Notes 

South Dakota State: Live Results | Live Video (with subscription)

Oregon State: Live Results | Live Video (with subscription)

LARAMIE, Wyo. (January 11, 2017) – For the first time since late November, the University of Wyoming wrestling team will welcome an opponent and host a pair of duals this weekend inside the UniWyo Sports Complex. The Cowboys, 1-4 overall, open the weekend by hosting Big 12 foe and 20th-ranked South Dakota State on Friday at 7 p.m. MT, before facing Pac-12 member Oregon State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Jackrabbits enter the week with a 6-2 record, as the Beavers hold a 1-3 mark so far in the 2016-17 season. Fans can follow the action on Trackwrestling or watch live with a subscription to FloWrestling.

The Series with No. 20 South Dakota State

The Cowboys lead the all-time series against the Jackrabbits 15-2 in a matchup that dates back to 1954.

UW dropped a 22-15 decision to South Dakota State last season in Brookings, S.D. The Pokes were dealt a blow early in the dual with an injury default at 125 pounds and lost three matches by one point with two of those wins for SDSU coming on riding time. Drake Foster, Bryce Meredith and Chaz Polson earned victories for Wyoming last year. Polson, wrestling at 165, led the way with a technical fall for the Brown and Gold.

Along with being the 20th-ranked team, SDSU has won its last five duals. Most recently, it dominated Boise State and Northern Colorado last weekend. South Dakota State defeated Boise State 37-3 last Friday before completing the weekend sweep with a 34-6 win over Northern Colorado on Sunday. The Jackrabbits have two wrestlers that are in the latest Intermat individual rankings. At 133, Seth Gross is the sixth-ranked wrestler in the rankings that came out on Tuesday. He is also the eighth-ranked wrestler according to Amateur Wrestling News. He was an NCAA Qualifier a year ago and Big 12 runner-up at 141-pounds. Nathan Rotert was also an NCAA Qualifier and Big 12 runner-up last season. Intermat has him ranked No. 8 in the 197-pound weight class. The Jackrabbits return eight starters from last year's squad that had a 14-6 dual record and sent a program-best five wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Championships.

No. 20 South Dakota State Probable Lineup

125: Ben Gillette, Sr., Redfield, S.D. (10-7 overall, 6-2 duals)
133: #6/5/8/4 Seth Gross, So., Apple Valley, Minn. (16-1, 6-0)
141: Henry Pohlmeyer, R-Fr., Johnston, Iowa (8-7, 1-3)

or Isaac Andrade, Jr., Redding, Calif. (8-7, 3-1)
149: Alex Kocer, Sr., Wagner, S.D. (15-4, 7-1)
157: Logan Peterson, So., Lake Lillian, Minn. (14-7, 4-0)
165: Luke Zilverberg, Jr., Belle Plaine, Minn. (13-4, 6-1)
174: NR/15/19/19 David Kocer, Jr., Wagner, S.D. (11-5, 6-2)
184: Martin Mueller, R-Fr., Rapid City, S.D. (8-7, 4-4)
or Zac Carlson, R-Fr., Kerkhoven, Minn. (4-5, 1-1)
197: #8/9/8/NR Nate Rotert, Jr., Spearfish, S.D. (10-3, 4-2)
HWT: Alex Macki, Jr., Cambridge, Iowa (5-6, 4-4)

*Rankings reflect Intermat/Flowrestling/Amateur Wrestling News/The Open Mat.

The Series with Oregon State

The Cowboys and the Beavers have met 29 times with Oregon State holding a record of 21-8 over the Pokes. Last season, Oregon State used bonus points in four of its eight wins to down the Cowboys, 32-7 in Corvallis, Ore. Meredith and Archie Colgan were the bright spots for the Pokes as they each picked up wins for UW during the dual. Colgan earned an overtime decision as Meredith used a major to lead the Pokes.

Joey Delgado and Corey Greigo are each ranked in three media outlets for the Beavers. Delgado is 13th in the Amateur Wrestling News and The Open Mat in addition to 19th in the Intermat rankings. Griego has the 14th spot in the 197 The Open Mat rankings, Intermat’s No. 18 spot and is also No. 20 according to Amateur Wrestling News. Furthermore, heavyweight Cody Crawford is the 15th-ranked wrestler in The Open Mat rankings. Additionally, Oregon State will face Northern Colorado on Friday before making the trip to Laramie. Most recently, OSU finished 21st at the Midlands Championships at Northwestern University on Dec. 30. Delgado and Crawford each placed in their respective weight classes to lead the Beavers. The Oregon State wrestling team returned eight starters and five NCAA participants from a 2015-16 unit that captured its fifth consecutive Pac-12 Conference championship.

