LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 6, 2019) – The No. 13 Wyoming wrestling team hits the home stretch of the 2019 dual season this weekend. The Cowboys are set to travel to Utah Valley for a Big 12 dual on Friday at 7 p.m., before hosting South Dakota State on Sunday at 2 p.m. to wrap up the team's home schedule.
 
Dual Coverage
Fans can stream Friday's dual live on the WAC Digital Network. All Wyoming home duals are streamed live on FloWrestling. Live scoring for both duals will be available on Trackwrestling as well. Fans can also follow live updates on Twitter at @WyoWrestle.
 
From Coach Branch:
"In (Utah Valley's) last handful of duals, they have hardly wrestled any of their starters. I don't know exactly if they have the injury bug or if they're resting up for us. From our perspective, they're resting their guys for a big dual meet against us, and that's how we're preparing because they have a very good team if all of their guys wrestle. We'll just see. We're a little dinged up and we have a quick turnaround. We leave tomorrow and had to have yesterday off just because of NCAA rules, so it really feels like we just stepped off the plane. From a coaching standpoint, you don't want it easy at this point in the season because you'll reflect on these things when you get to the meat grinder at the Big 12 Tournament to say you've seen these things and fought through them."
 
"I like how we match up against (South Dakota State). It will depend on what our lineup is. Hopefully, we can get those seniors matches. That's the ultimate goal, is not only honoring those guys, but getting them out there to compete one last time in front of our home crowd. We'll see if that happens, but I hope it does. At this point, there are things bigger than dual wins, but we're still competitive and we're going to do everything we can to win the dual."
 
Last Time Out
The Wyoming wrestling team split duals on Sunday in California, dropping its first loss of the New Year in a tough battle against Fresno State, followed by a convincing win over CSU Bakersfield.
 
The Cowboys' eight-match winning streak was snapped in a grinder of a dual against the Bulldogs, as Fresno State defeated the Cowboys in a 21-12 battle. The Cowboys bounced back from a tough loss in the second dual of the day on Sunday night, handling CSU Bakersfield, 25-6. Wyoming won eight of 10 bouts on the way to its 13th win of the season.
 
Senior Day
Sunday's matchup with the Jackrabbits will serve as the final home dual for three Cowboys: Branson Ashworth, Brock George and Anthony Lombardo. All three will be honored for their contributions to Wyoming wrestling prior to the dual.
 
Ashworth owns the 10th-most career wins in school history with 115, and two seasons that rank 14th on the program single-season wins list. He's on his way to another stellar season with a 27-3 overall record.
 
George has been an important member of the team during his five years in Laramie. He has recorded a career high in wins this season, while making two dual starts for the Pokes.
 
A graduate transfer to Wyoming this season, Lombardo has been outstanding during his final collegiate season. The Bethlehem, Pa., native is 10-4 overall on the season with nine of his wins coming with bonus points. He has gone 3-1 for the Cowboys in duals.
 
Breaking Down the Wolverines
Utah Valley heads into Friday's bout with the Cowboys at 9-11 overall and 0-5 in Big 12 duals. The Wolverines got off to a hot start to open the season, tallying ranked wins over Rutgers and Purdue, along with narrow losses to blue blood programs such as Nebraska and Wisconsin, but have been bit by the injury bug of late. Utah Valley is coming off lopsided losses to No. 25 North Dakota State and No. 14 Iowa State last weekend, in which they were without nine of their 10 starters. The Wolverines return four NCAA qualifiers from a season ago, including Demetrius Romero, Kimal Bastian and Tanner Orndorff, who could figure into Utah Valley's lineup this Friday.
               
Head coach Greg Williams is in his 13th season in Orem, racking up a 78-87 overall record.
 
A Look at the Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters the weekend at 2-7 overall with a 1-4 Big 12 record. The Jackrabbits are coming off a weekend in which they split matches against Utah Valley and Iowa State, defeating the Wolverines, 26-16 and falling to Iowa State, 47-0. With 2018 national champion Seth Gross sidelined for the season, South Dakota State is led by 2018 qualifier Henry Pohlmeyer, who comes into the weekend ranked No. 18 at 149 pounds.
 
Head coach Damion Hahn is in his first season leading the Jackrabbits after spending 12 years as an assistant at Cornell.
 
The Series: Utah Valley
• The Cowboys and Wolverines will be meeting for the 15th time in the series between the two schools, which dates back to 2005.
• The Cowboys have dominated the series, currently holding a 13-1 record in previous duals against Utah Valley.
• Wyoming is 7-0 against the Wolverines in Orem.
• Wyoming took the last meeting, 38-4, in Laramie last season.
• Head coach Mark Branch is 10-0 against the Wolverines since taking over the reins of the Cowboy program.
 
The Series: South Dakota State
• Wyoming and South Dakota State will be meeting for the 20th time since 1954 on Sunday afternoon.
• The Cowboys have won 15 of the previous 19 meetings.
• Wyoming holds an 8-1 advantage in matches competed in Laramie.
• The Jackrabbits won the last matchup between the two teams, 20-18, in Brookings last season.
• Head coach Mark Branch is 6-4 against the Jackrabbits.
 
Looking Ahead
Following this weekend's duals, the Cowboys will wrap up the 2018-19 dual season on the road next Sunday, Feb. 17 with a showdown at Northern Colorado. That match is set for 7 p.m.