The University of Wyoming Wrestling team took home the NCAA West Regional team championship Saturday in the Arena Auditorium. The victory means that the Cowboys have now won four consecutive titles.
The win was not an easy one for the Cowboys, as they had to make up an 11-point deficit in the second session of the day to cement their dominance of the conference over the past years.
The final team scores saw UW edge out the North Dakota State Bison with 79 points to NDSU’s 76. The Utah Valley University Wolverines came in third with 70 points, while the Air Force Academy Falcons and South Dakota State finished in fourth and fifth with 63.5 and 16.5 points respectively, according to a report from Wyoming Athletics.
Six UW wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships at the meet, and four of those won their weight classes. Senior McCade Ford won at 141 pounds and senior L.J. Helbig won at 174 pounds. Sophomore Shane Woods won at 184 pounds and senior Alfonso Hernandez won at 197 pounds. Sophomore Brandon Richardson, who placed third at 149 pounds, and sophomore Tyler Cox, who placed third at 125, also qualified for the national championships, according to the same report from Wyoming Athletics.
Though they came up just short of a West Regional title, the Bison left the AA with three other accolades. NDSU took home the regular season team title, and NDSU Head Coach Roger Kish was recognized as the Coach of the Year.
Junior 125 pound grappler Trent Sprenkle was named as the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler, after winning all three of his bouts to take the division title, according to a press release from the NDSU Athletics website.
The Cowboys will look to take the momentum from AA to the NCAA National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The tournament will be held on March 21-23 in the Wells Fargo Arena.
Photos: Elizabeth Holder
