LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 18, 2019) – The Wyoming wrestling team looks to wrap up its 2019 campaign on a high note, as the Cowboys bring seven grapplers to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. The national tournament is set for March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena.
 
Tournament Coverage
Fans can watch the Sessions I, III and V live on ESPNU. Sessions II, IV and VI will be broadcast live on ESPN. ESPN3 will offer Off the Mat, a special program providing a combination of live matches, highlights and interviews with newly crowned champions.
 
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 21
12 p.m. ET  |  Championship First Round (ESPNU)
7 p.m. ET  |  Consolations (ESPN)
 
Friday, March 22
11 a.m. ET  |  Quarterfinals and Consolations (ESPNU)
8 p.m. ET  |  Semifinals (ESPN)
 
Saturday, March 23
11 a.m. ET  |  Medal Rounds (ESPNU)
7 p.m. ET  |  Championship Finals (ESPN)
 
Last Time Out
The Wyoming wrestling team took seventh at the Big 12 Championships on Sunday night. Montorie Bridges competed in the first conference finals of his career and took second at 133 pounds following a tight loss to top-seeded Daton Fix of Oklahoma State.
 
As a team, seven of 10 Cowboys placed on the weekend, with four locking up automatic qualifying for the NCAA Championships: Bridges, Sam Turner, Branson Ashworth and Brian Andrews. The Pokes recorded 58 team points. Later in the week, Cowboys Cole Verner, Hayden Hastings and Tate Samuelson were awarded at-large bids to the national tournament.
 
2018 NCAA Championships Recap
Wyoming closed the 2018 NCAA Championships tied with Minnesota and Wisconsin for 17th place (27.5 points) in Cleveland, a fourth-place finish at Big 12s, two Big 12 champions, and two All-Americans. It was the 20th top-25 finish and third in a row for the Brown and Gold, as well as the best finish under Branch.
 
Wyoming senior and three-time All-American Bryce Meredith finished runner-up at 141 pounds. Montorie Bridges capped off his redshirt freshman season with an eighth-place finish at 133 pounds. The All-American became just the second Cowboy to earn the distinction in his freshman season.
 
Wyoming at the NCAA Championships
• Wyoming has crowned 35 All-Americans at the NCAA Championships since 1950. That total includes seven NCAA finalists.
• If the Cowboys are to bring home an individual championship this weekend, it would mark the program's second, and first since Dick Ballinger in 1960.
• Under head coach Mark Branch, 12 Cowboys have returned from the NCAA Championships as All-Americans.
• Branch's teams have recorded three top-20 finishes at the tournament, and five top-25 finishes.
• In Branch's previous 10 seasons, Wyoming has recorded multiple All-Americans in four years, one in four years, and none in just two years.
 
Super Seven
For the first time since 2013, the Cowboys will be bringing seven wrestlers to the NCAA Wrestling Championships. That total is just one short of the program record, as Wyoming qualified eight in both 1975 and 1949. The Pokes' seven qualifiers mark the 11th time since 1940 that Wyoming has qualified seven or more grapplers in a single season. Wyoming is one of 16 teams this season to qualify seven or more wrestlers.
 
Stacking Wins
All seven of the Cowboys' NCAA qualifiers have racked up 21 wins or more this season, with senior Branson Ashworth and sophomore Brian Andrews both recording 32 apiece to lead the team. The Cowboys combine for 190 total bout wins on the year to tie for fifth nationally. A look at the complete list:
 
Rk.          School                               Wins
1.            Oklahoma State                 216
2.            Iowa State                          215
3.            Penn State                         209
4.            Ohio State                          207
5.            Wyoming                            190
                Missouri                            190
7.            Minnesota                          185
8.            Virginia Tech                      170
9.            North Carolina                   168
10.          Iowa                                    161
 
Freshman Duo
With freshmen Hayden Hastings and Tate Samuelson both qualifying for their first NCAA Championships, Wyoming is one of 16 teams nationally to qualify multiple freshmen in 2019. Samuelson is one of 21 true freshmen to qualify in their first collegiate season. Hastings is one of 34 redshirt freshmen to make NCAA appearances in Pittsburgh this weekend.
 
Tracking Bonus Points
With 17 bonus point wins this season, senior Branson Ashworth ranks fourth among NCAA qualifiers at 165 pounds in total bonus point wins. Ashworth's 11 tech falls rank No. 1 at 165. With 14 bonus wins, heavyweight Brian Andrews ranks No. 7 among NCAA qualifiers at his weight. Andrews has four techs to rank second in that category. Montorie Bridges ranks fifth at 133 in major decisions.
 
Wyomingite Qualifiers
Cowboy NCAA qualifiers Cole Verner (125) and Hayden Hastings (174) stand as the only Wyoming natives in the 2019 field. Wyoming is one of 31 states to qualify multiple wrestlers.
 
JuCo Postseason Standouts
Cowboys Cole Verner and Brian Andrews are two of five wrestlers in the 2019 field that have had All-America success in other collegiate divisions. Verner tallied finished second and third at the NJCAA Championships during his two seasons at Western Wyoming, while Andrews was an NJCAA finalist at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M last season.