PALO ALTO, Calif. – Facing an improved Stanford team on Friday night on the road, the University of Wyoming wrestling team showed up with a big effort and walked away with a 25-9 victory.
Wyoming improves to 3-1 in dual matches this season, while Stanford drops to 5-2. The Cowboys are now 5-0 all-time versus the Cardinal.
The dual was a good measuring stick for the ‘Pokes, since Stanford had beaten fellow Western Wrestling Conference member, and reigning league champion Northern Iowa earlier this season 19-12.
UW got a major decision victory from sophomore Chase Smith at 141 pounds to begin the match and never looked back. Earning decisions for the ‘Pokes were sophomores Alfonso Hernandez at 197 pounds, Joe LeBlanc (184), Michael Martinez (125) and Brock Smith (174). Juniors Cole Dallaserra (149) and Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) also got wins for the Cowboy team.
“I am proud of our effort tonight,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “This was a dual that concerned us, following up finals week and against a much-improved team. I think that ultimately our advantage was that we have already seen a lot of tough competition this year and this dual did not faze our guys. We had watched film in preparation for Stanford and focused on keeping pressure on their guys. I saw improvement in that area, it made a difference and was good to see.
“With Shane (Onufer) out, Ernie (Alex Rieder) was asked to cut some weight over the last two weeks and make 165 pounds for this dual. Even though he lost tonight, his effort was incredible and he really sacrificed for the good of the team. Brock’s (Smith) win was a big swing for us and certainly a turning point. After having some struggles early on in his match, he really fought back, stayed tough and pulled out an important win.”
The evening began at 141 pounds where UW got a dominant 12-2 major decision from Chase Smith. That win would prove to be the only bonus-point victory for Wyoming, but did set the pace for the rest of the team. Dallaserra then earned a workmanlike 6-3 decision in the Cowboys’ favor at 149 pounds to put the team score at 7-0.
Next, Stanford won two straight, Lucas Espericueta over Mikah Kadera, 7-2 at 157 pounds, and No. 16 Nick Amuchastegui by a slim margin over Alex Rieder, 8-6 at the 165 pound weight class. That brought the team score to 7-6 in favor of the ‘Pokes.
The Cowboys then won five straight to leave no doubt and put the dual out of reach. That run started with a comeback victory for Brock Smith at 174 pounds. With the score tied 4-4 late in the third period and down over a minute in riding time to Stanford’s Jake Johnson, Smith dug in his spurs and got a two-point takedown on the edge of the mat with 10 seconds remaining. Smith would win 6-5 despite Johnson tacking on the riding time point.
In the marquee match-up of the night, No. 5-ranked LeBlanc out-muscled No. 13 Zack Geisen at 184 pounds and won handily, 8-1. LeBlanc narrowly missed out on an eight-point major decision which would have earned UW an additional team bonus point, however he did rack up over four minutes of riding time and kept the pressure on Geisen the entire match.
Following suit for the Cowboys was Hernandez at 197 pounds with a solid 7-1 decision and McLaughlin, who won by injury default at heavyweight. McLaughlin was leading 2-1 after two periods, with a riding time advantage, in his match when Dylan Rush was forced to bow out with a shoulder injury sustained from twice being slammed to the mat by Wyoming’s big man.
No. 9-ranked Martinez out-lasted a formidable opponent in Ryan Mango at 125 pounds, scoring two third period takedowns to win 8-4.
The Cardinal did pick up another win at 133 pounds, when Justin Paulsen beat Kasey Garnhart 10-3, but ultimately that bout played little role in the final team tally of 25-9 in favor of the Cowboys.
Wyoming will now travel to Reno, Nev. for the Reno Tournament of Champions which will take place all day on Sunday.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Onufer earns wrestler of week honors
UW sophomore Shane OnuferCEDAR FALLS, Iowa - University of Wyoming sophomore 165-pounder Shane Onufer has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week.
In what many consider the top early tournament in collegiate wrestling, Onufer placed third at 165 pounds this past weekend at the 28th Annual Las Vegas Invitational. In doing so, he beat All-American Andy Rendos from Bucknell twice. Onufer finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, 14-4 so far this year, and helped the Wyoming team to a 10th-place finish in the stacked field.
On Friday, Onufer opened the event with a major decision victory over Cody Hutcheson from Cornell. He then beat P.J. Gillespie from Hofstra (4-1), setting up a quarterfinal bout with No. 6-ranked and the event's No. 2-seed Rendos. Onufer knocked off Rendos by a score of 5-3 to advance to Saturday's semifinals.
He then lost by a slim margin in the semifinals to No. 8 Colt Sponseller from Ohio State (6-4), before winning two straight to finish the tournament. He beat Gillespie again by a score of 3-2, before getting his second victory in as many days over 2009 All-American Rendos in the consolation final. Onufer was aggressive from the start and stuck Rendos' shoulders to the mat at 2:15 in the first period to bring his weekend to an exciting end.
Other Nominees: Air Force - Derek Gillespie, Jr., 141 lbs., Chesapeake, Va. (Great Bridge)Northern Colorado - Justin Gaethje, Jr., 157 lbs., Safford, Ariz. (Safford HS)Utah Valley - Flint Ray, Jr., 133 lbs., Roy, Utah (Roy HS)
Monday, December 7, 2009
UW hockey sweeps Metro State
UW photo/UW goalkeeper Robert Kola prepares to make a save Saturday night during the Cowboys' 3-2 win over Metro State at the Laramie Community Ice Arena.A 13-day layoff didn't the bother the University of Wyoming hockey club.
The Cowboys returned from their Thanksgiving break with a pair of victories last weekend against Metropolitan State College of Denver, beating the Roadrunners 7-4 and 3-2 to improve their record to 12-5.
In Friday's opener at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne, Seth Farrell (Longmont, Colo.) had a goal and two assists and Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) turned aside 30 shots in goal to front UW.
Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) and Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) added a goal and assist for the Cowboys, who netted four goals in the first period to take control of the game. Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas), Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) and Luke Walker (Jackson) also had goals for UW.
Cody Suder (Laramie) contributed two assists, and Ryan Allred (Laramie), Taylor Freeman (Parker, Colo.), Levi Wood (Cheyenne) and Tyler Yorke (Houston, Texas) also had assists.
In Saturday's finale at the Laramie Community Ice Arena, Allred scored the game-winning goal, assisted by Blomberg and Jake Bates (Jackson), at the 18:30 mark of the final period to complete the Cowboys' sweep. Three minutes earlier, Farrell had tied the score at 2-all with his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Blomberg.
Wood scored UW's first goal in the opening period, assisted by Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Cody Leeper (Bondurant).
Robert Kola (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned the victory between the pipes with 28 saves.
UW is off for the next six weeks. The Cowboys return from the semester break with a three-game road trip, beginning Jan. 15 at South Dakota State University.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Cowboy wrestlers finish 10th
PRIMM, Nev. – Capping a strong showing in a high-caliber event, the Wyoming wrestlers left the Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday with two third-place finishes and one fourth-place honor. UW’s Joe LeBlanc, at 184 pounds, and Shane Onufer, at 165 pounds, both took third in their brackets. Michael Martinez (125) placed fourth in his weight class.
All three Wyoming grapplers had to beat All-Americans during the two-day event to secure their finishes.
As a team, the Cowboys held their position in the standings from the first day and finished in 10th place out of 42 squads. That field included 12 of the top-25 ranked wrestling programs in the country. Wyoming placed ahead of ranked programs No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 24 Virginia Tech.
“We did some good things to put ourselves in the top 10,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “When you look at this field, our finish was a positive team step, but probably more so individually because some of the wins our guys got make it easier for the others to realize the type of success we are capable of. This should provide some positive things for the mentality of the team. Our finishes here will also bring some exposure and respect, both of which are important for a program.”
At 184 pounds, LeBlanc had one of the biggest wins of the event for the ‘Pokes in the consolation finals when he beat No. 3-ranked, three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. The Cowboy sophomore finished his tournament strong by dominating the match and beating Pucillo 10-5. To get to that match, LeBlanc beat Steve Bosak from Cornell, 7-5 in sudden victory, after narrowly losing to No.7 ranked Kirk Smith from Boise State (3-2) in his semifinal match. He ended the event with a 6-1 record, 16-2 this season.
Onufer followed a similar path at 174 pounds, losing by a slim margin in the semifinals to No. 8 Colt Sponseller from Ohio State (6-4), before winning two straight to finish the tournament. He beat P.J. Gillespie from Hofstra by a score of 3-2, before getting his second victory in as many days over All-American and No. 6 ranked Andy Rendos from Bucknell in the consolation final. Onufer was aggressive from the start and stuck Rendos’ shoulders to the mat at 2:15 in the first period. He finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, 14-4 so far this year.
Martinez lost his 125-pound semifinal bout with No. 3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State by a score of 7-3. He then beat Alan Bartelli of Boise State 4-1, setting up a rematch with All-American and No. 5 ranked James Nicholson of Old Dominion. On Friday, Martinez beat Nicholson 6-4 in sudden victory to get to the semifinals. This time around Nicholson would have the upper hand, winning 7-2. Martinez concluded the event with a 4-2 record, 14-3 this season.
No. 4 ranked Ohio State won the team title with 122.5 points, followed by No. 9 Cornell (121.5), No. 12 Oklahoma (109.5), No. 7 Boise State (97.5), No. 11 Nebraska (95), No. 13 Indiana (90.5), No. 23 Cal Poly (78.5), Oregon State (77.5), No. 22 Wisconsin (73.5) and then UW (71).
Wyoming will now have a 12-day break before traveling to Stanford for a dual on Dec. 18 and then to the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20.
All three Wyoming grapplers had to beat All-Americans during the two-day event to secure their finishes.
As a team, the Cowboys held their position in the standings from the first day and finished in 10th place out of 42 squads. That field included 12 of the top-25 ranked wrestling programs in the country. Wyoming placed ahead of ranked programs No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 24 Virginia Tech.
“We did some good things to put ourselves in the top 10,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “When you look at this field, our finish was a positive team step, but probably more so individually because some of the wins our guys got make it easier for the others to realize the type of success we are capable of. This should provide some positive things for the mentality of the team. Our finishes here will also bring some exposure and respect, both of which are important for a program.”
At 184 pounds, LeBlanc had one of the biggest wins of the event for the ‘Pokes in the consolation finals when he beat No. 3-ranked, three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. The Cowboy sophomore finished his tournament strong by dominating the match and beating Pucillo 10-5. To get to that match, LeBlanc beat Steve Bosak from Cornell, 7-5 in sudden victory, after narrowly losing to No.7 ranked Kirk Smith from Boise State (3-2) in his semifinal match. He ended the event with a 6-1 record, 16-2 this season.
Onufer followed a similar path at 174 pounds, losing by a slim margin in the semifinals to No. 8 Colt Sponseller from Ohio State (6-4), before winning two straight to finish the tournament. He beat P.J. Gillespie from Hofstra by a score of 3-2, before getting his second victory in as many days over All-American and No. 6 ranked Andy Rendos from Bucknell in the consolation final. Onufer was aggressive from the start and stuck Rendos’ shoulders to the mat at 2:15 in the first period. He finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, 14-4 so far this year.
Martinez lost his 125-pound semifinal bout with No. 3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State by a score of 7-3. He then beat Alan Bartelli of Boise State 4-1, setting up a rematch with All-American and No. 5 ranked James Nicholson of Old Dominion. On Friday, Martinez beat Nicholson 6-4 in sudden victory to get to the semifinals. This time around Nicholson would have the upper hand, winning 7-2. Martinez concluded the event with a 4-2 record, 14-3 this season.
No. 4 ranked Ohio State won the team title with 122.5 points, followed by No. 9 Cornell (121.5), No. 12 Oklahoma (109.5), No. 7 Boise State (97.5), No. 11 Nebraska (95), No. 13 Indiana (90.5), No. 23 Cal Poly (78.5), Oregon State (77.5), No. 22 Wisconsin (73.5) and then UW (71).
Wyoming will now have a 12-day break before traveling to Stanford for a dual on Dec. 18 and then to the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20.
UW indoor tracksters beat CSU
Strong performances from top to bottom lifted the University of Wyoming men’s and women’s track teams with wins against Colorado State at the Wyoming Power Meet Saturday at the War Memorial Fieldhouse.
The Cowboys defeated CSU 59-33, with the Cowgirls coming out on top 62-29. The two Wyoming teams combined to win 11 of the 22 events.
The Cowboys were led by junior Jeremiah James, who provisionally qualified in the long jump and triple jump. James won both events and dazzled the crowd with his personal best long jump of 24-feet, 11.25 inches and personal best triple jump of 51-0 1/4, both of which are fifth all-time in Wyoming history.
“All the jumpers had breakout performances today, new personal records were attained across the board and our freshman did well in their first collegiate meet,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “Jeremiah had an exceptional day today and we look forward to him continuing his success the entire year.”
The jumpers highlighted the meet with the first five men in the long jump coming from Wyoming with redshirt-freshman Stephen Michel coming in second. The women’s long jump had two freshmen leading the way with Erin Urbanoski and Hannah Romsa finishing second and third with their leaps of 18-7 3/4 and 17-6 3/4 respectively. In the triple jump, Michel once again finished behind James with a jump of 48-11 1/2.
Two Cowgirls battling it out for first and second in the long jump at a matching height of 5-7. Junior Britney Jackson had her personal best and out jumped senior Johnna Jeffries by one attempt for first place.
