The Pokes wrestling team begins their season this Sunday, Nov. 5, with a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the 2023-2024 squad.
“Almost exactly half of our team is new faces whether it be transfers or freshmen, so there’s a lot of excitement that comes with that,” Head coach Mark Branch said.
“I think we’re going to have a lot more depth then we’ve had in the past few years, and a lot more competition at several weights,” Branch continued. “It’s pretty exciting to have new faces and young faces. We definitely have a talented group.”
The experienced Wyoming head coach reflected on his athletes this year.
“Jore Volk is a returning NCAA qualifier for us, and I think he’s in the top 15 right now,” Branch said. “He definitely has shown a maturity that we were hoping to see over the summer. He’s already a different wrestler and is competing and training at a different level.”
“We have another NCAA qualifier who transferred from Edinboro. Gabe Willochell has a very unique style and he can be very effective. He has a huge upside and can do a lot of great things for us,” he continued.
Branch also touched on the talent that was coming back to Laramie this season.
“We also have some returning starters in Garrett Ricks, Brett McIntosh, Cooper Voorhees and Quayin Short. Those guys got significant starting time for us [last season], so they have experience.”
The amount of young wrestlers on the roster for the Pokes continues to be a point of excitement for Branch.
“There will be some names out there that we are gonna have to look at and make some decisions of whether we are going to wrestle them as true freshmen and that’s good. When you have that level of youth in your program, that’s a good sign.”
With so many new athletes and personalities, Branch knew that the chemistry of the team and the culture needed to be a focal point early on in the season.
“The first thing we did was show our appreciation [to the returning squad], and how they kept their faith in us and in the program. We explained how important it was going to be to welcome such a big group. We said, ‘You guys are the ones that are going to determine how our team culture is defined.’”
“Those new guys all came this summer, and it turned into the best summer I’ve ever seen since I’ve been here,” he continued. “You could see instantly that they meshed together [as a team]. After a workout, they broke down with the word ‘family’. We’ve never had a team that called themselves family, but I think it’s a reflection of our culture and emphasizing how important it is that we are a family. That’s a powerful thing that you can’t teach so it’s pretty exciting for the coaching staff.”
The season kicks off against Western Wyoming Community College at 1 p.m. this Sunday at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
