LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 12, 2019) – Wyoming Cowboy wrestlers Cole Verner, Hayden Hastings and Tate Samuelson have each received at-large bids to compete at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, bringing the Cowboys' total number of 2019 qualifiers to seven.
 
The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and conference tournament finish.
 
Seeding and brackets will be unveiled during the NCAA Selection Show on NCAA.com tomorrow at 4 p.m. MT and brackets will be sent out and posted on NCAA.com at the conclusion of the show.
 
The Pokes will bring seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2013. The total ties the most in the Mark Branch era and marks the 11th time since 1940 that Wyoming has qualified seven or more grapplers in a single season.
 
Along with the trio of Pokes who earned at-large bids on Tuesday, Cowboys Montorie Bridges, Sam Turner, Branson Ashworth and Brian Andrews will also be making the trip to Pittsburgh, Pa., for the tournament after securing automatic berths at the Big 12 Championships last weekend.
 
The 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships takes place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh March 21-23.