LARAMIE, Wyo. (Dec. 27, 2018) – The 18th-ranked Wyoming wrestling team will make the trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the South Beach Duals this week.
The Cowboys will take on No. 4 NC State on Saturday at 9 a.m. MT before an 11 a.m. MT battle with No. 6 Cornell. Wyoming will wrap the weekend against Michigan State at 9 a.m. MT on Sunday before an 11 a.m. bout against SIU-Edwardsville.
Tournament Coverage
Fans can stream all of the action this weekend live on Trackrestling. Live scoring will be available on Trackwrestling as well. Fans can also follow live updates on Twitter at @WyoWrestle.
Last Time Out
It marked back-to-back seasons with an Outstanding Wrestler at the Reno Tournament of Champions for the Wyoming wrestling team, as 141-pounder
Sam Turner claimed top honors at the tournament last week.
As a team, Wyoming placed six wrestlers at the tournament on the way to a fourth-place team finish. Aside from Turner,
Cale Davidson (197) and
Brian Andrews (HWT) both took second after advancing to the finals in their respective weight classes. Junior
Dewey Krueger took fourth at 157,
Cole Verner took fifth at 125 and
Casey Randles took sixth at 174. In all, five Cowboy grapplers finished higher than their pre-tournament seeding.
Know the Foes
NC State comes into this weekend's matchup ranked as high as No. 4 in the country. The Wolfpack brings a stacked lineup to South Beach that includes seven ranked grapplers, including No. 6 Sean Fausz (125), No. 4 Tariq Wilson (133), No. 4 Justin Oliver (149), No. 5 Hayden Hidlay (157) and No. 4 Nick Reenan (184). The Wolfpack is 6-0 so far this season in dual meets, coming off a narrow, 18-17, win over Nebraska earlier this month. Head man Pat Popolizio is in his sixth season in Realigh, boasting a 92-24 record.
No. 6 Cornell comes into the weekend ranked as high as No. 6 nationally. The Big Red is coming off a 21-14 win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 16, bringing its record to 3-0 in duals. The Cornell lineup is highlighted by defending 141-pound national champion Yianni Diakomihalis, who streaked his way to his first-career title last season as a freshman. Cornell is led by head coach Rob Koll in his 25th season in Ithaca.
Michigan State comes into the weekend with a 2-0 dual mark, going 1-0 in Big Ten matches after a 16-15 win over Indiana earlier this month. In their last time out, the Spartans took second at the Reno Tournament of Champions as No. 15 Cameron Caffey took first at 184 pounds. Head coach Roger Chandler is in his third year leading the program.
SIUE enters the South Beach Duals with an 0-3 record after dropping a 48-0 dual to Missouri earlier this month. The Cougars are led by head coach Jeremy Spates, who is in the middle of his sixth season in Edwardsville.
Looking Ahead
Following their appearance in Fort Lauderdale, the Pokes will return home next week to host No. 12 North Carolina, Army and American in the Cowboy Shootout, set to begin at 4:30 p.m. MT.
