University of Wyoming

Cowboys win title, qualify three to NCAAs

2010-03-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

In unusual and exciting fashion, the University of Wyoming Wrestling team qualified three individuals for the upcoming national championships and won the NCAA West Regional title on Saturday in Brookings, S.S.

A trio of UW sophomores won their brackets and earned automatic bids to the 2010 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships. Michael Martinez was the victor at 125 pounds, Shane Onufer at 165 and Joe LeBlanc at 184. The Cowboys also got a second-place finish from Cory VomBaur (133) and three third-place winners: Jimmy Belleville (157), Alfonso Hernandez (197) and L.J. Helbig (Hwt.).

As a team, the ‘Pokes came from behind and won the West Regional team title by a half point over the 24-time defending champion Northern Iowa Panthers. It is Wyoming’s first-ever West Regional team title and UW’s first tournament conference championship team since 1992.

The Cowboys concluded the event with 75 points, Northern Iowa had 74.5, North Dakota State (44.5) was third, followed by Utah Valley (43.5), Air Force (37.5), South Dakota State (29.5) and Northern Colorado (18.5). All seven Western Wrestling Conference teams competed at the event, making it in effect the league’s championship tournament.

Entering the final matches in the heavyweight division, the ‘Pokes trailed the Panthers by a half point. UNI’s Christian Brantley won his match, but so did UW’s Helbig, only Helbig pinned his opponent which gave Wyoming the necessary bonus points to jump in front of Northern Iowa to end the night.

The Cowboys and Panthers did battle all day long, with four head-to-head match-ups in the semifinals, two others for first place and one for third place. UW was 5-2 in those matches. Those bouts, along with some key consolation bracket wins and bonus points, helped Wyoming come from down 15 points after the semifinals and seven and a half points to UNI heading into the finals.

UW was hurt by some key losses to some of their high seeds in early matches, but also benefited from a penalty point deducted from UNI for poor sportsmanship after the 157-pound final.

"This is a bitter-sweet day," Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said. "I feel that we wrestled about as poor as we could today and that is the reality. The good thing is that we walk away with the team championship, which was one of our goals this year. It is hard though, because I don’t believe we deserved it with our performance. I would trade the team title for a few more guys going to the NCAA Championships.

"The way that we train and my philosophy as a coach is to perform well on this weekend. Everything points towards that. To come out and wrestle poorly is disappointing. We trained too hard and too smart to let our opponents dictate the outcome the way they did today.

"There were some performances on our team that deserve thanks for getting this team over the hump and earning the West Regional trophy. Guys like Fonz (Hernandez), Jimmy and L.J. all showed some heart with the way they came back through the back-draw, earned bonus points and got some big wins."

Martinez, the No. 2 seed at 125 pounds, faced Andrew Zwirlein from Air Force for the second straight year in the opening round. In a low-scoring match, Martinez won 3-2. Next, the Cowboy sophomore had Caleb Flores of UNI and the two had to go to a second sudden victory period before Martinez won the match in extra time with a takedown, 4-2. In the finals, he would face No. 1 seeded Ben Kjar from Utah Valley for the third time this season. The pair had split their two previous meetings. Like their match at the Cowboy Open in November, No. 9-ranked Kjar and No. 11-ranked Martinez needed extra time to determine a champion, and just like that earlier match Martinez used a takedown in the first sudden victory period to win 7-3. With the win Martinez won his second straight 125-pound West Regional title and took one of the league’s two automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. His overall record is now 30-7.

Seeded No. 1 in the 133-pound weight class, VomBaur had a first-round bye and then faced No. 4 seed Ryan Jauch from Northern Iowa in the semifinals. He recorded an early first-period takedown, racked up riding time over Jauch and then held on for a 5-3 decision. In the finals, against No. 3 seed Flint Ray (UVU), VomBaur lost 8-3 and must now hope for an at-large NCAA bid. VomBaur wrestled the event on a sore knee, after a staph infection had caused his knee to swell over the past two weeks. He will now wait for the NCAA at-large selections next Wednesday to see if he will attend his fourth national championships.

At 141 pounds, Chase Smith was pinned in his opening match and lost a decision in the wrestlebacks, the only Cowboy to go 0-2 on the day.

