LARAMIE – When Sam Mitchell was wrestling at the University of Buffalo the team did security work for the Bills during home games at Highmark Stadium.
 
When Mitchell, who gravitated to Bills mafia, entered the transfer portal it quickly became apparent that he would finish his career where Josh Allen's began.
 
The heavyweight's last ride with the Cowboys has been a memorable one.
 
Mitchell is one of five wrestlers who will compete for Wyoming at the NCAA Championships this Thursday through Saturday in Philadelphia.
 
"I just wanted a place where I knew I could accomplish my goals and a place that I knew believed in me," Mitchell said of the decision to use his extra eligibility at UW. "When I got on campus here, I felt that from the coaches and that they saw what I saw in me. …
 
"I love to hunt, I love to fish, I love country music. That's what everyone loves here. It felt like home right away."
 
Mitchell compiled 86 wins at Buffalo and qualified for last year's NCAA championships at 197 pounds. UW head coach Mark Branch and his staff challenged the Mid-American Conference standout to move to heavyweight for his lone season in the loaded Big 12.
 
"The thought of never cutting weight again was pretty cool," Mitchell said of the recruiting pitch. "It did take me a while to figure things out at heavyweight. It's almost like relearning how to wrestle a little bit. About halfway through the season, I started to figure it out, started to learn what works for me at this weight."
 
During the season, Mitchell consistently came through in the clutch to help the Pokes win several tight duals. He finished with a 20-8 record entering the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 8 seed and not expected to advance to the national championships.
 
After getting pinned by No. 1 Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals, Mitchell won three consecutive consolation matches, including a 5-3 decision over Iowa State's No. 6 Daniel Herrera, who was ranked No. 25, in the consolation semifinals to capture one of the few NCAA allocations at his weight class.
 
"That was the highlight of our tournament for sure," Branch said of Mitchell's dramatic run in Tulsa, Okla. "For those guys to see him battle and fight and win matches he wasn't supposed to was definitely the fun part of the tournament for us."
 
Gabe Willochell (149), Jared Hill (157), Eddie Neitenbach (184) and Joey Novak (197) will also represent the Pokes at the NCAA championships.
 
Willochell, the No. 30 seed making his second consecutive appearance in the NCAAs, will face No. 3 Shayne Van Ness of Penn State in the opening round. The two met earlier this season at State College with Van Ness winning by fall.
 
"We've talked about not being satisfied with being there. He has been there before so what's the big deal about being there?" Branch said of Willochell, who finished a disappointing eighth at the conference tournament. "Now let's do something different than just be there. Gabe is a really dangerous wrestler, and he can do a lot of damage as long as he wants to, as long as he's focused on doing that. Quit thinking about Big 12s. That's over with so don't be dragging that with you to Philadelphia."
 
Hill, the No. 13 seed, will battle No. 20 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) on Thursday. The Oklahoma transfer is making his third trip to the NCAAs and his first with UW.
 
"It's kind of scary but at the same time he has put himself in position to beat some highly ranked kids," Branch said of Hill's knack for winning or losing close matches in dramatic fashion during his 24-10 season.
 
No. 19 Neitenbach draws No. 14 DJ Parker of Oklahoma in another rematch from the regular season. Neitenbach, who placed fourth at the Big 12s after only losing to South Dakota State standout Bennett Berge in the quarterfinal and third-place matches, dropped a 4-3 decision to Parker in Norman.
 
"We definitely talked about what was different in those matches. They were good learning experiences for Eddie," Branch said. "He can go and compete against the best kids, and he knows that. I think his confidence is really good right now."
 
Novak, the No. 15 seed, will try to bounce back from a fifth-place finish at the Big 12s with a strong start against No. 18 Dillon Bechtold (Bucknell) in the opening round. Novak, who has a 23-5 record entering his second NCAA appearance, lost a heartbreaker to 12^th-ranked Northern Iowa star Wyatt Voelker in the conference semifinals and to West Virginia's Ian Bush in the consolation semifinals.
 
"I kind of got in his face to get him mad and it worked. He got mad and popped back and finished strong," Branch said of Novak's dominant win in the fifth-place match. "Some of that is on us. Why didn't we recognize he was still upset after that semifinal when he lost? And he wrestled well. He had a good match. At this level those types of things can happen."
 
Mitchell, the No. 30 seed, will take on No. 3 Greg Kirkvliet (Penn State) in the opening round.
 
"A lot of people get overwhelmed their first time there. I've been there before," Mitchell said. "I've just got to let it fly. I'm not expected to win the first match seed wise. That's even better, just let it fly."
 
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