“Jeremiah was a big stand-out today and with his performance today, it will put him in the forefront of the national scene,” said head coach Don Yentes.
The throw crew was not far behind with returning conference champion Amanda Aimone finishing in second behind an unattached Kate Burton with her best throw in the 20lb weight throw landing 57-2 1/4 from the ring. She was followed by junior Ashley Hutchinson with her third-place finish. Junior Alan John and sophomore Joe Plante had solid performances in the 35lb weight throw with their second and third-place finishes respectively.
As for the shot put, the Cowgirls put Hutchinson in the mix and she performed well, finishing second with a toss of 45-1 1/2. Plante finished fourth and freshman Mark Sparks finished sixth.
The sprinters had quite a few new faces running for the Brown and Gold and saw some very good things. Freshmen Cowgirls, Taylor Gardner and Olivia Heaston won the 400 and 200-meter dashes with times of 1:00.29 and 26.52 respectively. While Katy Hall added to the freshman success with her second-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles.
“We have a lot of good athletes that will make an impact right away and it was nice to see them get in there and have some things happen,” said Yentes.
On the men’s side, senior Keith Brauneis edged out Josh Murphy of CSU in the 200-meter dash by one hundredth of a second. While the 4x400-meter relay team saw a very gutsy performance from the team of Ken Lane, Kekoa Chavez, Mark Flegel and Andy McKen to fend off the late strides of Nigel Joseph of CSU, to win by three hundredth of a second.
“This is one of our best starts in a couple years and I just hope we can continue to keep our training over the break,” said Yentes. “I am very happy with all of our performances today and am excited to see the progression of this team.”
The Cowboys defeated CSU 59-33, with the Cowgirls coming out on top 62-29. The two Wyoming teams combined to win 11 of the 22 events.
The Cowboys were led by junior Jeremiah James, who provisionally qualified in the long jump and triple jump. James won both events and dazzled the crowd with his personal best long jump of 24-feet, 11.25 inches and personal best triple jump of 51-0 1/4, both of which are fifth all-time in Wyoming history.
“All the jumpers had breakout performances today, new personal records were attained across the board and our freshman did well in their first collegiate meet,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “Jeremiah had an exceptional day today and we look forward to him continuing his success the entire year.”
The jumpers highlighted the meet with the first five men in the long jump coming from Wyoming with redshirt-freshman Stephen Michel coming in second. The women’s long jump had two freshmen leading the way with Erin Urbanoski and Hannah Romsa finishing second and third with their leaps of 18-7 3/4 and 17-6 3/4 respectively. In the triple jump, Michel once again finished behind James with a jump of 48-11 1/2.
Two Cowgirls battling it out for first and second in the long jump at a matching height of 5-7. Junior Britney Jackson had her personal best and out jumped senior Johnna Jeffries by one attempt for first place.
“Jeremiah was a big stand-out today and with his performance today, it will put him in the forefront of the national scene,” said head coach Don Yentes.
The throw crew was not far behind with returning conference champion Amanda Aimone finishing in second behind an unattached Kate Burton with her best throw in the 20lb weight throw landing 57-2 1/4 from the ring. She was followed by junior Ashley Hutchinson with her third-place finish. Junior Alan John and sophomore Joe Plante had solid performances in the 35lb weight throw with their second and third-place finishes respectively.
As for the shot put, the Cowgirls put Hutchinson in the mix and she performed well, finishing second with a toss of 45-1 1/2. Plante finished fourth and freshman Mark Sparks finished sixth.
The sprinters had quite a few new faces running for the Brown and Gold and saw some very good things. Freshmen Cowgirls, Taylor Gardner and Olivia Heaston won the 400 and 200-meter dashes with times of 1:00.29 and 26.52 respectively. While Katy Hall added to the freshman success with her second-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles.
“We have a lot of good athletes that will make an impact right away and it was nice to see them get in there and have some things happen,” said Yentes.
On the men’s side, senior Keith Brauneis edged out Josh Murphy of CSU in the 200-meter dash by one hundredth of a second. While the 4x400-meter relay team saw a very gutsy performance from the team of Ken Lane, Kekoa Chavez, Mark Flegel and Andy McKen to fend off the late strides of Nigel Joseph of CSU, to win by three hundredth of a second.
“This is one of our best starts in a couple years and I just hope we can continue to keep our training over the break,” said Yentes. “I am very happy with all of our performances today and am excited to see the progression of this team.”
Murdock breaks own diving record
At the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas, the Wyoming swimming and diving squad swam in only preliminary rounds on Saturday, but Cowboy diver Mark Murdock set a new school record on platform at the final day of the Texas and Diving Hall of Fame Invitational.
While some of the team was swimming in Texas, the rest of the Cowgirl team defeated Northern Colorado 170-124 in Greeley, Colo., to stay undefeated on the season at 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
In Texas, the highlight of the day came from Murdock, whose score of 355.15 points broke his own school mark he set last year at 346.45. He finished third overall.
The Pokes had solid performances from two distance swimmers in the 1,650 freestyle. Senior Robbie Hilton swam to a second-place finish in 15 minutes, 54.96 seconds, while fellow senior Sam Holmes was close behind in third with a time of 15:55.38. After two great final round swims Friday, sophomore Brandon Fischer continued his weekend of solid performances by placing 10th in the 200 breaststroke, while Tyler Kybartas finished 13th in the 200 butterfly.
Lesley Young swam to a top-eight finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:16.87 for the best finish in Texas for the Cowgirls on Saturday. Stephanie Vint added another top-20 finish, this time in 19th in the 200 butterfly. Emily Huth scored the highest for the Cowgirls on platform and finished in 10th.
Against Northern Colorado, the Cowgirls won a total of 12 events for the 170-124 win.
“Today was a great opportunity for us to compete against a near-by opponent,” said UW assistant coach Wyn Saunier. “UNC is a rapidly improving team that is coached very well. Some of our women swam events they don’t typically swim, but it was great meet that gave us a chance to do that.”
Winning multiple events today was freshman Paige Fischer and sophomore Kelsey Conci. Typically a distance swimmer, Fischer won both the 100 (55.49) and 200 freestyles (1:57.41). In the 200 backstroke, the Cowgirls finished first and second with sophomore Kelsey Conci leading the way in first (2:14.49) and freshman Jessy Badaracco in second (2:14.98). Conci also won the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:14.49.
Kenzie Hewson added a first place finish in the 50 freestyle, while twin-sister Lauren swam to a first place finish in the 200 IM. Other event winners for the Cowgirls include Shauna Nelson in the 1000 freestyle (11:06.39), Kaella Hartigan in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.20), Whitney Taylor in the 200 butterfly (2:13.55), Caitlin Hudak in the 500 freestyle (5:27.31), and Taylor O’Holleran in the 100 butterfly (1:01.65).
The Cowgirls also won both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
While some of the team was swimming in Texas, the rest of the Cowgirl team defeated Northern Colorado 170-124 in Greeley, Colo., to stay undefeated on the season at 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
In Texas, the highlight of the day came from Murdock, whose score of 355.15 points broke his own school mark he set last year at 346.45. He finished third overall.
The Pokes had solid performances from two distance swimmers in the 1,650 freestyle. Senior Robbie Hilton swam to a second-place finish in 15 minutes, 54.96 seconds, while fellow senior Sam Holmes was close behind in third with a time of 15:55.38. After two great final round swims Friday, sophomore Brandon Fischer continued his weekend of solid performances by placing 10th in the 200 breaststroke, while Tyler Kybartas finished 13th in the 200 butterfly.
Lesley Young swam to a top-eight finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:16.87 for the best finish in Texas for the Cowgirls on Saturday. Stephanie Vint added another top-20 finish, this time in 19th in the 200 butterfly. Emily Huth scored the highest for the Cowgirls on platform and finished in 10th.
Against Northern Colorado, the Cowgirls won a total of 12 events for the 170-124 win.
“Today was a great opportunity for us to compete against a near-by opponent,” said UW assistant coach Wyn Saunier. “UNC is a rapidly improving team that is coached very well. Some of our women swam events they don’t typically swim, but it was great meet that gave us a chance to do that.”
Winning multiple events today was freshman Paige Fischer and sophomore Kelsey Conci. Typically a distance swimmer, Fischer won both the 100 (55.49) and 200 freestyles (1:57.41). In the 200 backstroke, the Cowgirls finished first and second with sophomore Kelsey Conci leading the way in first (2:14.49) and freshman Jessy Badaracco in second (2:14.98). Conci also won the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:14.49.
Kenzie Hewson added a first place finish in the 50 freestyle, while twin-sister Lauren swam to a first place finish in the 200 IM. Other event winners for the Cowgirls include Shauna Nelson in the 1000 freestyle (11:06.39), Kaella Hartigan in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.20), Whitney Taylor in the 200 butterfly (2:13.55), Caitlin Hudak in the 500 freestyle (5:27.31), and Taylor O’Holleran in the 100 butterfly (1:01.65).
The Cowgirls also won both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
Three Cowboys in Vegas semis
PRIMM, Nev. – Last season, Wyoming’s Joe LeBlanc used the Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational to break onto the national scene and show what lay in store for his All-America season. This year, three Cowboy wrestlers, including LeBlanc, have advanced to the semifinals of the 28th annual event and have positioned the UW team for a dramatic improvement in what some consider the best early tournament in the country.
The trio of Wyoming sophomores, LeBlanc at 184 pounds, Michael Martinez (125) and Shane Onufer (165) all advanced through their brackets and will wrestle on Saturday in the semifinals, assuring themselves of at least sixth place.
Martinez and Onufer scored big upsets in their quarterfinal matches, while LeBlanc was simply dominant. Martinez beat No. 5 ranked James Nicholson of Old Dominion (6-4 in OT), Onufer knocked off No. 6 ranked Andy Rendos from Bucknell (5-3) and LeBlanc scored a technical fall over Brice Arand from Oregon State (17-1).
On the day, LeBlanc was 4-0 and all his victories earned bonus team points. Two of his wins came by way of technical fall, one major decision and one pin. Both Martinez and Onufer were 3-0, with one of Onufer’s wins a major decision.
After a full day of wrestling on Friday, the Cowboys are currently in 10th place amongst a prestigious field of 42 teams that includes 12 of the top-25 ranked wrestling programs in the country. Wyoming is ahead of ranked programs No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 24 Virginia Tech.
No. 4 ranked Ohio State currently is atop the team standings with 89 points, followed by No. 9 Cornell (79), No. 12 Oklahoma (76), No. 7 Boise State (68.5), No. 11 Nebraska (67), No. 13 Indiana (65.5), Oregon State (61.5), No. 23 Cal Poly (59.5), Navy (57) and then UW (56.5).
“We are seeing some great competition and have definitely closed the gap on some of the top programs in the country,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “This is a tough tournament, so having three guys advance to the semis is good and even our guys who got knocked out today looked improved. I saw a lot of the things that we have worked on in practice and focused on over the last two weeks, so that was a big positive for this team.
”Joe (LeBlanc) looked unbelievable today and was scoring from everywhere. Shane (Onufer) looked better than he has all season and Michael (Martinez) was just tough. I considered holding Michael out of this tournament because of some physical problems, but he wanted to go and pushed through.”
Also earning the Cowboy team some key wins on Friday was sophomore Brock Smith at 174 pounds. Smith was 3-2, with one win by way of fall. He was a tough out, narrowly getting bumped from the tournament by No. 13 Luke Rebertus from Navy (6-4).
Cowboys Kasey Garnhart (133), Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) and Chase Smith (141) each were 2-2.
In 2008, the ‘Pokes had two place-winners, LeBlanc was third at 184 and Onufer seventh at 174, and as a team they were 19th of 44.
LeBlanc will face No.7 ranked Kirk Smith from Boise State in his semifinal match, Martinez will get No. 3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State and Onufer will square off with No. 8 Colt Sponseller from Ohio State.
The tournament concludes on Saturday with consolation matches starting at 10 a.m. MT, semifinal bouts at 11 a.m. and the finals at 4 p.m. The two-day event is being held at the Star of the Desert Arena in Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino.
---
UW Results
125 pounds - Michael Martinez, 3-0, advances to semifinals
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart, 2-2, fall
141 pounds - Chase Smith, 2-2, technical fall
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra, 1-2, fall
157 pounds - Eric Jones , 0-2
165 pounds - Shane Onufer, 3-0, major decision, advances to semifinals
174 pounds - Brock Smith, 3-2, fall
184 pounds - Joe LeBlanc, 4-0, two technical falls, fall, major decision, advances to semifinals
197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez, 1-2, major decision
Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin, 2-2
The trio of Wyoming sophomores, LeBlanc at 184 pounds, Michael Martinez (125) and Shane Onufer (165) all advanced through their brackets and will wrestle on Saturday in the semifinals, assuring themselves of at least sixth place.
Martinez and Onufer scored big upsets in their quarterfinal matches, while LeBlanc was simply dominant. Martinez beat No. 5 ranked James Nicholson of Old Dominion (6-4 in OT), Onufer knocked off No. 6 ranked Andy Rendos from Bucknell (5-3) and LeBlanc scored a technical fall over Brice Arand from Oregon State (17-1).
On the day, LeBlanc was 4-0 and all his victories earned bonus team points. Two of his wins came by way of technical fall, one major decision and one pin. Both Martinez and Onufer were 3-0, with one of Onufer’s wins a major decision.
After a full day of wrestling on Friday, the Cowboys are currently in 10th place amongst a prestigious field of 42 teams that includes 12 of the top-25 ranked wrestling programs in the country. Wyoming is ahead of ranked programs No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 24 Virginia Tech.
