LARAMIE, Wyoming (1/8/26) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team delves back into Big 12 dual action this week. The Cowboys travel to Utah Valley on Saturday for a 7 p.m. competition inside Lockhart Arena. The dual will be broadcast on Utah Valley's YouTube page.
The Pokes are 2-3 this season and 1-0 in conference action. The Wolverines possess a 3-3 record and a 1-0 mark in league play.
Wyoming is fresh off a third-place finish at the Soldier Salute Tournament last weekend. No. 4
Joey Novak (197) spearheaded that effort, winning a title with a perfect 4-0 record and a pin of No. 11 Evan Bates (Missouri) in the championship bout.
The tournament was a success for Novak, but many of the other Cowboys struggled to shake off the holiday rust. Head coach
Mark Branch hopes that getting back into dual action aligns his team for the stretch run of the season.
"I want to see a lot more energy," Branch said. "The good thing about duals is you can wrestle more as a team and somewhat rely on one another. That'll make a difference. That'll help us build some stronger bonds. Conference duals are really important to us, so we want to go compete well and get team wins, build some chemistry and build some momentum."
Wyoming and Utah Valley are in a similar position, at least according to the latest NWCA Coaches' Poll. The Pokes are garnering four votes, while the Wolverines are collecting three votes. To take it a step further, the Cowboys' conference win is at Cal Baptist by a final score of 28-12, and Utah Valley also went to Riverside, California, and walked away with a 26-9 victory.
Saturday could feature a couple ranked matchups. The Pokes boast seven ranked grapplers, while four Wolverines hold a national ranking.
Novak and No. 30 Kael Bennie is one of the two possible ranked matchups. No. 26
Gabe Willochell (149) and No. 10 David Evans is the other.
Wyoming's other ranked guys include No. 9
Christian Carroll (HWT), No. 12
Eddie Neitenbach (184), No. 27
Luke Willochell (133), No. 28
Riley Davis (174) and No. 31
Jared Hill (157). Utah Valley's ranked guys are rounded out by No. 21 Haiden Drury (141) and No. 27 Bridger Ricks (125).
The Cowboys have dominated the all-time series with the Wolverines, holding an 19-1 record. The Pokes took last year's matchup, 25-12, in Laramie.
Wyoming is also participating in the UVU Rockwell Open on Sunday, as a few wrestlers will compete. The Pokes return home next weekend for their first dual of the season inside the UniWyo Sports Complex. They host No. 8 South Dakota State on Jan. 18 at 1 p.m.
