In unusual and exciting fashion, the University of Wyoming Wrestling team qualified three individuals for the upcoming national championships and won the NCAA West Regional title on Saturday in Brookings, S.S.
A trio of UW sophomores won their brackets and earned automatic bids to the 2010 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships. Michael Martinez was the victor at 125 pounds, Shane Onufer at 165 and Joe LeBlanc at 184. The Cowboys also got a second-place finish from Cory VomBaur (133) and three third-place winners: Jimmy Belleville (157), Alfonso Hernandez (197) and L.J. Helbig (Hwt.).
As a team, the ‘Pokes came from behind and won the West Regional team title by a half point over the 24-time defending champion Northern Iowa Panthers. It is Wyoming’s first-ever West Regional team title and UW’s first tournament conference championship team since 1992.
The Cowboys concluded the event with 75 points, Northern Iowa had 74.5, North Dakota State (44.5) was third, followed by Utah Valley (43.5), Air Force (37.5), South Dakota State (29.5) and Northern Colorado (18.5). All seven Western Wrestling Conference teams competed at the event, making it in effect the league’s championship tournament.
Entering the final matches in the heavyweight division, the ‘Pokes trailed the Panthers by a half point. UNI’s Christian Brantley won his match, but so did UW’s Helbig, only Helbig pinned his opponent which gave Wyoming the necessary bonus points to jump in front of Northern Iowa to end the night.
The Cowboys and Panthers did battle all day long, with four head-to-head match-ups in the semifinals, two others for first place and one for third place. UW was 5-2 in those matches. Those bouts, along with some key consolation bracket wins and bonus points, helped Wyoming come from down 15 points after the semifinals and seven and a half points to UNI heading into the finals.
UW was hurt by some key losses to some of their high seeds in early matches, but also benefited from a penalty point deducted from UNI for poor sportsmanship after the 157-pound final.
"This is a bitter-sweet day," Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said. "I feel that we wrestled about as poor as we could today and that is the reality. The good thing is that we walk away with the team championship, which was one of our goals this year. It is hard though, because I don’t believe we deserved it with our performance. I would trade the team title for a few more guys going to the NCAA Championships.
"The way that we train and my philosophy as a coach is to perform well on this weekend. Everything points towards that. To come out and wrestle poorly is disappointing. We trained too hard and too smart to let our opponents dictate the outcome the way they did today.
"There were some performances on our team that deserve thanks for getting this team over the hump and earning the West Regional trophy. Guys like Fonz (Hernandez), Jimmy and L.J. all showed some heart with the way they came back through the back-draw, earned bonus points and got some big wins."
Martinez, the No. 2 seed at 125 pounds, faced Andrew Zwirlein from Air Force for the second straight year in the opening round. In a low-scoring match, Martinez won 3-2. Next, the Cowboy sophomore had Caleb Flores of UNI and the two had to go to a second sudden victory period before Martinez won the match in extra time with a takedown, 4-2. In the finals, he would face No. 1 seeded Ben Kjar from Utah Valley for the third time this season. The pair had split their two previous meetings. Like their match at the Cowboy Open in November, No. 9-ranked Kjar and No. 11-ranked Martinez needed extra time to determine a champion, and just like that earlier match Martinez used a takedown in the first sudden victory period to win 7-3. With the win Martinez won his second straight 125-pound West Regional title and took one of the league’s two automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. His overall record is now 30-7.
Seeded No. 1 in the 133-pound weight class, VomBaur had a first-round bye and then faced No. 4 seed Ryan Jauch from Northern Iowa in the semifinals. He recorded an early first-period takedown, racked up riding time over Jauch and then held on for a 5-3 decision. In the finals, against No. 3 seed Flint Ray (UVU), VomBaur lost 8-3 and must now hope for an at-large NCAA bid. VomBaur wrestled the event on a sore knee, after a staph infection had caused his knee to swell over the past two weeks. He will now wait for the NCAA at-large selections next Wednesday to see if he will attend his fourth national championships.
At 141 pounds, Chase Smith was pinned in his opening match and lost a decision in the wrestlebacks, the only Cowboy to go 0-2 on the day.