No. 4 ranked Ohio State currently is atop the team standings with 89 points, followed by No. 9 Cornell (79), No. 12 Oklahoma (76), No. 7 Boise State (68.5), No. 11 Nebraska (67), No. 13 Indiana (65.5), Oregon State (61.5), No. 23 Cal Poly (59.5), Navy (57) and then UW (56.5).
“We are seeing some great competition and have definitely closed the gap on some of the top programs in the country,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “This is a tough tournament, so having three guys advance to the semis is good and even our guys who got knocked out today looked improved. I saw a lot of the things that we have worked on in practice and focused on over the last two weeks, so that was a big positive for this team.
”Joe (LeBlanc) looked unbelievable today and was scoring from everywhere. Shane (Onufer) looked better than he has all season and Michael (Martinez) was just tough. I considered holding Michael out of this tournament because of some physical problems, but he wanted to go and pushed through.”
Also earning the Cowboy team some key wins on Friday was sophomore Brock Smith at 174 pounds. Smith was 3-2, with one win by way of fall. He was a tough out, narrowly getting bumped from the tournament by No. 13 Luke Rebertus from Navy (6-4).
Cowboys Kasey Garnhart (133), Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) and Chase Smith (141) each were 2-2.
In 2008, the ‘Pokes had two place-winners, LeBlanc was third at 184 and Onufer seventh at 174, and as a team they were 19th of 44.
LeBlanc will face No.7 ranked Kirk Smith from Boise State in his semifinal match, Martinez will get No. 3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State and Onufer will square off with No. 8 Colt Sponseller from Ohio State.
The tournament concludes on Saturday with consolation matches starting at 10 a.m. MT, semifinal bouts at 11 a.m. and the finals at 4 p.m. The two-day event is being held at the Star of the Desert Arena in Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino.
---
UW Results
125 pounds - Michael Martinez, 3-0, advances to semifinals
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart, 2-2, fall
141 pounds - Chase Smith, 2-2, technical fall
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra, 1-2, fall
157 pounds - Eric Jones , 0-2
165 pounds - Shane Onufer, 3-0, major decision, advances to semifinals
174 pounds - Brock Smith, 3-2, fall
184 pounds - Joe LeBlanc, 4-0, two technical falls, fall, major decision, advances to semifinals
197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez, 1-2, major decision
Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin, 2-2
UW swimmers fare well in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas -- Day two of the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame Invitational proved to be another day of solid performances from both the Cowboys and Cowgirls, including a Cowgirl NCAA provisional qualifying time at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls remain in sixth place. The meet features numerous top-25 teams on both the men’s and women’s side. Fourth-ranked Arizona leads the way on the women’s side again with 725.5 points and are followed by No. 3 Texas (656), No. 16 Wisconsin (311.5), No. 7 Auburn (261), North Texas (188), and the Cowgirls (180). The sixth-ranked Arizona men also remain in first with 732.5 points and are trailed by top-ranked Texas (668), No. 5 Auburn (303), UC Davis (246.5), Wisconsin (187), and the Cowboys (139).
“We made great steps today and had a few individuals stand out,” said UW head coach Tom Johnson. “The divers did awesome and I am happy with some of our times that we swam today.”
Lesley Young led the Cowgirls with an excellent time in the preliminary round in the 100 breaststroke that put her in the top-eight for the finals. Later in the day, Young improved on her prelim time and finished in seventh with a time 1 minute, 2.71 seconds, an NCAA “B” cut time.
Stephanie Vint continued her stellar weekend with a ninth place finish in the 400 IM. Sophomore Caroline Wells was also in the 400 IM final and finished in 15th. A day after her own NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 50 freestyle, senior Cassie Stelow swam the 100 breaststroke and finished 16th with a time of 1:05.73. Other Cowgirls in event finals include a 26th place finish from Shelby Bull in the 200 freestyle (1:51.35), and Wells placed 24th in the 100 backstroke (59.21).
The Cowgirls had two divers reach the finals today on the one-meter springboard. Allie Smith placed the highest for UW in seventh with a mark of 234.15 points, while Stephanie Ortiz was close behind in eighth with a score of 227.70.
The Cowgirls also swam two relays today. The 800 freestyle relay finished eighth, while the 200 medley relay was ninth.
“Hopefully, we can get Young’s time to an NCAA “A” time during the season, but Bull, Vint, Wells, and Stelow were awesome today,” Johnson said.
The best performance for the Pokes came from diver Mark Murdock on three-meter springboard. Murdock ended the day in third place with a score of 341.60, and teammate Kyle Bogner placed sixth.
For the Cowboy swimmers, Brandon Fischer reached the finals in both the 400 IM and 100 breaststroke. Fischer swam the 100 breaststroke in 56.34 which was good enough for 12th, and then placed 14th in the 400 IM at 4:03.69.
Sam Holmes and Marshall Dilworth joined Fischer in the 400 IM and finished 20th and 21st respectively. Three more Cowboys earned final round spots today as well. Tommy Gregory placed the highest in the 200 freestyle in 26th (1:42.63), while Tyler Kybartas was 27th (1:42.95), and Christian Johnson placed 30th (1:44.19).
Like the Cowgirls, the Pokes also swam in two relays. The best finish came in the 800 freestyle relay that finished fourth, while the 200 medley was 10th.
“Fischer and Holmes had tremendous times in the 400 IM today, especially in the morning,” Johnson added. “Fischer came back in the 100 breaststroke and had his second great swim of the day.”
The meet will wrap-up Saturday and Wyoming will only compete in the preliminary rounds that will start at 9 a.m. Mountain. Along with the Texas Invite, Cowgirls not in Texas will travel to Greeley, Colo., for a dual meet against Northern Colorado at noon.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls remain in sixth place. The meet features numerous top-25 teams on both the men’s and women’s side. Fourth-ranked Arizona leads the way on the women’s side again with 725.5 points and are followed by No. 3 Texas (656), No. 16 Wisconsin (311.5), No. 7 Auburn (261), North Texas (188), and the Cowgirls (180). The sixth-ranked Arizona men also remain in first with 732.5 points and are trailed by top-ranked Texas (668), No. 5 Auburn (303), UC Davis (246.5), Wisconsin (187), and the Cowboys (139).
“We made great steps today and had a few individuals stand out,” said UW head coach Tom Johnson. “The divers did awesome and I am happy with some of our times that we swam today.”
Lesley Young led the Cowgirls with an excellent time in the preliminary round in the 100 breaststroke that put her in the top-eight for the finals. Later in the day, Young improved on her prelim time and finished in seventh with a time 1 minute, 2.71 seconds, an NCAA “B” cut time.
Stephanie Vint continued her stellar weekend with a ninth place finish in the 400 IM. Sophomore Caroline Wells was also in the 400 IM final and finished in 15th. A day after her own NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 50 freestyle, senior Cassie Stelow swam the 100 breaststroke and finished 16th with a time of 1:05.73. Other Cowgirls in event finals include a 26th place finish from Shelby Bull in the 200 freestyle (1:51.35), and Wells placed 24th in the 100 backstroke (59.21).
The Cowgirls had two divers reach the finals today on the one-meter springboard. Allie Smith placed the highest for UW in seventh with a mark of 234.15 points, while Stephanie Ortiz was close behind in eighth with a score of 227.70.
The Cowgirls also swam two relays today. The 800 freestyle relay finished eighth, while the 200 medley relay was ninth.
“Hopefully, we can get Young’s time to an NCAA “A” time during the season, but Bull, Vint, Wells, and Stelow were awesome today,” Johnson said.
The best performance for the Pokes came from diver Mark Murdock on three-meter springboard. Murdock ended the day in third place with a score of 341.60, and teammate Kyle Bogner placed sixth.
For the Cowboy swimmers, Brandon Fischer reached the finals in both the 400 IM and 100 breaststroke. Fischer swam the 100 breaststroke in 56.34 which was good enough for 12th, and then placed 14th in the 400 IM at 4:03.69.
Sam Holmes and Marshall Dilworth joined Fischer in the 400 IM and finished 20th and 21st respectively. Three more Cowboys earned final round spots today as well. Tommy Gregory placed the highest in the 200 freestyle in 26th (1:42.63), while Tyler Kybartas was 27th (1:42.95), and Christian Johnson placed 30th (1:44.19).
Like the Cowgirls, the Pokes also swam in two relays. The best finish came in the 800 freestyle relay that finished fourth, while the 200 medley was 10th.
“Fischer and Holmes had tremendous times in the 400 IM today, especially in the morning,” Johnson added. “Fischer came back in the 100 breaststroke and had his second great swim of the day.”
The meet will wrap-up Saturday and Wyoming will only compete in the preliminary rounds that will start at 9 a.m. Mountain. Along with the Texas Invite, Cowgirls not in Texas will travel to Greeley, Colo., for a dual meet against Northern Colorado at noon.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Cowboy wrestling signs six
The Cowboy wrestlers have another decorated group of recruits on deck, as University of Wyoming head coach Mark Branch announced on Thursday that six high school state champions have signed national letters of intent to wrestle for the ‘Pokes beginning in the 2010-11 season.
Joining the Cowboy squad next fall will be Michael Hamel (Gilbert, Ariz.), Cody Mansur (Clackamas, Ore.), Andrew McCulley (Rock Springs), Brandon Richardson (Rathdrum, Idaho), Shane Woods (Tuttle, Okla.) and Zach Zehner (Tomahawk, Wis.).
“This is a solid class that will take care of many of our weight class needs,” said Branch as he described his incoming freshmen for next season. “I am very excited about these young men and their attitudes towards competition and success. These are young kids that, in the end, wanted to be Cowboys and chose to come here because they felt like this is the place where they can be All-Americans and NCAA Champions. I have no doubt that they will find success here and help us build a nationally powerful program at Wyoming.”
Hamel is projected to wrestle at 133 or 141 pounds collegiately. After placing fifth as a freshman and third as a sophomore, Hamel was the 2009 Arizona State 5A High School Champion at 130 pounds for Mesquite High School as a junior. He was an Arizona National Team member in 2008 and was an All-State selection as both a sophomore and junior. Michael was born in Gillette and is the son of Wyoming’s all-time pins leader Mike Hamel. The elder Hamel lettered at UW from 1983-86, was a two-time WAC champion and had 61 career pins.
Mansur has developed as a prep wrestler, where he was the Oregon state 6A champion at 215 pounds during his junior year. Wrestling for Clackamas High School, he also placed third in the state tournament as a sophomore at 189 pounds. In 2008, Mansur placed third at the Reno World of Wrestling Championships at 200 pounds. As a collegiate student-athlete he is expected to compete either at 197 pounds or heavyweight (285).
At Rock Springs High School, McCulley was the Wyoming 4A state champion in 2008 at 130 pounds as a sophomore. As a junior in 2009, he was injured at the state tournament competing at 145 pounds. McCulley is a two-time 4A West Regional Champion. In 2008, he was the Wyoming USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner, as well as a Cadet All-American by placing fourth at USA Wrestling Nationals. McCulley has been on the honor roll each year. At UW, he will compete at 157 or 165 pounds.
Richardson should wrestle for the Cowboys at 149 or 157 pounds. He was an Idaho 4A state champion in 2007 as a freshman at Lakeland High School. He was a USA Wrestling National Champion in 2008, the 4A state runner-up as a junior in 2009 and the 2008 Tri-State Champion. Richardson served as Lakeland Student Council Vice President in 2007-08 and has been an honor roll student each year of high school. He also played soccer, lettering twice.
Woods was a Oklahoma state 4A champion in 2009 as a junior at 215 pounds. He led his team to a state title that same season and placed third individually at the Midwest Classic in Kansas City. As a sophomore, Woods placed third at the state tournament in the 160-pound weight class. At UW he will compete at 197 pounds.
Zehner was a Wisconsin state champion at 125 pounds in 2009. He was also a regional and sectional champion in 2009, as well as first team all-conference as both a sophomore and junior. He was a member of the Wisconsin National Dual Team, was the Freestyle State Champion in 2009 and was runner-up at the 2009 Junior National Tournament. In addition to four years as a wrestling letterman, Zehner also will letter four years in track and field and once in football. His expected weight class while at UW is 141 or 149 pounds.
Joining the Cowboy squad next fall will be Michael Hamel (Gilbert, Ariz.), Cody Mansur (Clackamas, Ore.), Andrew McCulley (Rock Springs), Brandon Richardson (Rathdrum, Idaho), Shane Woods (Tuttle, Okla.) and Zach Zehner (Tomahawk, Wis.).
“This is a solid class that will take care of many of our weight class needs,” said Branch as he described his incoming freshmen for next season. “I am very excited about these young men and their attitudes towards competition and success. These are young kids that, in the end, wanted to be Cowboys and chose to come here because they felt like this is the place where they can be All-Americans and NCAA Champions. I have no doubt that they will find success here and help us build a nationally powerful program at Wyoming.”
Hamel is projected to wrestle at 133 or 141 pounds collegiately. After placing fifth as a freshman and third as a sophomore, Hamel was the 2009 Arizona State 5A High School Champion at 130 pounds for Mesquite High School as a junior. He was an Arizona National Team member in 2008 and was an All-State selection as both a sophomore and junior. Michael was born in Gillette and is the son of Wyoming’s all-time pins leader Mike Hamel. The elder Hamel lettered at UW from 1983-86, was a two-time WAC champion and had 61 career pins.
