He cruised to a 16-7 major over Sergio Mendez to bring Wyoming's lead to 17-6 with four bouts remaining.

No. 7 Bridges earned a 7-4 decision over Sean Nickell at 133 pounds. He picked up two takedowns in the first period and added one more in the second. He also tallied an escape during the second period to solidify his win. At 141 pounds, Meredith closed out his match with a 7-3 victory over Russell Rohlfing. Two takedowns, two escapes and a riding time point was plenty for the No. 1 wrestler.

The 149 pound bout was somewhat slow to begin with but gave the fans what they wanted in the second period. No. 19 Turner tacked on a takedown and two-point nearfall in the first period, but three four-point nearfalls in the second period and a riding time point became one of the highlights. Turner earned his 17-0 tech. fall over KalanI Tonge to give UW the 28-6 advantage.

The Cowboys will hit the road on Sunday for a dual at Oregon State. The dual is set to begin at 8 p.m. MT, and can be watched on the Pac-12 Network. The Pokes used five bonus-point victories in a 32-14 win last year against Oregon State.

Match Results
165: Ashworth Tech Fall over Thalin, 19-2 - 5-0 UW
174: Pope Tech Fall over Battisto, 21-5 - 10-0 UW
184: Ducharme dec. over Polson, 13-6 - 10-3 UW
197: Williams Dec. over Vigoren, 8-3 - 10-6 UW
285: Eagan Dec. over Penyacsek, 6-0 - 13-6 UW
125: Foster Major Dec. over Mendez, 16-7 - 17-6 UW
133: Bridges dec. over Nickell, 7-4 -20-6 UW
141: Meredith dec. over Rohlfing, 7-3 - 23-6 UW
149: Turner Tech Fall over Tonge, 17-1 -28-6 UW
157: Hammond Dec. over Krueger, 1-0 - 28-9 UW