Starting as the No. 3 seed at 149 pounds, Cole Dallaserra controlled his first-round match with Nick Hagar (SDSU) and won 6-0. He then had trouble creating any offense against No. 2 seed Andrey Patselov (NDSU) and lost 6-2. That dropped Dallaserra into the consolation bracket where he would face Gabe Martinez of Air Force. He would need extra time to beat Martinez, but did manage get revenge for a recent dual loss by winning in a second sudden victory period, 3-1. Dallaserra then wrestled No. 4 seed Justin Morrill (UVU) in the third place bout, losing 9-4 and taking fourth place.
UW freshman Belleville was seeded No. 4 at 157 pounds and opened his tournament by avenging a recent dual loss to Alec Williams of Air Force. Belleville never trailed and beat Williams 9-3. No. 1 seed Tyson Reiner (UNI) was his next opponent and he would lose a major decision 14-4. In the back draw, Belleville first saw Nick Flynn from SDSU, winning 8-2 before meeting No. 2 seed Justin Gaethje (UNCo) for third place. In an exciting match that was back-and-forth for a full seven minutes, Belleville won 11-10 thanks to a late takedown. He finished his freshman campaign with a 31-8 record.
No. 9-ranked Onufer was the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds and got an 11-2 major decision against Kevin O’Brien from Northern Colorado in his first match, followed by another major decision, 13-5, against No. 4 seed Tyler Johnson (NDSU). His finals’ opponent was the No. 3 seed David Bonin (UNI). Onufer pushed the pace, scored two takedowns and won the Regional title match by a score of 6-2. He was awarded the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for his efforts, his second-straight trip to nationals. Onufer now has a 27-5 season record.
Also a No. 1 seed, Brock Smith drew a first-round bye and then faced No. 4 seed Tyler French (AFA) for the third time this season. Each wrestler had one head-to-head win over the other, but French tilted the season scorecard in his favor by beating Smith this time 5-2. Mac Stoll from NDSU was next for Smith, whom he beat 10-5, setting up a third place match with Utah Valley’s No. 2 seed Brad Darrington. Smith had beaten Darrington earlier this season, but this time was forced to wrestle with a foot injury he sustained in an earlier match. He lost the match 6-1.
LeBlanc, nationally ranked No. 8 at 184 pounds, lived up to his No. 1 seed by earning a technical fall in his opener against Patrick Prentice (UNCo). Wyoming’s All-American took a 14-1 first-period lead and then ended the match quickly at 3:13 by a 17-1 margin. It was LeBlanc’s 12th technical fall victory this season. Equally as dominant was LeBlanc’s next match, in which he pinned James Ciccone from Air Force at 1:49. The fall was his 12th win in that fashion this season. It would then be No. 3 seed Andy O’Loughlin (UNI) whom LeBlanc would fight in the finals and despite his opponents’ defensive approach, he would win 9-2. LeBlanc rolled up over four minutes in riding time in the match. It was also his second consecutive West Regional crown and he will return to the NCAA Tournament via an automatic bid. LeBlanc’s season record is now 35-4. He was named the event’s Outstanding Wrestler as voted by the coaches.
In a big blow against the Cowboy team, 197-pounder Alfonso Hernandez, who was seeded No. 2, was pinned by Drew Ross of North Dakota State in the opening round. He battled back in the consolation bracket with a pin of his own, his first this season, over Edward Matthews (UNCo) at 2:36, then followed that up with his second win by fall of the year, this time at 2:58 over No. 4 seed Josh Wood (UVU). Having seen his chances of qualifying for nationals go south in the first round, a frustrated Hernandez then beat No. 3 seed Dustin Bauman (UNI) by decision, 9-3. He placed third with the win and won the tournament’s Most Pins award.
L.J. Helbig was the No. 4 seed at heavyweight and drew a first-round bye before matching up with No. 1 seed Christian Brantley of UNI. Brantley proved to be too much for Helbig, winning 6-2, however, in his next match UW’s redshirt freshman beat Joe Arthur from NDSU, 7-3. He now faced Kevin Kelly (SDSU) for third place and with the ‘Pokes team title hopes on the line. Helbig came through in the clutch for his team by pinning Kelly with just a second remaining in period number two and sealing the West Regional team title for Wyoming.
LeBlanc, Martinez and Onufer will now begin training for the NCAA Championships which will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha.
VomBaur will have to wait until after all of the qualifying events have concluded and the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee meets in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Seven UW tracksters named all conference
Five Cowboys and two Cowgirls were named Monday to the MWC all-conference track and field team. The top three athletes in each event were named to the team.