Mansur has developed as a prep wrestler, where he was the Oregon state 6A champion at 215 pounds during his junior year. Wrestling for Clackamas High School, he also placed third in the state tournament as a sophomore at 189 pounds. In 2008, Mansur placed third at the Reno World of Wrestling Championships at 200 pounds. As a collegiate student-athlete he is expected to compete either at 197 pounds or heavyweight (285).
At Rock Springs High School, McCulley was the Wyoming 4A state champion in 2008 at 130 pounds as a sophomore. As a junior in 2009, he was injured at the state tournament competing at 145 pounds. McCulley is a two-time 4A West Regional Champion. In 2008, he was the Wyoming USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner, as well as a Cadet All-American by placing fourth at USA Wrestling Nationals. McCulley has been on the honor roll each year. At UW, he will compete at 157 or 165 pounds.
Richardson should wrestle for the Cowboys at 149 or 157 pounds. He was an Idaho 4A state champion in 2007 as a freshman at Lakeland High School. He was a USA Wrestling National Champion in 2008, the 4A state runner-up as a junior in 2009 and the 2008 Tri-State Champion. Richardson served as Lakeland Student Council Vice President in 2007-08 and has been an honor roll student each year of high school. He also played soccer, lettering twice.
Woods was a Oklahoma state 4A champion in 2009 as a junior at 215 pounds. He led his team to a state title that same season and placed third individually at the Midwest Classic in Kansas City. As a sophomore, Woods placed third at the state tournament in the 160-pound weight class. At UW he will compete at 197 pounds.
Zehner was a Wisconsin state champion at 125 pounds in 2009. He was also a regional and sectional champion in 2009, as well as first team all-conference as both a sophomore and junior. He was a member of the Wisconsin National Dual Team, was the Freestyle State Champion in 2009 and was runner-up at the 2009 Junior National Tournament. In addition to four years as a wrestling letterman, Zehner also will letter four years in track and field and once in football. His expected weight class while at UW is 141 or 149 pounds.
Cowgirl volleyball signs two
University of Wyoming head volleyball coach Carrie Yerty announced that Erin Kirby and Becky Stewart will join the Wyoming volleyball program beginning in the fall of 2010.
“We are excited to add both of these players to our roster,” said Yerty. “They are incredible students and athletes, and will help improve our program.”
Kirby, a 6-foot middle blocker/opposite hitter from Evanston, is a two-time all-conference and all-state selection while attending Evanston High School. She recently earned 4A West Player of the Year and Wyoming 4A Player of the Year honors. Her team went 21-6 overall and 9-1 in the 4A West Conference, while they finished second in the State 4A Championship. She finished first in the conference in both kills with 396 (4.1 kps) and blocks (2.3 bps), while hitting 44 percent.
A three-time letterwinner, she has also earned letters in track and field and basketball. An excellent track and field athlete, she is a three-time all-conference and all-state selection. During her junior year, she qualified for seven events at the 4A State Track and Field meet and placed first in three events (400, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and second in an additional event. Kirby was also Best of the Best in three events at the state meet, which is the fastest overall time regardless of classification. In basketball, she was Honorable Mention All-Conference as a junior. An honor roll student, she is a member of the National Honor Society, while being involved in several scholastic and community activities.
“Erin is an extremely talented all-around athlete," Yerty said. "She will help our depth in the middle block and rightside positions, and will really help our program. We are extremely happy to get another student-athlete from the state of Wyoming, especially of her caliber.”
Stewart, a 5-7 libero from Parker, Colo., was a two-time letterwinner in volleyball while attending Ponderosa High School. In 2009, her team entered the 5A State Championship as the fifth seed and went 5-2 during the tournament to earn the 5A Colorado State Championship over Highlands Ranch, 3-2. The team finished 27-4 overall and 10-1 in league play to earn the District 8 Championship. Stewart was named Second Team All-Continental League, while earning All-Tournament honors at the Cherry Creek Tournament.
Her club team won the Omaha President’s Day Classic and the runner-up spot at the Northern Lights National Qualifier, while she won a Bronze Medal at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics
“Becky has an incredible work ethic, ball control and will battle for playing time at the libero position," Yerty said.
“We are excited to add both of these players to our roster,” said Yerty. “They are incredible students and athletes, and will help improve our program.”
Kirby, a 6-foot middle blocker/opposite hitter from Evanston, is a two-time all-conference and all-state selection while attending Evanston High School. She recently earned 4A West Player of the Year and Wyoming 4A Player of the Year honors. Her team went 21-6 overall and 9-1 in the 4A West Conference, while they finished second in the State 4A Championship. She finished first in the conference in both kills with 396 (4.1 kps) and blocks (2.3 bps), while hitting 44 percent.
A three-time letterwinner, she has also earned letters in track and field and basketball. An excellent track and field athlete, she is a three-time all-conference and all-state selection. During her junior year, she qualified for seven events at the 4A State Track and Field meet and placed first in three events (400, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and second in an additional event. Kirby was also Best of the Best in three events at the state meet, which is the fastest overall time regardless of classification. In basketball, she was Honorable Mention All-Conference as a junior. An honor roll student, she is a member of the National Honor Society, while being involved in several scholastic and community activities.
“Erin is an extremely talented all-around athlete," Yerty said. "She will help our depth in the middle block and rightside positions, and will really help our program. We are extremely happy to get another student-athlete from the state of Wyoming, especially of her caliber.”
Stewart, a 5-7 libero from Parker, Colo., was a two-time letterwinner in volleyball while attending Ponderosa High School. In 2009, her team entered the 5A State Championship as the fifth seed and went 5-2 during the tournament to earn the 5A Colorado State Championship over Highlands Ranch, 3-2. The team finished 27-4 overall and 10-1 in league play to earn the District 8 Championship. Stewart was named Second Team All-Continental League, while earning All-Tournament honors at the Cherry Creek Tournament.
Her club team won the Omaha President’s Day Classic and the runner-up spot at the Northern Lights National Qualifier, while she won a Bronze Medal at the USA Volleyball Junior Olympics
“Becky has an incredible work ethic, ball control and will battle for playing time at the libero position," Yerty said.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Cowboy wrestlers split in duals
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – The University of Wyoming wrestling team ended its East Coast road trip on Sunday at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals. Wyoming competed in two morning duals, first with No. 24-ranked Michigan State and then with West Virginia. UW lost to the Spartans 20-13, but then bounced back and defeated the Mountaineers 19-18.
Junior Cole Dallaserra at 149 pounds, as well as the sophomore trio of No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (184), No. 10 Michael Martinez (125) and Chase Smith (141), each won both their match-ups for the Cowboy.
Wyoming’s dual with Michigan State was tight throughout, but the Spartans ultimately won six of 10 bouts to earn a seven-point victory.
Martinez started things off right for the ‘Pokes with a 15-5 major decision win at 125 pounds, but then redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart ran into No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez at 133 pounds and suffered a 17-1 technical fall set-back. Down 5-4, UW won the next two matches with Smith and Dallaserra earning five-point decisions. Now the Cowboys had a 10-5 lead before losing three straight match-ups by narrow margins to go down 14-10. LeBlanc brought his team back to within one (14-13) by winning 8-3, however Wyoming would get no closer and lost the last two bouts by two-point decisions.
In their next head-to-head match-up, Wyoming won five matches and West Virginia won five matches, however the Cowboys had two bonus-point wins, while the Mountaineers had only one.
Again, Martinez started the dual with a major decision victory (14-4), only to see that lead shrink immediately when Garnhart lost a close two-point decision at 133 pounds. The team score was 4-3 in favor of Wyoming when Smith and Dallaserra won back-to-back decisions for UW to stretch the margin to 10-3.
Three straight wins by WVU would give them their only lead of the day, 12-10. Included in those wins was a key victory at 165 pounds by No. 13 Donnie Jones (3-2) over Wyoming’s No. 16 Shane Onufer, as well as a triumph for No. 20 Chance Litton (6-3) over UW’s Alex Rieder. LeBlanc then made short work of his WVU opponent, earning the win by fall only 40 seconds into the match. That win, combined with Alfonso Hernandez’ 4-2 decision at 197 pounds gave the Cowboys a 19-12 lead, which would be enough for the team win despite a Mountaineer pin in the heavyweight match.
The next competition for the Cowboy team will be the Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 4-5 in Las Vegas, Nev.
---
No. 24 Michigan State 20, Wyoming 13
125 pounds - No. 10 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Eric Olanowski (MSU), 15-5
133 pounds - No. 1 Franklin Gomez (MSU) by technical fall over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 17-1
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Collin Dozier (MSU), 5-0
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over David Cheza (MSU), 10-5
157 pounds - Anthony Jones (MSU) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WY), 7-4
165 pounds - Kyle Bounds (MSU) by decision over No. 16 Shane Onufer (WYO), 5-3
174 pounds - Ian Hinton (MSU) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 6-2
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by decision over Nick Palmieri (MSU), 8-3
197 pounds - Tyler Dickenson (MSU) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 5-3
Hwt. (285) - Alan O’Donnell (MSU) by decision over Matthew McLaughlin (WYO), 3-1
---
Wyoming 19, West Virginia 18
125 pounds - No. 10 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Anthony Curcio (WVU), 14-4
133 pounds - Colin Johnston (WVU) by decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 2-0
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Trey Ayala (WVU), 5-3
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Mark Tsikerdanos (WVU), 7-3
157 pounds - Ryan Goodman (WVU) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 10-6
165 pounds - No. 13 Donnie Jones (WVU) by decision over No. 16 Shane Onufer (WYO), 3-2
174 pounds - No. 20 Chance Litton (WVU) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 6-3
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Matt Ryan (WVU), 0:40
197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Kyle Rooney (WVU), 4-2
Hwt. (285) - Brandon Williamson (WVU) by fall over Matthew McLaughlin (WYO), 1:59
Junior Cole Dallaserra at 149 pounds, as well as the sophomore trio of No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (184), No. 10 Michael Martinez (125) and Chase Smith (141), each won both their match-ups for the Cowboy.
Wyoming’s dual with Michigan State was tight throughout, but the Spartans ultimately won six of 10 bouts to earn a seven-point victory.
Martinez started things off right for the ‘Pokes with a 15-5 major decision win at 125 pounds, but then redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart ran into No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez at 133 pounds and suffered a 17-1 technical fall set-back. Down 5-4, UW won the next two matches with Smith and Dallaserra earning five-point decisions. Now the Cowboys had a 10-5 lead before losing three straight match-ups by narrow margins to go down 14-10. LeBlanc brought his team back to within one (14-13) by winning 8-3, however Wyoming would get no closer and lost the last two bouts by two-point decisions.
In their next head-to-head match-up, Wyoming won five matches and West Virginia won five matches, however the Cowboys had two bonus-point wins, while the Mountaineers had only one.
Again, Martinez started the dual with a major decision victory (14-4), only to see that lead shrink immediately when Garnhart lost a close two-point decision at 133 pounds. The team score was 4-3 in favor of Wyoming when Smith and Dallaserra won back-to-back decisions for UW to stretch the margin to 10-3.
Three straight wins by WVU would give them their only lead of the day, 12-10. Included in those wins was a key victory at 165 pounds by No. 13 Donnie Jones (3-2) over Wyoming’s No. 16 Shane Onufer, as well as a triumph for No. 20 Chance Litton (6-3) over UW’s Alex Rieder. LeBlanc then made short work of his WVU opponent, earning the win by fall only 40 seconds into the match. That win, combined with Alfonso Hernandez’ 4-2 decision at 197 pounds gave the Cowboys a 19-12 lead, which would be enough for the team win despite a Mountaineer pin in the heavyweight match.
The next competition for the Cowboy team will be the Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 4-5 in Las Vegas, Nev.
---
No. 24 Michigan State 20, Wyoming 13
125 pounds - No. 10 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Eric Olanowski (MSU), 15-5
133 pounds - No. 1 Franklin Gomez (MSU) by technical fall over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 17-1
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Collin Dozier (MSU), 5-0
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over David Cheza (MSU), 10-5
157 pounds - Anthony Jones (MSU) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WY), 7-4
165 pounds - Kyle Bounds (MSU) by decision over No. 16 Shane Onufer (WYO), 5-3
174 pounds - Ian Hinton (MSU) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 6-2
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by decision over Nick Palmieri (MSU), 8-3
197 pounds - Tyler Dickenson (MSU) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 5-3
Hwt. (285) - Alan O’Donnell (MSU) by decision over Matthew McLaughlin (WYO), 3-1
---
Wyoming 19, West Virginia 18
125 pounds - No. 10 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Anthony Curcio (WVU), 14-4
133 pounds - Colin Johnston (WVU) by decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 2-0
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Trey Ayala (WVU), 5-3
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Mark Tsikerdanos (WVU), 7-3
157 pounds - Ryan Goodman (WVU) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 10-6
165 pounds - No. 13 Donnie Jones (WVU) by decision over No. 16 Shane Onufer (WYO), 3-2
174 pounds - No. 20 Chance Litton (WVU) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 6-3
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Matt Ryan (WVU), 0:40
197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Kyle Rooney (WVU), 4-2
Hwt. (285) - Brandon Williamson (WVU) by fall over Matthew McLaughlin (WYO), 1:59
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Chase Smith leads Cowboys in New York
Wyoming sophomore Chase Smith
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Wyoming wrestling team faced off with some East Coast juggernaut programs on Saturday at the Body Bar Classic tournament. UW more than held its own, with a weight-class title from sophomore Chase Smith, as well as four other top-six finishes.