Starting as the No. 3 seed at 149 pounds, Cole Dallaserra controlled his first-round match with Nick Hagar (SDSU) and won 6-0. He then had trouble creating any offense against No. 2 seed Andrey Patselov (NDSU) and lost 6-2. That dropped Dallaserra into the consolation bracket where he would face Gabe Martinez of Air Force. He would need extra time to beat Martinez, but did manage get revenge for a recent dual loss by winning in a second sudden victory period, 3-1. Dallaserra then wrestled No. 4 seed Justin Morrill (UVU) in the third place bout, losing 9-4 and taking fourth place.

UW freshman Belleville was seeded No. 4 at 157 pounds and opened his tournament by avenging a recent dual loss to Alec Williams of Air Force. Belleville never trailed and beat Williams 9-3. No. 1 seed Tyson Reiner (UNI) was his next opponent and he would lose a major decision 14-4. In the back draw, Belleville first saw Nick Flynn from SDSU, winning 8-2 before meeting No. 2 seed Justin Gaethje (UNCo) for third place. In an exciting match that was back-and-forth for a full seven minutes, Belleville won 11-10 thanks to a late takedown. He finished his freshman campaign with a 31-8 record.

No. 9-ranked Onufer was the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds and got an 11-2 major decision against Kevin O’Brien from Northern Colorado in his first match, followed by another major decision, 13-5, against No. 4 seed Tyler Johnson (NDSU). His finals’ opponent was the No. 3 seed David Bonin (UNI). Onufer pushed the pace, scored two takedowns and won the Regional title match by a score of 6-2. He was awarded the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for his efforts, his second-straight trip to nationals. Onufer now has a 27-5 season record.

Also a No. 1 seed, Brock Smith drew a first-round bye and then faced No. 4 seed Tyler French (AFA) for the third time this season. Each wrestler had one head-to-head win over the other, but French tilted the season scorecard in his favor by beating Smith this time 5-2. Mac Stoll from NDSU was next for Smith, whom he beat 10-5, setting up a third place match with Utah Valley’s No. 2 seed Brad Darrington. Smith had beaten Darrington earlier this season, but this time was forced to wrestle with a foot injury he sustained in an earlier match. He lost the match 6-1.

LeBlanc, nationally ranked No. 8 at 184 pounds, lived up to his No. 1 seed by earning a technical fall in his opener against Patrick Prentice (UNCo). Wyoming’s All-American took a 14-1 first-period lead and then ended the match quickly at 3:13 by a 17-1 margin. It was LeBlanc’s 12th technical fall victory this season. Equally as dominant was LeBlanc’s next match, in which he pinned James Ciccone from Air Force at 1:49. The fall was his 12th win in that fashion this season. It would then be No. 3 seed Andy O’Loughlin (UNI) whom LeBlanc would fight in the finals and despite his opponents’ defensive approach, he would win 9-2. LeBlanc rolled up over four minutes in riding time in the match. It was also his second consecutive West Regional crown and he will return to the NCAA Tournament via an automatic bid. LeBlanc’s season record is now 35-4. He was named the event’s Outstanding Wrestler as voted by the coaches.

In a big blow against the Cowboy team, 197-pounder Alfonso Hernandez, who was seeded No. 2, was pinned by Drew Ross of North Dakota State in the opening round. He battled back in the consolation bracket with a pin of his own, his first this season, over Edward Matthews (UNCo) at 2:36, then followed that up with his second win by fall of the year, this time at 2:58 over No. 4 seed Josh Wood (UVU). Having seen his chances of qualifying for nationals go south in the first round, a frustrated Hernandez then beat No. 3 seed Dustin Bauman (UNI) by decision, 9-3. He placed third with the win and won the tournament’s Most Pins award.

L.J. Helbig was the No. 4 seed at heavyweight and drew a first-round bye before matching up with No. 1 seed Christian Brantley of UNI. Brantley proved to be too much for Helbig, winning 6-2, however, in his next match UW’s redshirt freshman beat Joe Arthur from NDSU, 7-3. He now faced Kevin Kelly (SDSU) for third place and with the ‘Pokes team title hopes on the line. Helbig came through in the clutch for his team by pinning Kelly with just a second remaining in period number two and sealing the West Regional team title for Wyoming.

LeBlanc, Martinez and Onufer will now begin training for the NCAA Championships which will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha.

VomBaur will have to wait until after all of the qualifying events have concluded and the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee meets in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10.

Seven UW tracksters named all conference

2010-03-01T23:00:00.002-07:00

Five Cowboys and two Cowgirls were named Monday to the MWC all-conference track and field team. The top three athletes in each event were named to the team.