Wyoming junior Jeremiah James was named to the list in three different events -- the long jump, the triple jump and the high jump. He was joined by freshman Lenyn Leonce for his second-place finish in the long jump. Redshirt freshman Stephen Michel placed second in the triple jump, sophomore Joe Plante finished second in the 35lb weight throw while senior Jay Petsch rounded out the field for the ‘Pokes with his third-place finish in the men’s heptathlon.
The Cowgirls named junior Afiya Walker to the list for her championship performance in the 400-meter dash, as well as sophomore Ashley Hutchinson in the 20lb weight throw.
James was awarded his third straight high point award as well, scoring 26 points for the Cowboys. He added to his conference championship total, winning his seventh and eighth titles in just two and a half years. It was his third straight indoor long jump title and second straight triple jump crown, while being named to the all-conference list five times.
Plante earns his second all-conference award while for Leonce, Michel and Petsch it was their first awards.
Walker won her first conference championship and first all-conference honor since becoming a Cowgirl. Newcomer, Hutchinson, earned her first award while performing in her first conference championship for the Cowgirls.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls have two members that provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships meet in Fayetteville, Ark., March 12-13. James is currently ranked 15th in the nation in the triple jump and 29th in the long jump, he is provisionally qualified in both events. While Walker is currently 17th in the 400-meter dash following her performance last weekend at the MWC Championships.
Wyoming junior Jeremiah James was named to the list in three different events -- the long jump, the triple jump and the high jump. He was joined by freshman Lenyn Leonce for his second-place finish in the long jump. Redshirt freshman Stephen Michel placed second in the triple jump, sophomore Joe Plante finished second in the 35lb weight throw while senior Jay Petsch rounded out the field for the ‘Pokes with his third-place finish in the men’s heptathlon.
The Cowgirls named junior Afiya Walker to the list for her championship performance in the 400-meter dash, as well as sophomore Ashley Hutchinson in the 20lb weight throw.
James was awarded his third straight high point award as well, scoring 26 points for the Cowboys. He added to his conference championship total, winning his seventh and eighth titles in just two and a half years. It was his third straight indoor long jump title and second straight triple jump crown, while being named to the all-conference list five times.
Plante earns his second all-conference award while for Leonce, Michel and Petsch it was their first awards.
Walker won her first conference championship and first all-conference honor since becoming a Cowgirl. Newcomer, Hutchinson, earned her first award while performing in her first conference championship for the Cowgirls.
The Cowboys and Cowgirls have two members that provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships meet in Fayetteville, Ark., March 12-13. James is currently ranked 15th in the nation in the triple jump and 29th in the long jump, he is provisionally qualified in both events. While Walker is currently 17th in the 400-meter dash following her performance last weekend at the MWC Championships.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Stelow wins 50 free; Cowgirls in second
UW senior Cassie Stelow
Cowgirl senior Cassie Stelow won the 2010 Mountain West Conference championship in the 50 freestyle and then anchored the 200 freestyle relay that also placed first to pace the Wyoming swimming and diving program Thursday in the Mountain West Conference Championships in Oklahoma City.
The Cowgirls are currently (288 points) in second place with the Cowboys in third after the second day of competition.
The Cowgirls trail only BYU, which has 320 points. San Diego State (194), Utah (166), Colorado State (141), UNLV (134), TCU (103), New Mexico (92), and Air Force (41) follow the Cowgirls.
On the men’s side, the Cowboys sit in third with 236 points. UNLV leads the way with 303 points while BYU is second at 285.5. Following the Pokes are Air Force (212.5), TCU (146), and Utah (136).
To start the winning ways, Stelow won the 50 freestyle MWC Championship in 22.45 seconds, which set a UW record and is also the fastest time in MWC history in that event.
Stelow and the Cowgirls won their second championship on the day in the 200 freestyle relay. Kelsey Conci, Shelby Bull, Kenzie Hewson, and Stelow not only broke the UW school record, but also set a new MWC record with a first place time of 1:30.55. The relay finished over a second ahead of second-place BYU and is also an NCAA provisional time.
“Cassie (Stelow) dominated the 50 freestyle from the start and smashed the old school record,” said an excited UW head coach Tom Johnson. “The relay was tremendous to watch and we dominated that from the start as well, finishing a full second ahead of second place. Currently, we rank 16th in that nation with that time, so we will wait and see if we can make NCAA’s.”
