CORVALLIS, Ore. (Jan. 31, 2020) – The Wyoming wrestling team held on to win a hard-fought dual Friday evening over Oregon State, defeating the Beavers on the road, 18-13 to secure the Cowboys' third consecutive dual victory. No. 31 Dewey Krueger's 8-3 victory over Logan Meek at 157 pounds was the deciding win for the Pokes in the final match of the night.
"It was a really good experience for us," said Head Coach Mark Branch.
"We wrestled a really energized team that we were wrestling at home, in front of their crowd. They came out with a lot more energy than we did. We have to learn to match that. We have to have more energy than our opponents no matter what the situation is or where we're wrestling at. "I like the fact we showed some guts and found a way to win. The bottom line is, it was a battle."
The dual started out at 165 with Cole Moody dropping a heartbreaker in sudden victory to Aaron Olmos, 6-4, however, the Pokes responded by rattling off four-straight wins to go up 12-3 in the team score. No. 11 Hayden Hastings started the run with his 6-3 decision over Jackson McKinney. Hastings trailed 2-1 in the second period, but got an escape, followed up quickly by a takedown to take a 4-2 lead into the third. In the final period, Hastings added another takedown and was able to hang on for the win.
At 184, Tate Samuelson tallied three takedowns in his 8-3 victory over Colton Beisley. Samuelson also got an escape in the third to go up 5-1 and eventually earned the riding time bonus to end things. Stephen Buchanan at 197 made it three consecutive wins for the Cowboys as he defeated OSU's JJ Dixon, 9-5.
The bout was tied 3-3 after the first period with both wrestlers getting an escape and a takedown. After Dixon took a brief 4-3 lead in the second, Buchanan snagged the lead for good with his second takedown of the match and then in the third, recorded a reversal to begin the period and added his third takedown for good measure after a Dixon escape.
At heavyweight, 18th-ranked Brian Andrews grinded-out a 2-1 win over Jamarcus Grant. The two were scoreless after two periods, but an escape from Andrews in the third was the difference as he rode Grant out the rest of the period and picked up the riding time bonus. Grant's only score came on the second stalling warning on Andrews.
After the Beavers got a major decision at 125 to cut into the Pokes' team lead, 12-7, eighth-ranked Montorie Bridges got the marquee win of the night in a top-15 showdown with Oregon State's 15th-ranked Devan Turner, 7-4. Bridges took a 2-0 lead into the second period before Turner was able to tie things up with a two-point nearfall. However, Bridges was able to get an escape and took a 3-2 lead into the final period. Turner would tie the bout again with another escape before Bridges took the lead for good with his second takedown to go up 5-3 and then earned penalty point, as well as the riding time point.
Oregon State would not go away though, getting back-to-back wins at 141 and 149 pounds as 25th-ranked Grant Willits held off Trevor Jeffries' comeback bid, 12-10 and Lane Stigall defeated Jaron Jensen, 9-3 to make the team score, 15-13.
Krueger's match got off to a fast start as both he and Meek got a takedown and an escape in the first, however, Meek wouldn't score again as Krueger again scored three points in the second period, followed by Meek's second stalling warning and then the riding time bonus in the third to secure the dual victory for the Cowboys.
"Dewey felt it, he came out way too jazzed and was looking for a home run. Halfway through the match I told him 'just wrestle, just score and take a deep breath.' It took him a while to settle down and do his thing and once he did that, it was good. For him to be the only senior in our lineup and to get the win for his team, especially on the road, is hopefully a memory he'll have forever."
UW returns home next week now for a pair of Big 12 tilts in Laramie. The Cowboys welcome Fresno State to town Thursday, February 6 for a 7 p.m., match in the UniWyo. The Pokes then welcome Oklahoma State for a 7 p.m., bout Saturday inside the Arena-Auditorium.
WYOMING 18, OREGON STATE 13
Jan. 31, 2020 | Gill Coliseum | Corvallis, Ore.
165: Aaron Olmos (OSU) dec. Cole Moody (WYO) 6-4, SV-1
174: No. 11 Hayden Hastings (WYO) dec. Jackson McKinney (OSU) 6-3
184: No. 29 Tate Samuelson (WYO) dec. Colton Beisley (OSU) 8-3
197: No. 23 Stephen Buchanan (WYO) dec. JJ Dixon (OSU) 9-5
HWT: No. 18 Brian Andrews (WYO) dec. Jamarcus Grant (OSU) 2-1
125: Brandon Kaylor (OSU) MD Jake Svihel (WYO) 15-7
133: No. 8 Montorie Bridges (WYO) dec. No. 15 Devan Turner (OSU) 7-4
141: No. 25 Grant Willits (OSU) dec. Trevor Jeffries (WYO) 12-10
149: Lane Stigall (OSU) dec. No. 32 Logan Jensen (WYO) 9-3
157: No. 31 Dewey Krueger (WYO) dec. Logan Meek (OSU) 8-3
-WYO-