Wyoming junior Jeremiah James was named to the list in three different events -- the long jump, the triple jump and the high jump. He was joined by freshman Lenyn Leonce for his second-place finish in the long jump. Redshirt freshman Stephen Michel placed second in the triple jump, sophomore Joe Plante finished second in the 35lb weight throw while senior Jay Petsch rounded out the field for the ‘Pokes with his third-place finish in the men’s heptathlon.

The Cowgirls named junior Afiya Walker to the list for her championship performance in the 400-meter dash, as well as sophomore Ashley Hutchinson in the 20lb weight throw.

James was awarded his third straight high point award as well, scoring 26 points for the Cowboys. He added to his conference championship total, winning his seventh and eighth titles in just two and a half years. It was his third straight indoor long jump title and second straight triple jump crown, while being named to the all-conference list five times.

Plante earns his second all-conference award while for Leonce, Michel and Petsch it was their first awards.

Walker won her first conference championship and first all-conference honor since becoming a Cowgirl. Newcomer, Hutchinson, earned her first award while performing in her first conference championship for the Cowgirls.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls have two members that provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships meet in Fayetteville, Ark., March 12-13. James is currently ranked 15th in the nation in the triple jump and 29th in the long jump, he is provisionally qualified in both events. While Walker is currently 17th in the 400-meter dash following her performance last weekend at the MWC Championships.

Stelow wins 50 free; Cowgirls in second

2010-02-25T22:32:00.003-07:00

UW senior Cassie Stelow

Cowgirl senior Cassie Stelow won the 2010 Mountain West Conference championship in the 50 freestyle and then anchored the 200 freestyle relay that also placed first to pace the Wyoming swimming and diving program Thursday in the Mountain West Conference Championships in Oklahoma City.

The Cowgirls are currently (288 points) in second place with the Cowboys in third after the second day of competition.

The Cowgirls trail only BYU, which has 320 points. San Diego State (194), Utah (166), Colorado State (141), UNLV (134), TCU (103), New Mexico (92), and Air Force (41) follow the Cowgirls.

On the men’s side, the Cowboys sit in third with 236 points. UNLV leads the way with 303 points while BYU is second at 285.5. Following the Pokes are Air Force (212.5), TCU (146), and Utah (136).

To start the winning ways, Stelow won the 50 freestyle MWC Championship in 22.45 seconds, which set a UW record and is also the fastest time in MWC history in that event.

Stelow and the Cowgirls won their second championship on the day in the 200 freestyle relay. Kelsey Conci, Shelby Bull, Kenzie Hewson, and Stelow not only broke the UW school record, but also set a new MWC record with a first place time of 1:30.55. The relay finished over a second ahead of second-place BYU and is also an NCAA provisional time.

“Cassie (Stelow) dominated the 50 freestyle from the start and smashed the old school record,” said an excited UW head coach Tom Johnson. “The relay was tremendous to watch and we dominated that from the start as well, finishing a full second ahead of second place. Currently, we rank 16th in that nation with that time, so we will wait and see if we can make NCAA’s.”

Senior Stephanie Ortiz and junior Lesley Young also broke UW records on Thursday.

On women’s three-meter springboard, Ortiz finished second with a total of 354.05 points and crushed the old school record she set last year at the conference meet at 325.90. Young also broke her own school record by placing fifth in the 200 IM at 2:01.93, an NCAA provisional time.

In the women’s 500 freestyle, junior Stephanie Vint and freshman Paige Fischer contributed, as Vint placed third in 4:49.76, while Fischer finished sixth in her first MWC Championships.

Also on three-meter diving, junior Allie Smith added an important fourth-place finish at 322.05.

“Stephanie Ortiz and Lesley Young did great and I was proud of their performances tonight,” Johnson said. “They were both against tough competition and battled their way through. Stephanie Vint and Paige Fischer did an awesome job today and had great swims as well. Allie Smith dove very well like she has all year and added great points for us”

The men’s 200 IM was full of Cowboys in the final round. Sophomore Brandon Fischer was fifth at 1:49.42, while fellow sophomore Marshall Dilworth was close behind in sixth (1:50.54) and freshman Kendrick Bachman was seventh (1:50.57).

The Cowboy distance swimmers were also strong in numbers in the 500 freestyle. Sophomore Kyle Wemhoff made the final round and finished eighth in 4:34.22. Five Cowboys finished consecutively going 10th through 14th with Tyler Kybartas (4:30:43), Robbie Hilton (4:32.47), Brett Henehan (4:32.83), Tyler Davis (4:34.00), and Sam Holmes (4:34.59) respectively.