Senior Stephanie Ortiz and junior Lesley Young also broke UW records on Thursday.
On women’s three-meter springboard, Ortiz finished second with a total of 354.05 points and crushed the old school record she set last year at the conference meet at 325.90. Young also broke her own school record by placing fifth in the 200 IM at 2:01.93, an NCAA provisional time.
In the women’s 500 freestyle, junior Stephanie Vint and freshman Paige Fischer contributed, as Vint placed third in 4:49.76, while Fischer finished sixth in her first MWC Championships.
Also on three-meter diving, junior Allie Smith added an important fourth-place finish at 322.05.
“Stephanie Ortiz and Lesley Young did great and I was proud of their performances tonight,” Johnson said. “They were both against tough competition and battled their way through. Stephanie Vint and Paige Fischer did an awesome job today and had great swims as well. Allie Smith dove very well like she has all year and added great points for us”
The men’s 200 IM was full of Cowboys in the final round. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was fifth at 1:49.42, while fellow sophomore Marshall Dilworth was close behind in sixth (1:50.54) and freshman Kendrick Bachman was seventh (1:50.57).
The Cowboy distance swimmers were also strong in numbers in the 500 freestyle. Sophomore Kyle Wemhoff made the final round and finished eighth in 4:34.22. Five Cowboys finished consecutively going 10th through 14th with Tyler Kybartas (4:30:43), Robbie Hilton (4:32.47), Brett Henehan (4:32.83), Tyler Davis (4:34.00), and Sam Holmes (4:34.59) respectively.
The Cowboy diving duo of Mark Murdock and Kyle Bogner had strong finishes on the men’s one-meter springboard. Murdock and Bogner were fourth and fifth respectively at 333.10 and 332.50.
“The men had a very solid day in the pool and on the diving boards,” Johnson said. “I was proud of our guys in the 500 freestyle. Kyle Wemhoff came from behind in a swim-off to qualify for the finals and did great. The IM”s were very good swims with Fischer, Dilworth, and Bachman. They raced very well. The divers did an awesome job and I was very proud of Mark (Murdock) and Kyle (Bogner) as they continue to be excellent divers.
“We will be ready for tomorrow and will look to take advantage of the opportunities we have. We look to move up in the standings and separate ourselves from everyone else and we can do that if we continue what we have done so far.”
Day three of the championships begin Friday with preliminary rounds at 9 a.m. Final rounds will follow later in the day.
Cowgirl senior Cassie Stelow won the 2010 Mountain West Conference championship in the 50 freestyle and then anchored the 200 freestyle relay that also placed first to pace the Wyoming swimming and diving program Thursday in the Mountain West Conference Championships in Oklahoma City.
The Cowgirls are currently (288 points) in second place with the Cowboys in third after the second day of competition.
The Cowgirls trail only BYU, which has 320 points. San Diego State (194), Utah (166), Colorado State (141), UNLV (134), TCU (103), New Mexico (92), and Air Force (41) follow the Cowgirls.
On the men’s side, the Cowboys sit in third with 236 points. UNLV leads the way with 303 points while BYU is second at 285.5. Following the Pokes are Air Force (212.5), TCU (146), and Utah (136).
To start the winning ways, Stelow won the 50 freestyle MWC Championship in 22.45 seconds, which set a UW record and is also the fastest time in MWC history in that event.
Stelow and the Cowgirls won their second championship on the day in the 200 freestyle relay. Kelsey Conci, Shelby Bull, Kenzie Hewson, and Stelow not only broke the UW school record, but also set a new MWC record with a first place time of 1:30.55. The relay finished over a second ahead of second-place BYU and is also an NCAA provisional time.
“Cassie (Stelow) dominated the 50 freestyle from the start and smashed the old school record,” said an excited UW head coach Tom Johnson. “The relay was tremendous to watch and we dominated that from the start as well, finishing a full second ahead of second place. Currently, we rank 16th in that nation with that time, so we will wait and see if we can make NCAA’s.”
Senior Stephanie Ortiz and junior Lesley Young also broke UW records on Thursday.
On women’s three-meter springboard, Ortiz finished second with a total of 354.05 points and crushed the old school record she set last year at the conference meet at 325.90. Young also broke her own school record by placing fifth in the 200 IM at 2:01.93, an NCAA provisional time.
