Andy McCully maneuvers North Dakota State’s Tanner Carlisle into a fall. McCully’s pin brought the
Cowboys within one of the Bison, who won two of the next three matches to make the final score ND State:22 – UW:15.
The University of Wyoming wrestling team has accomplished much and overcome many obstacles since their season began.
And just like every team must make adjustments, this group has made significant changes this season.
“Our team has done a great job competing individually this season, but as far as dual matches go, I’m not very pleased,” said head coach Mark Branch. “Our team has been very incomplete and we haven’t gotten to that point where we can all come together and compete successfully. It’s my hope that within the next couple weeks we can make changes to those things and go farther than we have since we began our season.”
In conference competitions, the Cowboys have only lost once. In their recent dual match-up in Laramie against North Dakota State, the team lost 22-15. Now the team stands at 7-4 overall and 2-1 in the Western Wrestling Conference.
“In our next few weeks of practice, I plan on doing a lot of strength and power conditioning as well as adding more cardio exercise,” Branch said. “We have set formulas and have picked out particular things we need to work on as a team. I especially plan to focus on our 10 starters and getting them to where they need to be for upcoming competitions.”
The first conference loss was tough for the team, but the fact that it was senior day increased the emotional impact.
In a ceremony before the competition, seniors McCade Ford, Kasey Garnhart, L.J. Helbig, Alfonso Hernandez and Michael Poulos were recognized for their hard work while wrestling under the Cowboys.
“I always get a little choked up and emotional on senior day, but it’s always such a special day to be a part of,” Branch said. “I’ve been with a lot of these guys for five years and have seen them grow throughout their journey while being on the wrestling team. I’m proud of them and all their accomplishments. It’s great to know that having them be a Cowboy wrestler has given them backbone for success in their futures.”
Seniors Helbig and Hernandez left the meet having won their matches. Helbig redeemed himself after his early-season loss to Kurtis Julson in a 3-2 decision, while the fourth-ranked Hernandez took home a 7-4 decision over NDSU’s Kallen Kleinschmidt. With the victory, Hernandez moved into sole possession of 10th on the UW all-time wins list with 112 for his career.
Ranked UW sophomore Tyler Cox also performed notably as he beat North Dakota State’s Trent Sprenkle who had been ranked sixth. This marked his 50th career match. It also was his second win of the season over a ranked opponent and a first career win over a top-10 opponent. The sophomore has won 13 of his last 14 matches.
While the team has known triumph, the season is not quite over and they anticipate the coming weeks.
“Having the chance to host the Conference tournament here in Laramie is an exciting thing for us as a team. There are a lot of open weight classes which is something I feel my wrestlers will take advantage of. Our chances of continuing into the NCAA tournament are very good as long as we keep up our drive and motivation to win.”
The Cowboys only have a few days to prepare for their battle against Northern Colorado. The Pokes will hit the mat at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Greeley, Colo. for their first match.