“Overall, this was not a bad performance,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “I was happy with some of the individual performances and several of the guys made important adjustments. It was definitely good to see some teams that we won’t see again until the NCAA Championship. We had a good tournament overall and I feel like we learned some things.
“We had some guys lose early and that hurt us in the team standings since there were no true third and fourth place matches.”
As a team, the ‘Pokes placed fourth of 12 teams with 92 points. No. 20-ranked Kent State placed first by scoring 147.5 points, while the event host and No. 4 Cornell tied with No. 10 Maryland at 109 points.
Highlighting the Cowboys’ event finishes was a bracket win by Smith at 141 pounds. Smith had a break-through tournament and went on a whirlwind tour at his weight. He had bonus-point wins in four of his five matches, with two pins, a technical fall victory and a win by major decision. Smith’s finals opponent was Chase Skonieczny from Kent State, whom he stuck in the first period at 2:33 to put an exclamation point on his day.
No. 6-ranked Cowboy sophomore Joe LeBlanc was 3-1 and placed second, losing 8-4 to No. 5 Dustin Kilgore of Kent State in the 184-pound final. Of his three wins, LeBlanc earned a pin and a technical fall. He now has a season record of 8-1, with five technical falls and two pins.
UW sophomore and No. 10-ranked Michael Martinez also placed second, narrowly losing a sudden victory, overtime decision 6-4 in the 125-pound final to Frank Perrelli from Cornell. Martinez had two major decisions on his way to a 3-1 record. He is now 8-1 for the season with five major decisions and one technical fall.
Junior Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) and No. 16-ranked sophomore Shane Onufer (165) were two ‘Pokes that lost early and had to fight their way back through the consolation bracket. Onufer was 5-1, with two falls and a major decision, placing fifth. McLaughlin was 4-2, with a pin and a major decision, placing sixth.
Despite not placng, several other Cowboys got quality wins, faced highly-ranked opponents and were tough outs in their brackets. Redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (133) was 2-2 overall and upset the No. 5 seed Jordan Thome of Army in his first match. Junior Cole Dallaserra (149) had a record of 3-2, losing to No. 7-ranked Matt Kyler of Army in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Dallas Hintz (174) was 2-2 overall, with one of his losses coming to No. 2-ranked Mack Lewnes from Cornell in the quarterfinal round. Sophomore Alfonso Hernandez (197) and junior Alex Rieder (174) each had 2-2 records.
The Cowboy team will dual No. 24 Michigan State and West Virginia on Sunday morning in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl Duals.
“Both teams we will face tomorrow are tough,” Branch said. “We will need more guys to make adjustments and we will need some of our team to just put today behind them. Everyone needs to focus on coming out ready to go from the first whistle, ready to battle hard.”
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Wyoming wrestling team faced off with some East Coast juggernaut programs on Saturday at the Body Bar Classic tournament. UW more than held its own, with a weight-class title from sophomore Chase Smith, as well as four other top-six finishes.
“Overall, this was not a bad performance,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “I was happy with some of the individual performances and several of the guys made important adjustments. It was definitely good to see some teams that we won’t see again until the NCAA Championship. We had a good tournament overall and I feel like we learned some things.
“We had some guys lose early and that hurt us in the team standings since there were no true third and fourth place matches.”
As a team, the ‘Pokes placed fourth of 12 teams with 92 points. No. 20-ranked Kent State placed first by scoring 147.5 points, while the event host and No. 4 Cornell tied with No. 10 Maryland at 109 points.
Highlighting the Cowboys’ event finishes was a bracket win by Smith at 141 pounds. Smith had a break-through tournament and went on a whirlwind tour at his weight. He had bonus-point wins in four of his five matches, with two pins, a technical fall victory and a win by major decision. Smith’s finals opponent was Chase Skonieczny from Kent State, whom he stuck in the first period at 2:33 to put an exclamation point on his day.
No. 6-ranked Cowboy sophomore Joe LeBlanc was 3-1 and placed second, losing 8-4 to No. 5 Dustin Kilgore of Kent State in the 184-pound final. Of his three wins, LeBlanc earned a pin and a technical fall. He now has a season record of 8-1, with five technical falls and two pins.
UW sophomore and No. 10-ranked Michael Martinez also placed second, narrowly losing a sudden victory, overtime decision 6-4 in the 125-pound final to Frank Perrelli from Cornell. Martinez had two major decisions on his way to a 3-1 record. He is now 8-1 for the season with five major decisions and one technical fall.
Junior Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) and No. 16-ranked sophomore Shane Onufer (165) were two ‘Pokes that lost early and had to fight their way back through the consolation bracket. Onufer was 5-1, with two falls and a major decision, placing fifth. McLaughlin was 4-2, with a pin and a major decision, placing sixth.
Despite not placng, several other Cowboys got quality wins, faced highly-ranked opponents and were tough outs in their brackets. Redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (133) was 2-2 overall and upset the No. 5 seed Jordan Thome of Army in his first match. Junior Cole Dallaserra (149) had a record of 3-2, losing to No. 7-ranked Matt Kyler of Army in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Dallas Hintz (174) was 2-2 overall, with one of his losses coming to No. 2-ranked Mack Lewnes from Cornell in the quarterfinal round. Sophomore Alfonso Hernandez (197) and junior Alex Rieder (174) each had 2-2 records.
The Cowboy team will dual No. 24 Michigan State and West Virginia on Sunday morning in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl Duals.
“Both teams we will face tomorrow are tough,” Branch said. “We will need more guys to make adjustments and we will need some of our team to just put today behind them. Everyone needs to focus on coming out ready to go from the first whistle, ready to battle hard.”
UW swimmers split at TCU
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Wyoming swimming and diving team continued the season with mixed results in a conference dual meet against TCU. The Cowgirls defeated TCU 182-118 to stay undefeated on the season, while the Cowboys fell to the Horned Frogs 180-114.
The Cowgirls advance to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Cowboys swam their first conference meet today and are 4-1 overall.
"It was a great meet for us today. The women took the lead early and never looked back," UW head coach Tom Johnson said. "The men had great distance swims. We let a few races get away from us early, but we are showing great improvement and we are getting better every week."
The Cowgirls had a total of nine event victories, including Stephanie Vint’s outstanding performance. Vint swam to first place finishes in the 100 butterfly (57.35 seconds), 200 IM (2:06.95) and second place in the 200 freestyle. Along with individual races, Vint swam the third leg of the 400 freestyle relay that set the fourth fastest time in school history with a time of 3:28.95.
In the women’s breaststroke events, the Cowgirls dominated by placing first through third in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. In both events, Lesley Young led the way in first while Lauren Hewson was second and Meghan Swirzcki in third.
Leading the Cowgirls on the diving boards was Allie Smith. Smith won both the one-meter (277.80 points) and three-meter springboards (292.42).
Other individual winners for the Cowgirls include Cassie Stelow in the 50 freestyle, Paige Fischer in the 1000 freestyle, Kelsey Conci in the 100 backstroke, and Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle.
For the Pokes, the distance swimmers stole the show by winning the 500 freestyle, and placing first through third in the 1000 freestyle. Senior Sam Holmes swam the 500 freestyle in 4:43.06 and placed first. Fellow senior Robbie Hilton won the 1000 freestyle in 9:40.38, while Holmes was close behind in second (9:40.53) and Kyle Wemhoff was third (9:47.57).
The 200 IM was won by freshman Kendrick Bachman in 1:54.79. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was second with a time of 1:54.94
On the boards, Kyle Bogner placed second in both events, while Valentin Schwarz was third in both.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the UW swimming and diving squad will return home and train for their next competition. Wyoming will travel to the three-day Texas Invite in Austin, Texas, Dec. 3-5. The Cowgirls will take on Northern Colorado on Dec.5 in Greeley, Colo. at noon.
The Cowgirls advance to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Cowboys swam their first conference meet today and are 4-1 overall.
"It was a great meet for us today. The women took the lead early and never looked back," UW head coach Tom Johnson said. "The men had great distance swims. We let a few races get away from us early, but we are showing great improvement and we are getting better every week."
The Cowgirls had a total of nine event victories, including Stephanie Vint’s outstanding performance. Vint swam to first place finishes in the 100 butterfly (57.35 seconds), 200 IM (2:06.95) and second place in the 200 freestyle. Along with individual races, Vint swam the third leg of the 400 freestyle relay that set the fourth fastest time in school history with a time of 3:28.95.
In the women’s breaststroke events, the Cowgirls dominated by placing first through third in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. In both events, Lesley Young led the way in first while Lauren Hewson was second and Meghan Swirzcki in third.
Leading the Cowgirls on the diving boards was Allie Smith. Smith won both the one-meter (277.80 points) and three-meter springboards (292.42).
Other individual winners for the Cowgirls include Cassie Stelow in the 50 freestyle, Paige Fischer in the 1000 freestyle, Kelsey Conci in the 100 backstroke, and Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle.
For the Pokes, the distance swimmers stole the show by winning the 500 freestyle, and placing first through third in the 1000 freestyle. Senior Sam Holmes swam the 500 freestyle in 4:43.06 and placed first. Fellow senior Robbie Hilton won the 1000 freestyle in 9:40.38, while Holmes was close behind in second (9:40.53) and Kyle Wemhoff was third (9:47.57).
The 200 IM was won by freshman Kendrick Bachman in 1:54.79. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was second with a time of 1:54.94
On the boards, Kyle Bogner placed second in both events, while Valentin Schwarz was third in both.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the UW swimming and diving squad will return home and train for their next competition. Wyoming will travel to the three-day Texas Invite in Austin, Texas, Dec. 3-5. The Cowgirls will take on Northern Colorado on Dec.5 in Greeley, Colo. at noon.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Cowgirls send Kagarise out on top
Cowgirl senior Jessica Kagarise
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls sent senior libero Jessica Kagarise out on top in impressive fashion with a straight-set win over the UNLV Lady Rebels at the UniWyo Sports Complex Thursday night to conclude their season.
The 25-14, 25-23 and 27-25 win snaps a seven-match losing skid to the Lady Rebels and avenges a heartbreaking five-set loss back on Sept. 22, in Las Vegas.
The night also marked the end of an era for Kagarise, the lone senior on the team had a game high 13 digs and set the school single season record for digs in the process finishing with 435 on the year.
More than anything, the coaches and players wanted to get the win for the native of Monument, Colo.
“She’s battled all year with us,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “To accomplish the record for single season digs and to go out with a win with this young team really shows that she stayed focused all the way throughout her career.”
Wyoming (13-18 overall, 3-13 Mountain West Conference), came out of the gate fired up and stormed to an 11-point first-set win.
UNLV (8-16 overall, 5-10 MWC), came back in the next two sets and made them interesting. The Cowgirls won a close second set and then trailed for much of the third set before taking a 23-20 lead late. The Lady Rebels battled back to tie things up at 24 all, and saw both squads jockey for the match point. With the Cowgirls up one the final attempt by UNLV sailed out-of-bounds and Wyoming hung on for a wild 27-25 win to clinch the match.
“My experience here has been awesome,” Kagarise said. “It was a really great way to finish it winning in three (sets) against UNLV. That’s a team we wanted to really beat this year. It feels really good.”
Jodi Purdy and Lauren Whitney had 13 and 11 kills with eight digs apiece respectively for the Cowgirls, while Cursty Jackson led the Lady Rebels recording 13 kills and eight digs.
“It’s a great stepping stone and a building block to continue to grow from for next season,” Yerty said. “We’ve had a lot of five-game matches and we’ve been up two games a lot this year and tonight it really came together and I’m really proud of the girls.”
“These girls have come so far since the beginning of the season,” Kagarise said. “They’re just going to keep growing, keep learning and keep getting better. I think our team is so strong already and with only one player leaving they’re going to be awesome next year.”
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Wyoming Cowgirls sent senior libero Jessica Kagarise out on top in impressive fashion with a straight-set win over the UNLV Lady Rebels at the UniWyo Sports Complex Thursday night to conclude their season.
The 25-14, 25-23 and 27-25 win snaps a seven-match losing skid to the Lady Rebels and avenges a heartbreaking five-set loss back on Sept. 22, in Las Vegas.
The night also marked the end of an era for Kagarise, the lone senior on the team had a game high 13 digs and set the school single season record for digs in the process finishing with 435 on the year.
More than anything, the coaches and players wanted to get the win for the native of Monument, Colo.
“She’s battled all year with us,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “To accomplish the record for single season digs and to go out with a win with this young team really shows that she stayed focused all the way throughout her career.”
Wyoming (13-18 overall, 3-13 Mountain West Conference), came out of the gate fired up and stormed to an 11-point first-set win.
UNLV (8-16 overall, 5-10 MWC), came back in the next two sets and made them interesting. The Cowgirls won a close second set and then trailed for much of the third set before taking a 23-20 lead late. The Lady Rebels battled back to tie things up at 24 all, and saw both squads jockey for the match point. With the Cowgirls up one the final attempt by UNLV sailed out-of-bounds and Wyoming hung on for a wild 27-25 win to clinch the match.
“My experience here has been awesome,” Kagarise said. “It was a really great way to finish it winning in three (sets) against UNLV. That’s a team we wanted to really beat this year. It feels really good.”
Jodi Purdy and Lauren Whitney had 13 and 11 kills with eight digs apiece respectively for the Cowgirls, while Cursty Jackson led the Lady Rebels recording 13 kills and eight digs.