In the women’s 500 freestyle, junior Stephanie Vint and freshman Paige Fischer contributed, as Vint placed third in 4:49.76, while Fischer finished sixth in her first MWC Championships.
Also on three-meter diving, junior Allie Smith added an important fourth-place finish at 322.05.
“Stephanie Ortiz and Lesley Young did great and I was proud of their performances tonight,” Johnson said. “They were both against tough competition and battled their way through. Stephanie Vint and Paige Fischer did an awesome job today and had great swims as well. Allie Smith dove very well like she has all year and added great points for us”
The men’s 200 IM was full of Cowboys in the final round. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was fifth at 1:49.42, while fellow sophomore Marshall Dilworth was close behind in sixth (1:50.54) and freshman Kendrick Bachman was seventh (1:50.57).
The Cowboy distance swimmers were also strong in numbers in the 500 freestyle. Sophomore Kyle Wemhoff made the final round and finished eighth in 4:34.22. Five Cowboys finished consecutively going 10th through 14th with Tyler Kybartas (4:30:43), Robbie Hilton (4:32.47), Brett Henehan (4:32.83), Tyler Davis (4:34.00), and Sam Holmes (4:34.59) respectively.
The Cowboy diving duo of Mark Murdock and Kyle Bogner had strong finishes on the men’s one-meter springboard. Murdock and Bogner were fourth and fifth respectively at 333.10 and 332.50.
“The men had a very solid day in the pool and on the diving boards,” Johnson said. “I was proud of our guys in the 500 freestyle. Kyle Wemhoff came from behind in a swim-off to qualify for the finals and did great. The IM”s were very good swims with Fischer, Dilworth, and Bachman. They raced very well. The divers did an awesome job and I was very proud of Mark (Murdock) and Kyle (Bogner) as they continue to be excellent divers.
“We will be ready for tomorrow and will look to take advantage of the opportunities we have. We look to move up in the standings and separate ourselves from everyone else and we can do that if we continue what we have done so far.”
Day three of the championships begin Friday with preliminary rounds at 9 a.m. Final rounds will follow later in the day.
Jackson sets UW mark
The University of Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls had a record performance on the first day of the Mountain West Conference Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., on Thursday.
Junior Britney Jackson completed the women’s pentathlon with a final score of 3,388 points, a school record for the Cowgirls. She overcame Patty Harrington’s score of 3,340 set back in 1986. Jackson’s performance was enough to score her a point for the Cowgirls with an eighth-place finish.
“Britney competed very well today, and was in one of the strongest pentathlon fields ever,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “There are three individuals who have qualified for nationals in the field and Britney did a good job.”
Cowboy senior Jay Petsch is competing in his last heptathlon for the Cowboys, and after the first day, sits in third place with 2,818 points. On Thursday, he finished first in the long jump at 23-feet, 1 3/4 inches. Petsch will finish the competition Friday in the pole vault, the 60-meter hurdles and the 1,000-meter run.
“Jay had a solid day and now he controls his own destiny tomorrow, but has a very realistic shot at placing in the top of the group,” said Howe.
Friday will bring the rest of the field to action with many prelims in the track events and finals in a few of the field events.
Junior Britney Jackson completed the women’s pentathlon with a final score of 3,388 points, a school record for the Cowgirls. She overcame Patty Harrington’s score of 3,340 set back in 1986. Jackson’s performance was enough to score her a point for the Cowgirls with an eighth-place finish.
“Britney competed very well today, and was in one of the strongest pentathlon fields ever,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “There are three individuals who have qualified for nationals in the field and Britney did a good job.”
Cowboy senior Jay Petsch is competing in his last heptathlon for the Cowboys, and after the first day, sits in third place with 2,818 points. On Thursday, he finished first in the long jump at 23-feet, 1 3/4 inches. Petsch will finish the competition Friday in the pole vault, the 60-meter hurdles and the 1,000-meter run.
“Jay had a solid day and now he controls his own destiny tomorrow, but has a very realistic shot at placing in the top of the group,” said Howe.
Friday will bring the rest of the field to action with many prelims in the track events and finals in a few of the field events.
WWC gets 14 spots for NCAAs
In an announcement made Thursday by the NCAA, the NCAA West Regional Tournament has been allocated 14 automatic qualifier spots for the 2010 Division I Wrestling Championships. Only members of the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) earn bids to the NCAA Tournament at that event.
