Tanner Conley
Staff Writer
It has been 37 days since students put down their pencils and walked out of their classrooms to end the fall 2019 semester. While many students began the journey home for rest and relaxation, the men and women of the university’s various athletics programs traveled across the United States to compete with some of the highest ranked college institutions in the nation.
Arguably the biggest event on Wyoming’s campus since President Nichols’ dismissal, the Wyoming Cowboys Football Team traveled to Tucson, Arizona to face the Georgia State Panthers in the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl Dec. 31.
As game time approached, the Cowboys’ camp was rocked by starting quarterback Tyler Vander Waal’s decision to enter the transfer portal Dec. 17, a decision that left Cowboys fans feeling stunned and a little betrayed.
However, the Cowboys marched on and were led by freshman Levi Williams, whose first appearance was during the Border War against Colorado State University, about one month before. Williams was given noticeably more game time and proved himself to be Cowboy faithful with three touchdowns through the air and one rushing touchdown. The final score ended in favor of the Cowboys in a compelling 38-17 victory.
“It was a great ballgame,” said Head Coach Craig Bohl in a postgame interview courtesy of 7220 sports. “This team that we’ve had this year has been a resilient team, they play together as a team and we’ve capped off an excellent year.”
But the real question is, who is Coach Bohl going to start next year? The impressive freshman in Williams, or the seasoned runner in Chambers? It seems that only time will tell.
While the football players ended their season, the Wyoming wrestlers reached the halfway mark in theirs. The program currently sits at six wins and seven losses overall but is 3-1 in conference. Their last matchup was Jan. 26 against Utah Valley, in which the Cowboys walked away with a 37-9 victory. This victory sealed off a clean sweep of home-opening duals in the Cowboy’s 2019-2020 season.
“The road trip we had out east was quite a journey and a pretty big chore. Seven duals in one week is a lot for our guys but those kinds of things make us get better in the long run, so we need to use those experiences to help shape and form us from here to the end of the season,” said Head Coach of Wrestling Mark Branch in a GoWyo interview.
The Cowboy Wrestlers will certainly hope to use those experiences to continue the winning streak in a dual away at Oregon State University Jan. 31.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams also stayed very busy over the break.
The men’s program played 10 games and managed to win two, losing close games to the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. These losses are now part of a seven-game losing streak that puts the Cowboys at 5-16 overall, 0-9 in conference and last place in the Mountain West.
The impact of this dry spell can be felt throughout the campus.
“I bet the mentality of the team is at an all-time low,” said Luke Gluhosky, a junior and basketball fan. “Playing 21 games and only winning five can make your mental state and attitude poor, which can make the attitude worse because you don’t really care.”
The women’s program has played seven games and has split the wins and losses 3-4. Their most recent victory was on Jan. 22, in which the Cowgirls defeated San Diego State University in Laramie 81-67. This win took their conference record to 5-4 while putting the Cowgirls one win above Colorado State, solidifying fifth place in the Mountain West. Their overall record continues to be balanced at 9 wins and 9 losses.
“I would call this a successful season. If they keep this up they can do great things this year,” Gluhosky said.
The University of Wyoming Women’s Tennis team saw action in Tulsa, Oklahoma Jan. 18 and 19. This was the first competition of the spring season for the Cowgirls and resulted in wins versus Montana State (6-1) and Louisiana Tech (5-1, 5-1) before losing to Tulsa (6-1).
While not a perfect start to the season, it certainly is an exciting one. The team has shown it is capable and no one is considered more capable than Maria Oreshkina who was named the Mountain West’s Tennis Athlete of the Week. The Cowgirls will return to the court Feb. 7-8 as they take on Seattle and Montana State in Bozeman.
For more information on times and dates of future events, or summaries of recent games, check out gowyo.com/calendar or uwbrandingiron.com.