The Cowboy diving duo of Mark Murdock and Kyle Bogner had strong finishes on the men’s one-meter springboard. Murdock and Bogner were fourth and fifth respectively at 333.10 and 332.50.

“The men had a very solid day in the pool and on the diving boards,” Johnson said. “I was proud of our guys in the 500 freestyle. Kyle Wemhoff came from behind in a swim-off to qualify for the finals and did great. The IM”s were very good swims with Fischer, Dilworth, and Bachman. They raced very well. The divers did an awesome job and I was very proud of Mark (Murdock) and Kyle (Bogner) as they continue to be excellent divers.

“We will be ready for tomorrow and will look to take advantage of the opportunities we have. We look to move up in the standings and separate ourselves from everyone else and we can do that if we continue what we have done so far.”

Day three of the championships begin Friday with preliminary rounds at 9 a.m. Final rounds will follow later in the day.

Jackson sets UW mark

2010-02-25T22:29:00.002-07:00

The University of Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls had a record performance on the first day of the Mountain West Conference Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., on Thursday.

Junior Britney Jackson completed the women’s pentathlon with a final score of 3,388 points, a school record for the Cowgirls. She overcame Patty Harrington’s score of 3,340 set back in 1986. Jackson’s performance was enough to score her a point for the Cowgirls with an eighth-place finish.

“Britney competed very well today, and was in one of the strongest pentathlon fields ever,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “There are three individuals who have qualified for nationals in the field and Britney did a good job.”

Cowboy senior Jay Petsch is competing in his last heptathlon for the Cowboys, and after the first day, sits in third place with 2,818 points. On Thursday, he finished first in the long jump at 23-feet, 1 3/4 inches. Petsch will finish the competition Friday in the pole vault, the 60-meter hurdles and the 1,000-meter run.

“Jay had a solid day and now he controls his own destiny tomorrow, but has a very realistic shot at placing in the top of the group,” said Howe.

Friday will bring the rest of the field to action with many prelims in the track events and finals in a few of the field events.

WWC gets 14 spots for NCAAs

2010-02-25T22:19:00.003-07:00

In an announcement made Thursday by the NCAA, the NCAA West Regional Tournament has been allocated 14 automatic qualifier spots for the 2010 Division I Wrestling Championships. Only members of the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) earn bids to the NCAA Tournament at that event.

Also released by the NCAA, the WWC had 22 wrestlers named in the final Coaches’ Panel Rankings and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 wrestling season.
The breakdown of the 14 automatic bids per weight class for the West Regional, and subsequently for the fourth-year league, were as follows: 125 pounds (2), 133 (1), 141 (3), 149 (1), 157 (1), 165 (1), 174 (2), 184 (1), 197 (1) and Heavyweight/285 (1).

Last season, the NCAA West Regional Tournament, at which all WWC institutions currently compete to qualify for nationals, was awarded 13 automatic qualifiers. The WWC was also given one additional at-large bid for a total of 14 spots.

The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

This year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament will take place March 6 in Brookings, S.D. and is hosted by South Dakota State University. The three-day, NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha.

Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. A threshold of a 0.725 winning percentage, top 28 in the RPI and top 28 in the coaches ranking was established to allocate 284 of the 330 championships field positions.

For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.

After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class.

Following is a list of WWC wrestlers in each weight class for both the coaches’ panel rankings, as well as RPI. Lists of complete rankings and RPI are attached…

Weight Class WWC Wrestler (Institution) Coaches’ Panel RPI
125 pounds
Ben Kjar (Utah Valley), No. 9, No. 14
Michael Martinez (Wyoming), No. 10, No. 12
133 pounds
Cory VomBaur (Wyoming), No. 20, No. 14
Flint Ray (Utah Valley), No. 31, No. 22
Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa), NR , No. 31
141 pounds
Cole VonOhlen (Air Force), No. 18, No. 9
Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado), No. 22, No. 14
Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) , No. 25, No. 17
149 pounds
Trent Washington (Northern Iowa), No. 30, NR
157 pounds
Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa), No. 29, No. 21
Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado), No. 30, No. 14
Vincent Salminen (North Dakota State), NR, No. 24
165 pounds
Shane Onufer (Wyoming), No. 9, No. 4
Jeb Clark (Utah Valley), No. 32, NR
David Bonin (Northern Iowa), NR, No. 32
174 pounds
Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa), No. 24, No. 14
Brad Darrington (Utah Valley), No. 28, No. 26
Brock Smith (Wyoming), NR, No. 30
184 pounds
Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), T No. 6, No. 7
197 pounds
Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State), No. 29, No. 28
Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming), NR, No. 33
HWT (285)
Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa), No. 30, No. 33

Season ends for UW hockey

2010-02-20T20:50:00.001-07:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club fell short in its bid to return to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) National Championships.