Also released by the NCAA, the WWC had 22 wrestlers named in the final Coaches’ Panel Rankings and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 wrestling season.
The breakdown of the 14 automatic bids per weight class for the West Regional, and subsequently for the fourth-year league, were as follows: 125 pounds (2), 133 (1), 141 (3), 149 (1), 157 (1), 165 (1), 174 (2), 184 (1), 197 (1) and Heavyweight/285 (1).
Last season, the NCAA West Regional Tournament, at which all WWC institutions currently compete to qualify for nationals, was awarded 13 automatic qualifiers. The WWC was also given one additional at-large bid for a total of 14 spots.
The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
This year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament will take place March 6 in Brookings, S.D. and is hosted by South Dakota State University. The three-day, NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha.
Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. A threshold of a 0.725 winning percentage, top 28 in the RPI and top 28 in the coaches ranking was established to allocate 284 of the 330 championships field positions.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.
After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.
Following is a list of WWC wrestlers in each weight class for both the coaches’ panel rankings, as well as RPI. Lists of complete rankings and RPI are attached…
Weight Class WWC Wrestler (Institution) Coaches’ Panel RPI
125 pounds
Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), No. 9, No. 14
Michael Martinez (Wyoming), No. 10, No. 12
133 pounds
Cory VomBaur (Wyoming), No. 20, No. 14
Flint Ray (Utah Valley), No. 31, No. 22
Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa), NR , No. 31
141 pounds
Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), No. 18, No. 9
Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado), No. 22, No. 14
Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) , No. 25, No. 17
149 pounds
Trent Washington (Northern Iowa), No. 30, NR
157 pounds
Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), No. 29, No. 21
Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado), No. 30, No. 14
Vincent Salminen (North Dakota State), NR, No. 24
165 pounds
Shane Onufer (Wyoming), No. 9, No. 4
Jeb Clark (Utah Valley), No. 32, NR
David Bonin (Northern Iowa), NR, No. 32
174 pounds
Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa), No. 24, No. 14
Brad Darrington (Utah Valley), No. 28, No. 26
Brock Smith (Wyoming), NR, No. 30
184 pounds
Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), T No. 6, No. 7
197 pounds
Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State), No. 29, No. 28
Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming), NR, No. 33
HWT (285)
Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa), No. 30, No. 33
Also released by the NCAA, the WWC had 22 wrestlers named in the final Coaches’ Panel Rankings and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 wrestling season.
The breakdown of the 14 automatic bids per weight class for the West Regional, and subsequently for the fourth-year league, were as follows: 125 pounds (2), 133 (1), 141 (3), 149 (1), 157 (1), 165 (1), 174 (2), 184 (1), 197 (1) and Heavyweight/285 (1).
Last season, the NCAA West Regional Tournament, at which all WWC institutions currently compete to qualify for nationals, was awarded 13 automatic qualifiers. The WWC was also given one additional at-large bid for a total of 14 spots.
The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.
This year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament will take place March 6 in Brookings, S.D. and is hosted by South Dakota State University. The three-day, NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha.
Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. A threshold of a 0.725 winning percentage, top 28 in the RPI and top 28 in the coaches ranking was established to allocate 284 of the 330 championships field positions.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.
After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.
Following is a list of WWC wrestlers in each weight class for both the coaches’ panel rankings, as well as RPI. Lists of complete rankings and RPI are attached…
Weight Class WWC Wrestler (Institution) Coaches’ Panel RPI
125 pounds
Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), No. 9, No. 14
Michael Martinez (Wyoming), No. 10, No. 12
133 pounds
Cory VomBaur (Wyoming), No. 20, No. 14
Flint Ray (Utah Valley), No. 31, No. 22
Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa), NR , No. 31
141 pounds
Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), No. 18, No. 9
Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado), No. 22, No. 14
Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) , No. 25, No. 17
149 pounds
Trent Washington (Northern Iowa), No. 30, NR
157 pounds
Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), No. 29, No. 21
Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado), No. 30, No. 14
Vincent Salminen (North Dakota State), NR, No. 24
165 pounds
Shane Onufer (Wyoming), No. 9, No. 4
Jeb Clark (Utah Valley), No. 32, NR
David Bonin (Northern Iowa), NR, No. 32
174 pounds
Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa), No. 24, No. 14
Brad Darrington (Utah Valley), No. 28, No. 26
Brock Smith (Wyoming), NR, No. 30
184 pounds
Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), T No. 6, No. 7
197 pounds
Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State), No. 29, No. 28
Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming), NR, No. 33
HWT (285)
Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa), No. 30, No. 33
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Season ends for UW hockey
The University of Wyoming hockey club fell short in its bid to return to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Championships.
