LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nov. 20, 2019) – The Wyoming wrestling team continues its early-season road travels Friday night at the Cowboys face a tough test in No. 3 Nebraska at 6 p.m., in Lincoln.
The Pokes opened its dual season last weekend with a 21-12 victory over Air Force to kickoff Big 12 action. The win was the 12th straight for the Cowboys against the Falcons. UW grabbed six individual match victories in the win and got three bonus-point wins from Brian Andrews (HWT), Stephen Buchanan (197) and Hayden Hastings (174), who all grabbed major decisions.
The Cornhuskers feature seven wrestlers ranked by various outlets. With probable lineups, Friday's dual could feature three top-25 head-to-heads. At 174 pounds, No. 11 Hastings is slated to face No. 3 Mikey Labriola. At 184, Tate Samuelson, who is ranked 23rd, is set to face third-ranked Taylor Venz and at heavyweight, No. 14 Andrews could face No. 13 David Jensen of the Cornhuskers.
At 197, Buchanan will put his perfect 9-0 start to the 2019-20 season up against 10th-ranked Eric Schultz of Nebraska. Schultz is 5-0 on the season and is one of six Huskers in the probable lineup yet to take a defeat this season.
At 133, the Cowboys' highest-ranked wrestler, Montorie Bridges, who is No. 7 by various polls, puts is 5-1 mark up against Zak Hensley who is 4-1 on the young season. 19th-ranked Cole Verner looks to rebound from an opening-dual loss at 125, as he faces off with Alex Thomsen, who is 5-3.
Head Coach Mark Branch now has 117 career wins, a mark that ranks third in program history. Branch is currently 10 wins behind his predecessor, Steven Suder (1989-2008) for second on the all-time wins list. Branch's .688 winning percentage is the best mark in Wyoming wrestling history.
In addition to Friday's dual, the Pokes will send a select number of student-athletes to compete at the Nebraska-Kearney Open Saturday.
Fans can follow the action live Friday via the Big Ten Plus app while Saturday's tournament can be followed at FloWrestling. Both events can be found via links at gowyo.com/coverage or on the Wyoming wrestling schedule page.
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