“It’s a great stepping stone and a building block to continue to grow from for next season,” Yerty said. “We’ve had a lot of five-game matches and we’ve been up two games a lot this year and tonight it really came together and I’m really proud of the girls.”
“These girls have come so far since the beginning of the season,” Kagarise said. “They’re just going to keep growing, keep learning and keep getting better. I think our team is so strong already and with only one player leaving they’re going to be awesome next year.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
UW golf signs three
With the national signing period upon college athletics, the Wyoming golf program recently signed three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Wyoming beginning in the fall of 2010. Those signees include Stacey Blunt, Emily Wood and Jake Hedge.
“We are really looking forward to having Stacey, Emily and Jake join the Wyoming golf program,” Wyoming Director of Golf Joe Jensen said. “We like the direction both programs are heading right now, as both the men and women are at or near the upper third of the national rankings. By adding three student-athletes like these, we won’t take a step backwards when others graduate. These three newcomers will all compete for a position in each lineup right away.”
Blunt, from Federal Way, Wash. (Decatur High School), was a two-time South Puget Sound League Player of the Year while leading her team to a fifth-place finish in 2009 at the Washington State Tournament. Individually, Blunt finished 11th in ‘08 and 19th in ‘09 at the 4A Washington State Championships. Academically, she was a member of the National Honor Society all four years of her high school career, as well as being named to the All-Academic team for three years. Stacy was also recruited by Montana State and Seattle University.
“Stacey is very disciplined on the golf course and has great golf savvy,” Cowgirls coach Josey Stender said. “She is very goal oriented and is one of the most mature 18 year olds I have seen in a long time.”
Wood, from Salida (Colo.) High School, is the 2009 4A State Champion, along with finishing sixth in ‘07 and ‘08. She also placed 53rd at the Junior America’s Cup in Logan, Utah and 13th in the Mary Cave Cup in San Diego, Calif. During her junior year, her stroke average was a 76.8 for the entire season.
“Emily is an extremely good ball striker and has a great sense of the game,” Stender added. “We are excited to have both of these girls join the Wyoming program, as they fit the mold perfectly as athletic, well-rounded players with regional and some national experience.”
Hedge comes to Wyoming from Billings, Mont., where he excelled at Billings West High School and was a member of four consecutive Montana state championship golf teams. During the 2008 season, Billings West won every tournament in which they competed.
Individually, Hedge was an All-State performer all four years of his high school career. He won the 2A Montana State Championship as a freshman.
In addition to golf, Hedge was a member of the National Honor Society. He is the son of Kathy and John and has two brothers and one sister. His brother Josh played golf at Xavier University.
Hedge was also recruited by Colorado State, Washington State, South Dakota State and Weber State.
“Obviously, we are thrilled to have Jake as a member of the Wyoming golf family,” Jensen said. “He is regarded as one of the top players in this region and has played well in a lot of national events. He had numerous opportunities to play at different schools, but he chose to be a Cowboy and we are very excited he did.
“Jake will have the opportunity to come here and contribute immediately as a freshman. He is a fabulous student and will fit in nicely with our current team.”
“We are really looking forward to having Stacey, Emily and Jake join the Wyoming golf program,” Wyoming Director of Golf Joe Jensen said. “We like the direction both programs are heading right now, as both the men and women are at or near the upper third of the national rankings. By adding three student-athletes like these, we won’t take a step backwards when others graduate. These three newcomers will all compete for a position in each lineup right away.”
Blunt, from Federal Way, Wash. (Decatur High School), was a two-time South Puget Sound League Player of the Year while leading her team to a fifth-place finish in 2009 at the Washington State Tournament. Individually, Blunt finished 11th in ‘08 and 19th in ‘09 at the 4A Washington State Championships. Academically, she was a member of the National Honor Society all four years of her high school career, as well as being named to the All-Academic team for three years. Stacy was also recruited by Montana State and Seattle University.
“Stacey is very disciplined on the golf course and has great golf savvy,” Cowgirls coach Josey Stender said. “She is very goal oriented and is one of the most mature 18 year olds I have seen in a long time.”
Wood, from Salida (Colo.) High School, is the 2009 4A State Champion, along with finishing sixth in ‘07 and ‘08. She also placed 53rd at the Junior America’s Cup in Logan, Utah and 13th in the Mary Cave Cup in San Diego, Calif. During her junior year, her stroke average was a 76.8 for the entire season.
“Emily is an extremely good ball striker and has a great sense of the game,” Stender added. “We are excited to have both of these girls join the Wyoming program, as they fit the mold perfectly as athletic, well-rounded players with regional and some national experience.”
Hedge comes to Wyoming from Billings, Mont., where he excelled at Billings West High School and was a member of four consecutive Montana state championship golf teams. During the 2008 season, Billings West won every tournament in which they competed.
Individually, Hedge was an All-State performer all four years of his high school career. He won the 2A Montana State Championship as a freshman.
In addition to golf, Hedge was a member of the National Honor Society. He is the son of Kathy and John and has two brothers and one sister. His brother Josh played golf at Xavier University.
Hedge was also recruited by Colorado State, Washington State, South Dakota State and Weber State.
“Obviously, we are thrilled to have Jake as a member of the Wyoming golf family,” Jensen said. “He is regarded as one of the top players in this region and has played well in a lot of national events. He had numerous opportunities to play at different schools, but he chose to be a Cowboy and we are very excited he did.
“Jake will have the opportunity to come here and contribute immediately as a freshman. He is a fabulous student and will fit in nicely with our current team.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Martinez wins league honors
UW sophomore Michael Martinez
University of Wyoming sophomore 125-pounder Michael Martinez (Pagosa Springs, Colo./Pagosa Springs HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced by league officials.
Martinez, a returning NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds, started his season in a big way this past weekend by going 5-0 and getting a huge win over No. 9 ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley in the final of the Cowboy Open.
On Friday, Martinez, ranked No. 17, opened the Cowboys' home dual with Northwest College (24-13 team win) by cruising to a technical fall victory. He used four takedowns, three nearfalls and a reversal to beat Phillip Grout, 18-3.
Then on Saturday at the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, Martinez won the 125-pound Elite weight class. He was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, over Kjar by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
UW swimmers win in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The University of Wyoming Cowgirl swimming and diving team won a total of 11 events on Saturday, as they defeated New Mexico and New Mexico State to advance their record to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
Wyoming defeated UNM 195-105 for their first conference victory of the season. The Cowgirls also beat New Mexico State 208-92.
"It was a great day for us and we never looked back after winning the very first race," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "There were a lot of season and personal best times for a lot of swimmers today so I am very pleased."
The Cowgirls started off by winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 46.43 seconds. Leading off that event was sophomore Kelsey Conci. Conci won the 50 freestyle as well with a time of 23.85, and was followed closely by senior Cassie Stelow in second place at 23.95.
Junior Stephanie Vint had a tremendous day for the Cowgirls with two individual victories and a second place finish. Vint won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.02 and swam the 200 IM in 2:08.04 for another first place finish. Vint placed second in the 100 butterfly (57.82) and also anchored the 400 freestyle relay that placed fourth.
On the diving boards, two Cowgirls scored high enough to qualify for NCAA Zone "E" Championships. Senior Stephanie Ortiz scored 283.70 points on three-meter and won in that event. Sophomore Tiffany Izatt placed the highest for the Cowgirls on one-meter in second place with a score of 265.15.
Other individual winners for Wyoming include Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle (52.16), Paige Fischer in both the 500 freestyle (5:09.51) and 1000 freestyle (10:33.86), Lesley Young in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.06), and Lauren Hewson in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.32). Along with the 200 medley relay, the Cowgirls won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:32.59 with Bull, Caroline Wells, Kristen Flachbarth, and Stelow.
"All in all it was a great meet and I couldn’t be happier," Johnson said. "We had a lot of motivation coming in and faced two good teams today. We had a number of great performances and we are looking forward to our next meet."
Next week both the Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for a conference dual meet agaubst TCU, beginning at noon.
Wyoming defeated UNM 195-105 for their first conference victory of the season. The Cowgirls also beat New Mexico State 208-92.
"It was a great day for us and we never looked back after winning the very first race," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "There were a lot of season and personal best times for a lot of swimmers today so I am very pleased."
The Cowgirls started off by winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 1 minute, 46.43 seconds. Leading off that event was sophomore Kelsey Conci. Conci won the 50 freestyle as well with a time of 23.85, and was followed closely by senior Cassie Stelow in second place at 23.95.
Junior Stephanie Vint had a tremendous day for the Cowgirls with two individual victories and a second place finish. Vint won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:53.02 and swam the 200 IM in 2:08.04 for another first place finish. Vint placed second in the 100 butterfly (57.82) and also anchored the 400 freestyle relay that placed fourth.
On the diving boards, two Cowgirls scored high enough to qualify for NCAA Zone "E" Championships. Senior Stephanie Ortiz scored 283.70 points on three-meter and won in that event. Sophomore Tiffany Izatt placed the highest for the Cowgirls on one-meter in second place with a score of 265.15.
Other individual winners for Wyoming include Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle (52.16), Paige Fischer in both the 500 freestyle (5:09.51) and 1000 freestyle (10:33.86), Lesley Young in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.06), and Lauren Hewson in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.32). Along with the 200 medley relay, the Cowgirls won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:32.59 with Bull, Caroline Wells, Kristen Flachbarth, and Stelow.
"All in all it was a great meet and I couldn’t be happier," Johnson said. "We had a lot of motivation coming in and faced two good teams today. We had a number of great performances and we are looking forward to our next meet."
Next week both the Cowboys and Cowgirls will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for a conference dual meet agaubst TCU, beginning at noon.
Cowgirls fall in three to Utah
SALT LAKE CITY -- The Wyoming Cowgirls hung around, but still fell in three sets to Utah on Saturday, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-20.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-13 in the Mountain West Conference a nd 12-18 overall. Utah moved to 9-5, 16-9.
“We didn’t play as well as we would have like to,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We will move past this loss and look forward to a very competitive match against UNLV on Thursday. It will be the final match for senior Jessica Kagarise and we hope to come out on top with a victory.”
Wyoming was led by junior Dani Bedore ,who recorded eight kills, four digs and a .333 (8-1-21) hitting percentage. JennaRae Jester finished with seven kills and three service aces, while Lauren Whitney and Jodi Purdy each had five kills. Senior Jessica Kagarise finished in double-figures with 11 digs. The Cowgirls hit .028 (28-25-106) and had five total team blocks.
Utah was led by Karolina Bartkowiak and Cinthia Silva with nine kills each. Danielle Killpack had a team high six block assists. The Utes hit .231 (36-15-91) for the match and recorded 12 total team blocks.
The Cowgirls will close out the regular season on Thursday as they host the UNLV Rebels. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-13 in the Mountain West Conference a nd 12-18 overall. Utah moved to 9-5, 16-9.
“We didn’t play as well as we would have like to,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “We will move past this loss and look forward to a very competitive match against UNLV on Thursday. It will be the final match for senior Jessica Kagarise and we hope to come out on top with a victory.”
Wyoming was led by junior Dani Bedore ,who recorded eight kills, four digs and a .333 (8-1-21) hitting percentage. JennaRae Jester finished with seven kills and three service aces, while Lauren Whitney and Jodi Purdy each had five kills. Senior Jessica Kagarise finished in double-figures with 11 digs. The Cowgirls hit .028 (28-25-106) and had five total team blocks.
Utah was led by Karolina Bartkowiak and Cinthia Silva with nine kills each. Danielle Killpack had a team high six block assists. The Utes hit .231 (36-15-91) for the match and recorded 12 total team blocks.
The Cowgirls will close out the regular season on Thursday as they host the UNLV Rebels. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Five Cowboys win titles
While several Wyoming Cowboy wrestlers won multiple matches on Saturday at the 37th annual Cowboy Open in UW’s War Memorial Fieldhouse, five ‘Pokes sauntered all the way to the top of their brackets and won individual titles at their home tournament.
A total of nine UW student-athletes placed in the top-three of their weight groups. Wyoming also won Outstanding Wrestler awards in both the Elite and Amateur divisions, sophomore Joe LeBlanc and freshman Tyler Cox respectively.
“As a whole we wrestled harder today,” head coach Mark Branch said. “I want perfection and we still did not wrestle technically well, but we did come out and compete.
“We struggled on bottom, which is disappointing because we have spent a lot of time on that this preseason. The team should expect to spend more time on that in the weeks to come.
“There is a group of our guys wrestling with the attitude that I want, so hopefully the rest of the team takes notice and learns from the example of their peers. That is a great way to learn.”
No. 5-ranked LeBlanc led the UW team by example at the Elite 184-pound level. He simply dominated his competition, going 4-0 en route to his weight class win with all four wins coming by way of technical fall. LeBlanc beat Charlie Pipher of Western State College by a score of 16-1 in the final.
Sophomore and No. 17-ranked Michael Martinez was one of the Cowboys who competed with the fire that Branch looks for, and in doing so won the 125-pound Elite weight class. Martinez was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, beating No. 9-ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period.
Cox, a UW freshman who will redshirt this season and competed unattached, had little difficulty winning the Amateur 125-pound bracket. Cox wowed the crowd with his array of moves, going 5-0 and winning one match by technical fall and one by major decision. He beat Jesse Hillhouse from Northwest College, 2-1 in the final.
Junior Cole Dallaserra looked strong in every match on his way to the Elite title at 149 pounds. Dallaserra, 5-0, had a win by fall, a technical fall and a major decision to his credit. He beat T.J. Hepburn from Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 7-3 in the final.
