The UW wrestling team won seven of 10 matches on Feb. 4 to defeat the Air Force Academy by a score of 29-9. The win was the fifth straight for the Cowboys and the ninth straight victory over Air Force.
The Cowboys opened the dual with an injury default victory by Brandon Tribble at 285. Then at 125, 16th ranked Drew Templeman defeated Drew Romero with a 4-1 decision. The win was Templeman’s eighth straight.
“We won a few tight matches tonight,” head coach Mark Branch said. “We also lost a few. There was some positive things against Air Force but we also showed we still need to make improvements. It was a good dual to learn from, which is nice this late in the season. It’s great to see progression, especially how we have grinded out a few of these duals lately.”
After junior Ronnie Stevens took a tough 4-3 defeat against Dylan Hyder, the Cowboys bounced back when eighth ranked Bryce Meredith earned a 19-3 bonus point technical fall against John Twomey, which gave UW a 14-3 lead after four matches.
Ben Hornickle was defeated the Falcons’ Jerry McGinty at 149, but no. 19 ranked Archie Colgan defeated Alex Mossing 5-2 at 157 after Hornnickle’s loss. No. 16 Branson Ashworth continued to roll by earning the only fall of the night, pinning Tyler Wiederholt in 49 seconds to earn his team leading 30th win of the season, along with his seventh pin.
Kyle Pope then defeated Michael Billingsly 8-6 at 174, while Lucas Lovvorn earned a 2-1 overtime victory against Zen Ikehara at 184. The win was Lovvorn’s first Big 12 dual victory of the season. The Pokes lost the final match of the dual, with Luke Paine losing a close 3-2 match to Anthony McLaughlin, making the final score 29-9 in favor of the Cowboys.
“These wins make the environment a little better to come back to and train, but we are looking at the bigger picture,” Branch said. “I thought Kyle Pope’s performance was the best in terms of hustle. Also, Branson (Ashworth) looked aggressive on top and he came out with a high pace. Overall, we did have good performances tonight. ”
The Cowboys will return to the mat on Feb. 8, taking on Northern Colorado in Greeley. The duel will begin at 7 p.m.