Needing to win back-to-back games at the Division III Pacific Regional Tournament in Las Vegas, the Cowboys dropped a 4-1 decision against Dordt College of Iowa in Saturday's semifinals.

UW, which rallied to defeat Fresno State University in its Friday opener, finished 20-12 this season. The Blades beat Air Force 6-4 in their regional opener.

The Cowboys, who won the 2001 ACHA championship and finished second in 2002, have not qualified for nationals since 2006.

UW tennis falls to UC Santa Barbara

2010-02-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

In their first home match of the spring, the Wyoming Cowgirl tennis team (2-2 overall) suffered a 5-2 loss against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Saturday.

“We had some good individual performances, but as we all know, we score as a team,” said UW head coach Kati Gyulai. “We had another slow start in doubles. Our first serve percentage was somewhere in the mid 20s and we didn’t do our job pushing forward. I certainly credit UCSB for their clean performance.”

The Cowgirls were only able to come up with three wins during the match with the Gauchos. The doubles team of Sarah Summerfield and Kim van Ginkel grabbed the first win for Wyoming, defeating Bryanna Ojeda and Asagi Onaga, 8-5.

In singles action, Alexandra Kovacs and Kim van Ginkel also picked up wins for the Cowgirls. Kovacs in the number three position defeated Annabel Gledden in a tough three set match, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 10-3. van Ginkel also had to comeback after falling in the first set, 6-7, to take the next two 6-3, 11-9, over Tova Hausman.

The Cowgirls were defeated at the number one and three positions in doubles. At the number one position, Kovacs and Simona Synkova lost to Natalia Lozano and Jordan Dockendorf, 8-1. Rebecca Berger and Paloma Navarro were defeated by Tova Hausman and Sofia Novak, 8-5.

Wyoming would also lose four of six singles matches against the Gauchos. At the number one position, Summerfield was defeated by Lozano, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, as did Synkova in two sets, 6-3, 6-2, to Novak. Berger was defeated by Dockendorf, 6-2, 6-4, while Ojeda defeated Nemcova, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.

The Cowgirls host the Northern Colorado Bears on Feb. 27. The match is set to begin at 11 a.m.

UW hockey rolls in regular-season finale

2010-02-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club capped an undefeated home season with an 11-0 rout Friday night at the Laramie Community Ice Arena against the Colorado School of Mines.

In their regular-season finale, the Cowboys got three goals from Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) and three assists from Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) en route to their seventh victory in Laramie. In those games, UW (19-11) outscored its opponents 48-12 -- highlighted by a 7-1 win Nov. 14 over the College of the Canyons, the top-ranked team in the Pacific Region of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).

Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) added two goals, his team-leading 20th and 21st of the season, for the Cowboys, and Elliott Bauder (Douglas), Willie Forbes (Casper), Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) and T.J. Peters (Jackson) each had a goal and an assist.

Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) and Craig Luplow (Banner) also scored goals for UW, and Seth Farrell (Longmont, Colo.) and Cody Leeper (Jackson) each recorded a pair of assists.

The Cowboys travel to the ACHA Pacific Regional Tournament this week, needing two victories to qualify for the national championship tournament for the first time in four seasons. UW faces Fresno State at 9:45 a.m. MST Thursday in its first-round game.

The Cowboys defeated the Bulldogs 2-1 this season in the teams' only matchup.

The College of the Canyons and the University of Colorado earned the region's automatic bids to nationals. The top two finishers at regionals will also advance to the March 10-13 national championship event in Estero, Fla.

Cowboys roll on Senior Night

2010-02-13T10:52:00.002-07:00

The University of Wyoming Wrestling team defeated the Cal State Fullerton Titans (2-8-1), 28-13 on Senior Night in the UniWyo Sports Complex on Friday, improving their record to 11-3 overall.

Cowboy seniors Cory VomBaur and Alex Rieder competed in the last home dual of their UW careers. VomBaur wrestled Aaron Navarrete at 133 pounds, recording four takedowns and a reversal during the match and cruising to a 11-3 major decision for the Cowboys. Unfortunately, Rieder was not able to win his match with Todd Noel of the Titans at 174 pounds, wrestling tough for the Cowboys but losing in a decision to Noel, 10-5.

