LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 1, 2019) – The No. 8/11 Cowboy wrestling team heads back out on the road this weekend for a pair of duals out West.
 
Wyoming will wrestle two duals in two different cities in one day, beginning with a 1 p.m. MT matchup against Big 12 foe Fresno State. The Pokes will then travel to Bakersfield to take on CSU Bakersfield that night at 7 p.m. MT.
 
Dual Coverage
Fans can stream the Cowboys' dual at Fresno State on FloWrestling, and the CSU Bakersfield dual live on ESPN3. Live scoring will be available on Trackwrestling as well. Fans can also follow live updates on Twitter at @WyoWrestle.
 
Last Time Out
The No. 8/11 Wyoming wrestling team earned its eighth-straight win on Sunday afternoon, handling West Virginia in a 33-15 battle in the UniWyo Sports Complex.
 
Along with taking the 125-pound match by forfeit, the Cowboys (12-3, 3-1 Big 12) racked up three falls in the win, putting the Mountaineers away quickly with under hour between the dual's first and last whistles. Wyoming picked up wins in the only two ranked-versus-ranked bouts, and won six of the nine contested bouts on the day.
 
From Coach Branch
"It's obviously a conference match with Fresno State in the Big 12 now. This is our first time out there. They've done some pretty amazing things in their two years back as a program. We're looking forward to that experience. They've got a great match-day experience out there. Last year, I think they were top five in attendance in the country, so the fans out there were really behind the movement to get Fresno State wrestling back. They're going to be amped up and ready to go. It's not only a conference match, but they're excited to see the resurrection of a once-great program. The last month they've really turned it up a notch, and they've got several individuals. So that will be a challenge for us.
 
"We've got two duals in one day, going to Bakersfield and having that travel in between duals. That is going to present some challenges, but this time of year we need to get out of our comfort zone, which we've been in for a long time here. It's been nice (being home) but we've got to get out of it, get out on the road in a foreign atmosphere and face some of the things that come with that."
 
Eyeing Fresno State
Fresno State heads into Sunday's contest at 7-6 overall with a 3-3 record in Big 12 duals. Winners of three in a row, the Bulldogs are coming off wins over then-No. 23 Utah Valley, South Dakota State and a 27-13 win over Oregon State on Thursday night. Fresno State is 3-2 at home and have already picked up three more dual wins this season than their return season in 2018. The Bulldogs return a pair of 2018 NCAA Qualifiers to the lineup this season in Khristian Olivas and AJ Nevills, who each currently carry top-20 rankings.
 
Head coach Troy Steiner is in his second season in Fresno, sitting on an 11-22 record.
 
About the Roadrunners
CSU Bakersfield heads into this weekend's bout with the Cowboys at 5-7 overall and a 2-1 mark in Pac-12 duals. The Roadrunners are coming off an upset over No. 22 Stanford in Bakersfield last weekend, in which they upended the Cardinal, 20-13, to snap a three-dual losing streak. Bakersfield is 3-1 at home this season, but has posted an 0-3 record against Big 12 opponents on the year. The Roadrunners return a pair of two-time NCAA qualifiers in Sean Nickell and Russell Rohlfing, but have faced the prospect of replacing three of their five 2018 qualifiers this season.
 
Head coach Manny Rivera is in his third season leading the Roadrunners. He has racked up an 16-24 overall record during his time in Bakersfield.
 
The Series: Fresno State
• The Cowboys and Bulldogs will be meeting for the 14th time in the two schools' histories on Sunday.
• Fresno State leads the overall series, 11-2, dating back to 1989.
• Wyoming will be looking for its first win over the Bulldogs in Fresno, with Fresno State currently holding a 7-0 lead.
• Head coach Mark Branch is 1-0 against the Bulldogs during his time at Wyoming, thanks to a 40-6 victory in 2018.
 
The Series: CSU Bakersfield
• Wyoming and CSU Bakersfield will be meeting for only the seventh time in the series between the two programs that dates back to 1989.
• The series is currently tied, 3-3.
• The Cowboys got the win in the last meeting between the two teams, coming up with a 28-9 victory over the Roadrunners in 2009.
• Branch is 2-0 against the Roadrunners since coming to Wyoming.