No. 19-ranked Shane Onufer, UW sophomore at 165 pounds, posted a perfect 4-0 record with one pin and two major decisions. Onufer beat Northern Colorado’s Justin Gaethje, 3-2 in their Elite title bout. With the match tied 2-2 heading into the final period, he dominated physically on top and rode Gaethje the entire period to earn a riding point and the win. It was Onufer’s second consecutive Cowboy Open title, winning last year at 174 pounds.
The Cowboy team will travel to the East Coast next weekend for two days of competition. They will compete in the Body Bar Classic in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday and then dual Michigan State and West Virginia the following day in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl.
---
Wyoming Wrestlers (Tournament Record)
ELITE
125 pounds - First-- No. 17 Michael Martinez (4-0, three major decisions)
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (3-2, fall)
141 pounds - Chase Smith (5-2, major decision), Cory VomBaur (3-2)
149 pounds - First -- Cole Dallaserra (5-0, fall, technical fall, major decision)
157 pounds - Tyler Davis (3-2, major decision), Second -- Eric Jones (3-1, two falls), Mikah Kadera (3-2)
165 pounds - First -- No. 19 Shane Onufer (4-0, fall, two major decisions)
174 pounds - Dallas Hintz (1-2), Alex Rieder (3-2, technical fall, major decision), Brock Smith (3-2, major decision)
184 pounds - First -- No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (4-0, four technical falls)
197 pounds - Lee Helbig (3-2, fall, two major decisions), Third -- Alfonso Hernandez (4-1, major decision), Joe O’Farrell (2-2, fall)
Hwt. (285) - Second -- Matthew McLaughlin (3-1, fall)
AMATEUR
125 pounds - First -- Tyler Cox (5-0, technical fall, major decision)
133 pounds - Jake Eitzen (2-2, technical fall), Kyle Komata (4-2, two major decisions)
141 pounds - Colton Zier (1-2, technical fall)
149 pounds - Second -- Jimmy Belleville (4-1, two falls, major decision)
165 pounds - Patrick Martinez (3-1, major decision)
A total of nine UW student-athletes placed in the top-three of their weight groups. Wyoming also won Outstanding Wrestler awards in both the Elite and Amateur divisions, sophomore Joe LeBlanc and freshman Tyler Cox respectively.
“As a whole we wrestled harder today,” head coach Mark Branch said. “I want perfection and we still did not wrestle technically well, but we did come out and compete.
“We struggled on bottom, which is disappointing because we have spent a lot of time on that this preseason. The team should expect to spend more time on that in the weeks to come.
“There is a group of our guys wrestling with the attitude that I want, so hopefully the rest of the team takes notice and learns from the example of their peers. That is a great way to learn.”
No. 5-ranked LeBlanc led the UW team by example at the Elite 184-pound level. He simply dominated his competition, going 4-0 en route to his weight class win with all four wins coming by way of technical fall. LeBlanc beat Charlie Pipher of Western State College by a score of 16-1 in the final.
Sophomore and No. 17-ranked Michael Martinez was one of the Cowboys who competed with the fire that Branch looks for, and in doing so won the 125-pound Elite weight class. Martinez was 4-0 and recorded three major decisions on the day. In the finals he got one of the biggest wins of his young career, beating No. 9-ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley by sudden victory decision 5-3. After forcing the pace in the closing minutes, Martinez earned the decisive takedown near the edge of the mat late in the overtime period.
Cox, a UW freshman who will redshirt this season and competed unattached, had little difficulty winning the Amateur 125-pound bracket. Cox wowed the crowd with his array of moves, going 5-0 and winning one match by technical fall and one by major decision. He beat Jesse Hillhouse from Northwest College, 2-1 in the final.
Junior Cole Dallaserra looked strong in every match on his way to the Elite title at 149 pounds. Dallaserra, 5-0, had a win by fall, a technical fall and a major decision to his credit. He beat T.J. Hepburn from Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 7-3 in the final.
No. 19-ranked Shane Onufer, UW sophomore at 165 pounds, posted a perfect 4-0 record with one pin and two major decisions. Onufer beat Northern Colorado’s Justin Gaethje, 3-2 in their Elite title bout. With the match tied 2-2 heading into the final period, he dominated physically on top and rode Gaethje the entire period to earn a riding point and the win. It was Onufer’s second consecutive Cowboy Open title, winning last year at 174 pounds.
The Cowboy team will travel to the East Coast next weekend for two days of competition. They will compete in the Body Bar Classic in Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday and then dual Michigan State and West Virginia the following day in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl & Brawl.
---
Wyoming Wrestlers (Tournament Record)
ELITE
125 pounds - First-- No. 17 Michael Martinez (4-0, three major decisions)
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (3-2, fall)
141 pounds - Chase Smith (5-2, major decision), Cory VomBaur (3-2)
149 pounds - First -- Cole Dallaserra (5-0, fall, technical fall, major decision)
157 pounds - Tyler Davis (3-2, major decision), Second -- Eric Jones (3-1, two falls), Mikah Kadera (3-2)
165 pounds - First -- No. 19 Shane Onufer (4-0, fall, two major decisions)
174 pounds - Dallas Hintz (1-2), Alex Rieder (3-2, technical fall, major decision), Brock Smith (3-2, major decision)
184 pounds - First -- No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (4-0, four technical falls)
197 pounds - Lee Helbig (3-2, fall, two major decisions), Third -- Alfonso Hernandez (4-1, major decision), Joe O’Farrell (2-2, fall)
Hwt. (285) - Second -- Matthew McLaughlin (3-1, fall)
AMATEUR
125 pounds - First -- Tyler Cox (5-0, technical fall, major decision)
133 pounds - Jake Eitzen (2-2, technical fall), Kyle Komata (4-2, two major decisions)
141 pounds - Colton Zier (1-2, technical fall)
149 pounds - Second -- Jimmy Belleville (4-1, two falls, major decision)
165 pounds - Patrick Martinez (3-1, major decision)
Friday, November 13, 2009
UW wrestlers top Northwest
by UW Athletics Media Relations
In a performance that earned a team win and gave a variety of ‘Pokes some dual experience, the University of Wyoming wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season on Friday night against the Northwest College Trappers with a 24-13 victory at home.
On the evening, UW won six matches while NWC, an NJCAA school from Powell, took four bouts in the UniWyo Sports Complex. However, the Cowboys were on the plus side in three of four lopsided matches and those bonus points are what ultimately propelled them to victory in the season-opening dual for both teams.
Despite Wyoming’s team win, Cowboy head coach Mark Branch was not satisfied with his team’s showing in front of the home crowd.
“Although we did have a couple guys who performed okay, I expect a certain tenacity and attitude from my team and I did not see that tonight,” Branch said. “No one wrestled to the best of their ability. I could make excuses for them but that will not help us in the long run. The particular make-up of our team on any given night does not matter. The bottom line is that we have to go out and perform.”
Returning All-American and No. 5-ranked Joe LeBlanc led the way for the ‘Pokes with a win by fall at 184 pounds. The Cowboy sophomore pinned NWC’s Jarrett Baker at 4:04 in the second period after rolling to a commanding 12-2 lead. LeBlanc racked up two takedowns, two nearfalls and a reversal before putting his opponent on his back.
Another UW sophomore, No. 17 ranked Michael Martinez, got his team a big win at 125 pounds. Martinez used four takedowns, three nearfalls and a reversal to earn a technical fall win, 18-3, over Phillip Grout.
Tyler Davis, also a Wyoming sophomore, wrestled at 165 pounds and worked hard for a 9-1 major decision victory over Zach Oppenheimer.
The Cowboys also got wins from redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart at 133 pounds, senior Cory VomBaur (141) and junior heavyweight Matthew McLaughlin.
Four Wyoming wrestlers competed for the first time for their team in a dual match: Garnhart, sophomore Mikah Kadera (157), McLaughlin and redshirt freshman Colton Zier (149).
UW sophomores Alfonso Hernandez (197), Dallas Hintz (174) and Kadera each dropped one-point decisions to the Trappers.
“Give credit to Northwest tonight,” Branch said. “They had everything to gain, were more aggressive and wrestled with more heart. We are going to have to change our approach if we expect to improve during the Cowboy Open.”
On Saturday, UW will host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse. The event is sponsored by UniWyo Federal Credit Union.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
Tournament tickets are good for the entire day and are $10 for adults, $5 for youth 18 and younger. UW students can watch the event free with a valid ID.
Cowboy Open results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com and matches are scheduled to begin on 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
Wyoming 24, Northwest College 13
125 pounds - No. 17 Michael Martinez (WYO) by technical fall (5) over Phillip Grout (NWC), 18-5 5-0 WYO
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (WYO) by decision over Jesse Hillhouse (NWC), 3-2 8-0 WYO
141 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over No. 3 McCade Ford (NWC), 4-0 11-0 WYO
149 pounds - Cody Britt (NWC) by major decision over Colton Zier (WYO), 16-2 11-4 WYO
157 pounds - No. 5 Briston Brenton (NWC) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 3-2 11-7 WYO
165 pounds - Tyler Davis (WYO) by major decision over Zach Oppenheimer (NWC), 9-1 15-7 WYO
174 pounds - No. 10 Nick Petersen (NWC) by SV decision over Dallas Hintz (WYO), 7-6 (3OT) 15-10 WYO
184 pounds - No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Jarrett Baker (NWC), 4:04 21-10 WYO
197 pounds - Mak Jones (NWC) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 6-5 21-13 WYO
Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin (WYO) by decision over Sergio Pedroza (NWC), 5-3 24-13 WYO
* Wyoming national rankings are based on InterMat’s DI preseason poll. Northwest College rankings are based on the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll.
In a performance that earned a team win and gave a variety of ‘Pokes some dual experience, the University of Wyoming wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season on Friday night against the Northwest College Trappers with a 24-13 victory at home.
On the evening, UW won six matches while NWC, an NJCAA school from Powell, took four bouts in the UniWyo Sports Complex. However, the Cowboys were on the plus side in three of four lopsided matches and those bonus points are what ultimately propelled them to victory in the season-opening dual for both teams.
Despite Wyoming’s team win, Cowboy head coach Mark Branch was not satisfied with his team’s showing in front of the home crowd.
“Although we did have a couple guys who performed okay, I expect a certain tenacity and attitude from my team and I did not see that tonight,” Branch said. “No one wrestled to the best of their ability. I could make excuses for them but that will not help us in the long run. The particular make-up of our team on any given night does not matter. The bottom line is that we have to go out and perform.”
Returning All-American and No. 5-ranked Joe LeBlanc led the way for the ‘Pokes with a win by fall at 184 pounds. The Cowboy sophomore pinned NWC’s Jarrett Baker at 4:04 in the second period after rolling to a commanding 12-2 lead. LeBlanc racked up two takedowns, two nearfalls and a reversal before putting his opponent on his back.
Another UW sophomore, No. 17 ranked Michael Martinez, got his team a big win at 125 pounds. Martinez used four takedowns, three nearfalls and a reversal to earn a technical fall win, 18-3, over Phillip Grout.
Tyler Davis, also a Wyoming sophomore, wrestled at 165 pounds and worked hard for a 9-1 major decision victory over Zach Oppenheimer.
The Cowboys also got wins from redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart at 133 pounds, senior Cory VomBaur (141) and junior heavyweight Matthew McLaughlin.
Four Wyoming wrestlers competed for the first time for their team in a dual match: Garnhart, sophomore Mikah Kadera (157), McLaughlin and redshirt freshman Colton Zier (149).
UW sophomores Alfonso Hernandez (197), Dallas Hintz (174) and Kadera each dropped one-point decisions to the Trappers.
“Give credit to Northwest tonight,” Branch said. “They had everything to gain, were more aggressive and wrestled with more heart. We are going to have to change our approach if we expect to improve during the Cowboy Open.”
On Saturday, UW will host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse. The event is sponsored by UniWyo Federal Credit Union.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
Tournament tickets are good for the entire day and are $10 for adults, $5 for youth 18 and younger. UW students can watch the event free with a valid ID.
Cowboy Open results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com and matches are scheduled to begin on 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
Wyoming 24, Northwest College 13
125 pounds - No. 17 Michael Martinez (WYO) by technical fall (5) over Phillip Grout (NWC), 18-5 5-0 WYO
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (WYO) by decision over Jesse Hillhouse (NWC), 3-2 8-0 WYO
141 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over No. 3 McCade Ford (NWC), 4-0 11-0 WYO
149 pounds - Cody Britt (NWC) by major decision over Colton Zier (WYO), 16-2 11-4 WYO
157 pounds - No. 5 Briston Brenton (NWC) by decision over Mikah Kadera (WYO), 3-2 11-7 WYO
165 pounds - Tyler Davis (WYO) by major decision over Zach Oppenheimer (NWC), 9-1 15-7 WYO
174 pounds - No. 10 Nick Petersen (NWC) by SV decision over Dallas Hintz (WYO), 7-6 (3OT) 15-10 WYO
184 pounds - No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Jarrett Baker (NWC), 4:04 21-10 WYO
197 pounds - Mak Jones (NWC) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 6-5 21-13 WYO
Hwt. (285) - Matthew McLaughlin (WYO) by decision over Sergio Pedroza (NWC), 5-3 24-13 WYO
* Wyoming national rankings are based on InterMat’s DI preseason poll. Northwest College rankings are based on the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Cowgirls fall to BYU in three
PROVO, Utah -- The Wyoming Cowgirls hung tough on the road, but dropped a three-set match to BYU Thursday night in Mountain West Conference volleyball action.
