Cowboy Open: Live Results | Live Video| All-Star Classic: TrackWrestling
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 3,
2016) -- The University of Wyoming wrestling
team opens its season this weekend with the 39th annual Cowboy Open. The
tournament will begin at 9 a.m., on Saturday as the Pokes will be one of
25 teams and join 450 wrestlers in this season's field. Tickets for the event
will be sold at the southeast and northwest corners of War Memorial Fieldhouse
and will be $17 for adults and $10 for children.
In addition to the Cowboy
Open, junior Bryce Meredith will take
on Rutgers Anthony Ashnault in the 51st National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic. The annual
preseason showcase is set to take place on Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. MT
from the Wolstein Center in
Cleveland, Ohio. The event will be streamed live on TrackWrestling.com.
About the Cowboy Open
This tournament has been an
essential part of the Cowboy Wrestling program. The first Cowboy Open took
place in 1974 under head coach Joe Dowler, and the Cowboys have hosted it every
year since then, with the exception of four seasons. This year marks the 27th-straight
season that Wyoming has hosted the event, every year since 1990-91.
A Look at Wyoming
The Pokes return two
NCAA qualifiers in redshirt senior Drew Templeman and Meredith. In total, the UW returns ten letterwinners and welcomes
seven newcomers for 2016-17.
The
Cowboys are coming off a 6-6 campaign in 2015-16 that featured a 4-4 conference
mark. Wyoming finished fifth at the Big 12 Championships with 71.5 points
during its inaugural season in the conference. Furthermore, UW claimed the 18th
spot in the team standings with 24.5 points at last year’s NCAA Championships led
my Meredith’s runner-up finish.
Beginning
its second season as a member of the Big 12 conference, a tough schedule once
again awaits the Cowboys. UW will compete against five top-25 team finishers
from last year’s NCAA Championships. Three of those duals will be home in the
friendly confines of the UniWyo Sports Complex.
UW
head coach Mark Branch enters
his ninth season at the helm, boasting an 80-38 overall record and a 34-8 mark
in conference action.
He Said It
“It’s that time of
year when everyone gets a little anxious,” Branch said. “You want to know where
your guys are at and see how they compete against different competition. The
Cowboy Open is a great event for us and it means so much to the University of
Wyoming. We have guys that are so competitive that you realize how much it
means to them. Not only do us coaches want them to do well, but they want each
other to do well.”
“We are all excited
for Bryce (Meredith) and the fact that he gets to represent Wyoming at the
All-Star Classic. His work ethic is great and he brings so much to every meet.
We all understand it is the first weekend of competition, but he wants to go
and perform well.”
Up Next
The Cowboys will
travel to Greeley, Colo., to compete in the Northern Colorado Open on Nov. 13.