Oregon State Probable Lineup

125: Kegan Calkins, RSo., Wheaton, Ill. (7-8)

133: Joey Palmer, RSr., Covington, Wash. (14-4)

141: Jack Hathaway, RJr., Iowa City, Iowa (11-5)

149: #19/20/13/13 Joey Delgado, RSr., Hermiston, Ore. (11-6)

157: Abraham Rodriguez, RJr., Hermiston, Ore. (4-6)

165: Rodney Williams, RSo., Kaneohe, Hawaii (3-8)

174: Weston Dobler, RFr., West Fargo, N.D. (7-12)

184: Bob Coleman, Fr., Hermiston, Ore. (4-10)

197: #18/NR/20/14 Corey Griego, RSo., Apple Valley, Calif. (13-7)

HWT.: NR/18/NR/15 Cody Crawford, RJr., Turner, Ore. (13-4,)

*Rankings reflect Intermat/Flowrestling/Amateur Wrestling News/The Open Mat.

Wyoming in the Rankings

Once again Wyoming has four wrestlers within the Intermat individual rankings. Meredith leads the way with the eighth-ranked spot in the 141-pound weight class. Branson Ashworth is 15th at 165, as Mendenhall (16th) and Colgan (17th) are holding strong within the top-20 of their respective weights.

The same four Pokes are ranked in The Open Mat individual rankings. Meredith and Ashworth are each No. 8 in their respective weights, while Mendenhall is 15th at 149 and Colgan is 16th at 157. At 141, Meredith is in eighth and Mendenhall (149) is 16th in the Flowrestling rankings. Drew Templeman is 17th at 133 with Ashworth (165) ranked 19th. As a team, the Pokes, who are tied 27th, are just outside the top-25 in the TrackWrestling poll.

Wyoming Probable Lineup

125: NR/17/NR/NR Drew Templeman, Sr., Orting, Wash. (8-5 overall, 2-2 duals)

133: Ronnie Stevens, Jr. Oakdale, Calif. (8-7, 0-2)

141: #8/8/8/8 Bryce Meredith, Jr., Cheyenne, Wyo. (17-4, 3-2)

149: #16/16/10/15 Cole Mendenhall, Sr., Great Falls, Mont. (21-4, 3-2)

157: #17/NR/10/16 Archie Colgan, Jr., Westminster, Colo. (22-5, 1-4)

165: #15/19/10/8 Branson Ashworth, RSo., Spanish Fork, Utah (25-3, 5-0)

174: Kyle Pope, Jr., Bakersfield, Calif. (15-9, 1-4)/Chaz PolsonChaz Polson, RJr., Highlands Ranch, Colo. (8-8, 0-2)

184: Luke Paine, Jr., Billings, Mont. (8-10, 0-5)

197: Nate Shaw, Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa (6-8, 0-0)

HWT: Brandon Tribble, Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo. (8-11, 1-3)

*Rankings reflect Intermat/Flowrestling/Amateur Wrestling News/The Open Mat.

Last Time Out

The then 23rd-ranked Wyoming wrestling team completed action at the American University duals in the nation’s capital last Friday. The Pokes fell to 1-4 on the season after dropping contests against American (14-19), North Carolina (7-25) and Army West Point (12-18). Ashworth led the Pokes with a 3-0 mark in The District. Two of his three wins came via decisions while he added one major decision.  Additionally, Templeman and Meredith went 2-1 on the afternoon for the Brown and Gold.

He Said It

“It’s beneficial to not have to travel and use this full week to practice,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “We’ve worked on getting tougher mentally to help us in the future. It has been a lot of high pace, high intensity conditioning during our practices this week. We are addressing our will to win, grit and determination and our toughness as well. I want to see some guys step up and be a leader. If you are going to win a dual all ten guys will have to contribute in some way.”

“I don’t think this program represented itself well last week,” Branch added. “We now have two more tough teams to compete against. South Dakota State is balanced and a pretty good dual team. They finished ahead of us at the Big 12 tournament as well as beating us in the dual last year, so we no doubt have something to prove. Oregon State has had a couple injuries but they are still a solid team. They have already faced tough competition, so we know they will be ready to go.”

Up Next

Wyoming will hit the road once again next week when it travels to Cal Poly for Friday evening matchup. The dual will begin at 8 p.m. MT on Jan. 20 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.