Needing to win back-to-back games at the Division III Pacific Regional Tournament in Las Vegas, the Cowboys dropped a 4-1 decision against Dordt College of Iowa in Saturday's semifinals.
UW, which rallied to defeat Fresno State University in its Friday opener, finished 20-12 this season. The Blades beat Air Force 6-4 in their regional opener.
The Cowboys, who won the 2001 ACHA championship and finished second in 2002, have not qualified for nationals since 2006.
Needing to win back-to-back games at the Division III Pacific Regional Tournament in Las Vegas, the Cowboys dropped a 4-1 decision against Dordt College of Iowa in Saturday's semifinals.
UW, which rallied to defeat Fresno State University in its Friday opener, finished 20-12 this season. The Blades beat Air Force 6-4 in their regional opener.
The Cowboys, who won the 2001 ACHA championship and finished second in 2002, have not qualified for nationals since 2006.
UW tennis falls to UC Santa Barbara
In their first home match of the spring, the Wyoming Cowgirl tennis team (2-2 overall) suffered a 5-2 loss against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Saturday.
“We had some good individual performances, but as we all know, we score as a team,” said UW head coach Kati Gyulai. “We had another slow start in doubles. Our first serve percentage was somewhere in the mid 20s and we didn’t do our job pushing forward. I certainly credit UCSB for their clean performance.”
The Cowgirls were only able to come up with three wins during the match with the Gauchos. The doubles team of Sarah Summerfield and Kim van Ginkel grabbed the first win for Wyoming, defeating Bryanna Ojeda and Asagi Onaga, 8-5.
In singles action, Alexandra Kovacs and Kim van Ginkel also picked up wins for the Cowgirls. Kovacs in the number three position defeated Annabel Gledden in a tough three set match, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 10-3. van Ginkel also had to comeback after falling in the first set, 6-7, to take the next two 6-3, 11-9, over Tova Hausman.
The Cowgirls were defeated at the number one and three positions in doubles. At the number one position, Kovacs and Simona Synkova lost to Natalia Lozano and Jordan Dockendorf, 8-1. Rebecca Berger and Paloma Navarro were defeated by Tova Hausman and Sofia Novak, 8-5.
Wyoming would also lose four of six singles matches against the Gauchos. At the number one position, Summerfield was defeated by Lozano, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, as did Synkova in two sets, 6-3, 6-2, to Novak. Berger was defeated by Dockendorf, 6-2, 6-4, while Ojeda defeated Nemcova, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.
The Cowgirls host the Northern Colorado Bears on Feb. 27. The match is set to begin at 11 a.m.
“We had some good individual performances, but as we all know, we score as a team,” said UW head coach Kati Gyulai. “We had another slow start in doubles. Our first serve percentage was somewhere in the mid 20s and we didn’t do our job pushing forward. I certainly credit UCSB for their clean performance.”
The Cowgirls were only able to come up with three wins during the match with the Gauchos. The doubles team of Sarah Summerfield and Kim van Ginkel grabbed the first win for Wyoming, defeating Bryanna Ojeda and Asagi Onaga, 8-5.
In singles action, Alexandra Kovacs and Kim van Ginkel also picked up wins for the Cowgirls. Kovacs in the number three position defeated Annabel Gledden in a tough three set match, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 10-3. van Ginkel also had to comeback after falling in the first set, 6-7, to take the next two 6-3, 11-9, over Tova Hausman.
The Cowgirls were defeated at the number one and three positions in doubles. At the number one position, Kovacs and Simona Synkova lost to Natalia Lozano and Jordan Dockendorf, 8-1. Rebecca Berger and Paloma Navarro were defeated by Tova Hausman and Sofia Novak, 8-5.
Wyoming would also lose four of six singles matches against the Gauchos. At the number one position, Summerfield was defeated by Lozano, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, as did Synkova in two sets, 6-3, 6-2, to Novak. Berger was defeated by Dockendorf, 6-2, 6-4, while Ojeda defeated Nemcova, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.
The Cowgirls host the Northern Colorado Bears on Feb. 27. The match is set to begin at 11 a.m.
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