The Cougars (7-6 MWC, 13-12) came out on top 25-21, 25-20 and 25-19.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-12 in league play and 12-17 overall.
The Cowgirls were led by freshman Jodi Purdy, who finished with eight kills, four digs and two blocks, while junior Lauren Whitney added eight kills and eight digs. As a team, Wyoming hit just .082 (32-23-110) for the match.
BYU was led by Kayla Walker with 10 kills and a .308 (10-2-26) hitting percentage. She was followed by two players with nine kills each. The Cougars hit .283 (44-14-106) for the match.
The Cowgirls return to action Saturday in Salt Lake City, taking on Utah at 1 p.m.
The Cougars (7-6 MWC, 13-12) came out on top 25-21, 25-20 and 25-19.
The loss dropped the Cowgirls to 2-12 in league play and 12-17 overall.
The Cowgirls were led by freshman Jodi Purdy, who finished with eight kills, four digs and two blocks, while junior Lauren Whitney added eight kills and eight digs. As a team, Wyoming hit just .082 (32-23-110) for the match.
BYU was led by Kayla Walker with 10 kills and a .308 (10-2-26) hitting percentage. She was followed by two players with nine kills each. The Cougars hit .283 (44-14-106) for the match.
The Cowgirls return to action Saturday in Salt Lake City, taking on Utah at 1 p.m.
Cowboy wrestlers to open at home
by UW Athletics Media Relations
The quest for the 2010 postseason begins this weekend for the University of Wyoming wrestling team, as it opens the season by hosting two home events. Wyoming will dual the Northwest College Trappers on Friday and then host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, presented by UniWyo Federal Credit Union, on Saturday.
“It will be nice to start the season from the comforts of home,” second-year UW head coach Mark Branch stated. “Since we will wrestle a lot of matches this weekend, it will be good not to have to deal with outside things such as travel issues.
“With the multiple events in Laramie this weekend, high school and UW, I am hopeful that fans from all over the state of Wyoming will get a chance to watch some of their home-grown talent on the wrestling mat.
“Our focus as a team will be to execute in areas that we have stressed in preseason. We need to wrestle with confidence, not be conservative and not be hesitant.”
The Northwest College dual will begin at 5 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 18 and younger, while UW students are free with a valid ID. In a special promotion, a ticket for the Cowboy basketball game against South Dakota State will gain the holder free admission to the wrestling dual, while an adult wrestling ticket will earn fans admission to basketball later Friday night.
It is the first time the two teams will have met in a dual match, however both squads were represented at NW College’s tournament last Saturday and there were some head-to-head match-ups between the two teams. Wyoming was 3-2 in those matches, featuring mainly back-ups and freshmen who will redshirt.
Tentatively scheduled to wrestle in the dual for the Cowboys are all four returning NCAA qualifiers from last season: sophomore All-American Joe LeBlanc (184), sophomore Michael Martinez (125), senior Cory VomBaur (141) and sophomore Shane Onufer (165). Three Wyoming natives could also see mat time on Friday night: redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (Ten Sleep) at 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Colton Zier (Basin) at 149 and sophomore Mikah Kadera (Sheridan) at 157.
Seven starters, including three NJCAA All-Americans, return this season for Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler. The Trappers will be trying for their 16th consecutive finish in the national top-10. Northwest College placed 10th at the national NJCAA tournament in 2009.
Last year’s NJCAA national runner-up at heavyweight, Landon Harris, compiled an impressive 32-3 record on the mat in 2009-10. Joining Harris are returning All-Americans Saul Guerrero (133) and McCade Ford (141). Both placed in the top eight at last year’s junior college nationals.
A long-time Wyoming tradition will then continue on Saturday, Nov. 14, when UW will hold the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
Tournament tickets are good for the entire day and are $10 for adults, $5 for youth 18 and younger. UW students can watch the event free with a valid ID.
Cowboy Open results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com and matches are scheduled to begin on 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
The quest for the 2010 postseason begins this weekend for the University of Wyoming wrestling team, as it opens the season by hosting two home events. Wyoming will dual the Northwest College Trappers on Friday and then host the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, presented by UniWyo Federal Credit Union, on Saturday.
“It will be nice to start the season from the comforts of home,” second-year UW head coach Mark Branch stated. “Since we will wrestle a lot of matches this weekend, it will be good not to have to deal with outside things such as travel issues.
“With the multiple events in Laramie this weekend, high school and UW, I am hopeful that fans from all over the state of Wyoming will get a chance to watch some of their home-grown talent on the wrestling mat.
“Our focus as a team will be to execute in areas that we have stressed in preseason. We need to wrestle with confidence, not be conservative and not be hesitant.”
The Northwest College dual will begin at 5 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Ticket prices are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 18 and younger, while UW students are free with a valid ID. In a special promotion, a ticket for the Cowboy basketball game against South Dakota State will gain the holder free admission to the wrestling dual, while an adult wrestling ticket will earn fans admission to basketball later Friday night.
It is the first time the two teams will have met in a dual match, however both squads were represented at NW College’s tournament last Saturday and there were some head-to-head match-ups between the two teams. Wyoming was 3-2 in those matches, featuring mainly back-ups and freshmen who will redshirt.
Tentatively scheduled to wrestle in the dual for the Cowboys are all four returning NCAA qualifiers from last season: sophomore All-American Joe LeBlanc (184), sophomore Michael Martinez (125), senior Cory VomBaur (141) and sophomore Shane Onufer (165). Three Wyoming natives could also see mat time on Friday night: redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart (Ten Sleep) at 133 pounds, redshirt freshman Colton Zier (Basin) at 149 and sophomore Mikah Kadera (Sheridan) at 157.
Seven starters, including three NJCAA All-Americans, return this season for Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler. The Trappers will be trying for their 16th consecutive finish in the national top-10. Northwest College placed 10th at the national NJCAA tournament in 2009.
Last year’s NJCAA national runner-up at heavyweight, Landon Harris, compiled an impressive 32-3 record on the mat in 2009-10. Joining Harris are returning All-Americans Saul Guerrero (133) and McCade Ford (141). Both placed in the top eight at last year’s junior college nationals.
A long-time Wyoming tradition will then continue on Saturday, Nov. 14, when UW will hold the 37th annual Cowboy Open tournament, all day in War Memorial Fieldhouse.
Nearly 20 collegiate teams are expected to bring competitors and among NCAA DI schools bringing full squads are three Western Wrestling Conference rivals of the ‘Pokes: Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley. Event officials are anticipating nearly 400 individuals will compete.
Tournament tickets are good for the entire day and are $10 for adults, $5 for youth 18 and younger. UW students can watch the event free with a valid ID.
Cowboy Open results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com and matches are scheduled to begin on 10 mats at 9 a.m., running all day through the finals on Saturday evening.
Defending event champions for the Cowboys are Shane Onufer (Elite, 174 pounds) and L.J. Helbig (Amateur, 184 pounds). UW also had three runner-up finishes and had five student-athletes place third at the tournament in 2008.
Monday, November 9, 2009
UW hockey drops two of three
by UW Media Relations
The University of Wyoming hockey club hasn't found its home-ice advantage at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne.
The Cowboys dropped to 0-3 at their second home, falling 7-1 to the University of Nebraska and 7-3 to Creighton University over the weekend. Sandwiched between the two losses was an 8-2 victory over Iowa State University at the Laramie Community Ice Arena, where UW is 2-0 this season.
After losing Friday night to the Cornhuskers, UW overwhelmed the Cyclones with four power-play goals in the first 40 minutes of Saturday night's contest.
Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) netted his second career hat trick to front the Cowboys' offensive onslaught, and Luke Walker (Jackson) added a goal and two assists. Jake Bates and Cody Leeper (both of Jackson), Seth Farrell (Longmont, Colo.) and Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) also scored goals for UW.
Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) had a pair of assists for the Cowboys. Bates, Erik Blomberg and Taylor Freeman (both of Parker, Colo.) and Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) also recorded assists.
In goal, Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) stopped 22 shots to earn the victory.
In its weekend finale, UW wasted the first collegiate hat trick by Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) against the Bluejays, who scored three second-period goals to break open a close game. Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) had two assists apiece and Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) had one assist in a losing effort.
In Friday's setback against Nebraska, Bates scored UW's lone goal on an assist from Cody Suder (Laramie).
The Cowboys have now been outscored 18-5 in three games in Cheyenne this season.
UW (6-4) returns to the ice this weekend with 7 p.m. games against Fresno State University (Friday, Cheyenne) and the College of the Canyons (Saturday, Laramie).
The University of Wyoming hockey club hasn't found its home-ice advantage at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne.
The Cowboys dropped to 0-3 at their second home, falling 7-1 to the University of Nebraska and 7-3 to Creighton University over the weekend. Sandwiched between the two losses was an 8-2 victory over Iowa State University at the Laramie Community Ice Arena, where UW is 2-0 this season.
After losing Friday night to the Cornhuskers, UW overwhelmed the Cyclones with four power-play goals in the first 40 minutes of Saturday night's contest.
Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) netted his second career hat trick to front the Cowboys' offensive onslaught, and Luke Walker (Jackson) added a goal and two assists. Jake Bates and Cody Leeper (both of Jackson), Seth Farrell (Longmont, Colo.) and Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) also scored goals for UW.
Lucas Wescoat (Idaho Falls, Idaho) had a pair of assists for the Cowboys. Bates, Erik Blomberg and Taylor Freeman (both of Parker, Colo.) and Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) also recorded assists.
In goal, Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) stopped 22 shots to earn the victory.
In its weekend finale, UW wasted the first collegiate hat trick by Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) against the Bluejays, who scored three second-period goals to break open a close game. Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) had two assists apiece and Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) had one assist in a losing effort.
In Friday's setback against Nebraska, Bates scored UW's lone goal on an assist from Cody Suder (Laramie).
The Cowboys have now been outscored 18-5 in three games in Cheyenne this season.
UW (6-4) returns to the ice this weekend with 7 p.m. games against Fresno State University (Friday, Cheyenne) and the College of the Canyons (Saturday, Laramie).
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Cowgirls sweep Air Force in three
Intensity and consistency have had its fleeting moments this season for the young Wyoming volleyball team.
Both stuck around for all three games, as the Cowgirls toppled Air Force 25-20, 25-22 and 25-12 Saturday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
The win snapped a seven-match conference losing skid for Wyoming, 12-16 overall, and upped its Mountain West conference record to 2-11.
The defeat dropped the Falcons to 0-13, 8-18.
On Tuesday, the Cowgirls had to rally a bit to stop Division II Colorado Christian in four games. On Thursday, Wyoming dropped a five-set match to San Diego State, leading the fifth game 13-10 before falling 16-14.
On Saturday, the Cowgirls did what they had to do to put Air Force away.
“I thought the players did a nice job getting focused and staying focused through out the entire match,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “It would be easy to come out after the second set break and relax, but I think they were very intense through out the whole match. We served well and our blocking was good. I hope this will give us some momentum heading into the final matches of the season."
Junior Lauren Whitney led the way for the Cowgirls with 13 kills, six digs and a .320 (13-5-25) hitting percentage. Freshman Jodi Purdy followed with nine kills and three blocks, while junior JennaRae Jester added eight kills, nine block assists and a .385 (8-3-13) hitting percentage. The Cowgirls hit .263 (41-16-95) for the match and out blocked the Falcons, 10.5-8.
“JennaRae always stands out in terms of leadership and defense for our team,” Yerty said. “Along with her, Lauren Whitney and Dani Bedore also played big parts in this victory.”
Air Force was led by Caroline Kurtz with seven kills and four digs. Nichole Stillwell added six kills and three block assists. They hit .106 (29-19-94) for the match.
The Cowgirls will go on the road next week for the final time with two conference match-ups. They will take on the BYU Cougars on Thursday and the Utah Utes on Saturday.
Both stuck around for all three games, as the Cowgirls toppled Air Force 25-20, 25-22 and 25-12 Saturday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
The win snapped a seven-match conference losing skid for Wyoming, 12-16 overall, and upped its Mountain West conference record to 2-11.
The defeat dropped the Falcons to 0-13, 8-18.
On Tuesday, the Cowgirls had to rally a bit to stop Division II Colorado Christian in four games. On Thursday, Wyoming dropped a five-set match to San Diego State, leading the fifth game 13-10 before falling 16-14.
On Saturday, the Cowgirls did what they had to do to put Air Force away.
“I thought the players did a nice job getting focused and staying focused through out the entire match,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “It would be easy to come out after the second set break and relax, but I think they were very intense through out the whole match. We served well and our blocking was good. I hope this will give us some momentum heading into the final matches of the season."
Junior Lauren Whitney led the way for the Cowgirls with 13 kills, six digs and a .320 (13-5-25) hitting percentage. Freshman Jodi Purdy followed with nine kills and three blocks, while junior JennaRae Jester added eight kills, nine block assists and a .385 (8-3-13) hitting percentage. The Cowgirls hit .263 (41-16-95) for the match and out blocked the Falcons, 10.5-8.
“JennaRae always stands out in terms of leadership and defense for our team,” Yerty said. “Along with her, Lauren Whitney and Dani Bedore also played big parts in this victory.”
Air Force was led by Caroline Kurtz with seven kills and four digs. Nichole Stillwell added six kills and three block assists. They hit .106 (29-19-94) for the match.
The Cowgirls will go on the road next week for the final time with two conference match-ups. They will take on the BYU Cougars on Thursday and the Utah Utes on Saturday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)