LARAMIE – Something good came out of the COVID-19 pandemic for the Wyoming wrestling program.
 
Freshman Luke Willochell, who was too young growing up to be on the same team as his older brother, has joined super senior Gabe Willochell in the lineup this season with the Cowboys.
 
During UW's impressive 29-6 dual win at Utah Valley last Saturday, Luke pulled off a dramatic 7-5 decision over Geronimo Rivera at 133 pounds and Gabe finished off the dominant performance by the Pokes with a technical fall over 10^th-ranked David Evans at 149.
 
"It's super cool," Luke said. "I did want to be on the team with my brother. We've never been on a team (together) before and Covid kind of helped that out to where we could be on the same team because we were a certain amount of grades apart. After Covid we knew we'd be on the same team for one year."
 
Gabe started his career at Edinboro University, which included the season during the pandemic that didn't count towards his eligibility and a redshirt season. In 2022, he qualified for the NCAA Championships after a breakout season for the Scots of the Mid-American Conference.
 
Since transferring to UW before the 2023-24 season, Gabe has appeared in two more NCAA Championships for the Pokes.
 
"I kind of wanted to go somewhere further away (from home), somewhere out west, so I came here," Gabe said of what he was looking for when he entered the portal. "I got to Laramie and my parents dropped me off and left and I was like, wow, I can't really leave."
 
The Willochell brothers are from Greensburg, Pa., which made UW's home match against top-ranked Penn State, the sport's powerhouse program that has won 12 national championships over the last 14 years, extra special.
 
Both Luke and Gabe executed takedowns before ultimately succumbing to top-five opponents during the dual with the Nittany Lions on Dec. 13 in front of a record crowd of 4,686 at the Arena-Auditorium.
 
As special as the night was for the program and the fan base, going 2-0 at Utah Valley is a better memory for the Willochell's.
 
"We've been talking about it because against Penn State we both wrestled and we both got takedowns but we both lost. That's not a good dual meet for us," Gabe said. "Then Cal Baptist (Luke) won and I lost so it was like, don't like that one either. It was cool (against Utah Valley) because we both won and they were both good matches."
 
UW head coach Mark Branch was concerned about Luke's match when Utah Valley threw the challenge brick and Rivera was awarded two back points to increase his lead with time running out.
 
"I wasn't sure what are the options because we're going down here. We were already down about to go further down," Branch said. "My concentration gets overrun by Gabe yelling right behind my ear, 'We have him right where we want him, Luke!'
 
"I'm like, no, this is actually bad. But it makes sense because it's that mindset those guys know they can score big points in a lot of different positions. Then they awarded the two back points and Gabe goes, 'We've still got him right where we want him!'"
 
Luke rallied for the win and Gabe, who had a shaky start to the season by his standards, demonstrated his potential with the suffocating 16-1 victory over Evans.
 
"I think we're rolling now," Gabe said. "Our tournament season is done and we're getting into dual season. We're all excited for that and looking forward to the duals for different reasons. It's just one match and you're watching your teammates. It's more of like a team thing as opposed to individual."
 
Branch admits he had to adapt to both the transfer portal and coaching a free spirit like Gabe over the last three years.
 
"We certainly have different viewpoints. The great thing about Gabe is he is one of the few athletes that is going to be very open and honest and he'll be vocal; he will talk to you so you can have some really good conversations when that happens. It's not one sided," Branch said. "I think it has really helped me be a different and more understanding coach. There's no doubt there's sometimes a level of frustration that comes with Gabe and me 10 years ago probably wouldn't have been able to deal with it, but it has been rewarding learning how to deal with it.
 
"There was a lot of trust built over the last couple years, and I think it came into play when recruiting Luke. We know what we have here, we know what we're getting."
 
Making an impact as a freshman is a goal Luke had coming out of high school. He is 9-6 overall, 2-3 against ranked opponents and 2-1 in duals. Gabe is 9-5 overall, 2-2 against ranked opponents and 2-2 in duals this season.
 
"I knew I wanted to get in the lineup as a freshman, start my career and get rolling right now. It has been pretty fun to get into the lineup and do some damage," Luke said. "I just love the team even outside of wrestling. It's guys you can hang out with and play video games with; it's not just wrestling here."
 
The Cowboys (3-3 overall, 2-0 Big 12) host No. 10 South Dakota State at 1 p.m. Sunday in the UniWyo Sports Complex.
 
Luke is expected to face Cale Seaton (8-4) with Gabe to draw either No. 22 Alek Martin (5-6) or Colin Dupill (4-5).
 
"Luke wanted to wrestle with his brother, but I think he felt very comfortable and safe by coming here. He felt like he could check all the boxes he needed to for wrestling as well. It has certainly been special that they've been able to compete together," Branch said. "We knew it would be good for Gabe and something that could help Gabe because he wants to show out for his brother, he wants to be a good example to his brother, and he knows he probably hasn't been the best example all the time.
 
"Now there's a different standard he's trying to live up to."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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