As a whole, the ‘Pokes won six of 10 bouts with the Titans, which included five bonus-point victories.

“Tonight was good and I’m proud of what we were able to do,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “I think it was important to send the seniors out right. Rieder’s match didn’t end the way he wanted, but it was nice to have him out there representing us since he has meant so much for this program.

“That’s (aggressive wrestling) what we hope for. It was good to see Cory come out and open up. Overall, I’m proud of the way we competed.”

The dual began at heavyweight with Cowboy L.J. Helbig wrestling a tough match against the Titans’ No. 17-ranked Kurt Klimek. Helbig trailed the entire match, but closed the gap at the 6:55 mark of the match with a big takedown. Helbig would ultimately lose to Klimek by decision, 9-6

No. 12 Michael Martinez then battled Andre Gonzalez of the Titans at 125 pounds. Martinez controlled the entire match, taking his first lead at 2:28 with a takedown and never giving it up. Martinez wrestled his way to a major decision, 10-2.

Following VomBaur’s win, Cowboy Kasey Garnhart (141 pounds) wrestled up from his normal weight of 133 pounds for the third straight match. Garnhart lost, 9-1, in a major decision to No. 27 (NCAA Coaches’ Rankings) Adin Duenas.

The Cowboy’s Chase Smith, also wrestling up a weight class, could not avoid a second straight UW loss at 149 pounds. Smith wrestled Nick Jordan to a close 3-0 loss. After no scoring in the first period, a quick three-point nearfall from Jordan at the beginning of the second period proved to be the deciding moment of the match. Smith was close to nearfall points of his own in the second period, but time expired before the points could be awarded.

After that match, the Titans would take their second lead, 10-8, of the dual but they would not lead again. Wyoming would then win four of the next five matches.

Freshman Jimmy Belleville would wrestle his way to a solid victory over Steven De La Fuente at 157 pounds. Belleville came out early with a takedown at 1:07 and would earn two more takedowns and a reversal on his way to a 10-4 decision. That gave the Cowboys an 11-10 team lead over the Titans and UW would never let up.

No. 9-ranked Shane Onufer and No. 9 Joe LeBlanc would once again prove invaluable to the Cowboys, pinning both of their opponents. Onufer, at 165 pounds, wrestled Clayton Schuelke of the Titans and controlled his entire match, leading 11-3 before sticking his opponent at the 4:11 mark. Like Onufer, LeBlanc at the 184 pounds was controlling his match against Mark Savalle, leading 12-0, before pinning his opponent at 3:11. The win by fall was LeBlanc’s 10th of the season and Onufer’s pin was his eighth this season.

Rieder’s loss was sandwiched between Onufer and LeBlanc’s wins.

The final match of the evening was ay 197 pounds and it pitted UW’s Alfonso Hernandez against Ethan Weisrock. Hernandez would come out of the gate quickly with a takedown at :39 and would never look back. He would score five takedowns and three nearfalls on his way to winning by technical fall, 18-3.

“We trained right through this dual and we will do the same next week with the Air Force match-up,” Branch said. “Although our eyes are on the postseason right now, that match is important to us and we want to finish the dual season strong. Just like tonight, I will expect us to come out, perform well and dominate.”

Up next for the Cowboys, they will travel to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Falcons Thursday at 7 p.m.

UW track competes in three weekend meets

2010-02-13T10:47:00.002-07:00

The University of Wyoming track and field teams sent competitors to Colorado Springs, Colo., to compete in the Air Force Invitational, to Seattle, Wash., to compete in the Husky Classic, and will have sprinters run Saturday in Ames, Iowa, to compete in the Iowa State Invite.

The bulk of the competitors went to Colorado Springs, and have a first day lead on 10 teams. The Cowboys lead with a total of 32 points while the Cowgirls have 15, just one point ahead of the Air Force Academy.

For the men, the jumpers and throwers carried the weight, as junior Jeremiah James came away with the title in the long jump with his leap of 24-feet, 10 inches and 10 points for his team. He was followed by redshirt freshman Stephen Michel with his third place jump of 24-2 1/4, earning six points for the Pokes.

“Both Jeremiah and Stephen had solid days in the long jump,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “It was a good opportunity for our team to see what the competition will be like in two weeks at the conference meet as four of six teams that will be there were here. It was a true gauge of what conference will be like.”

For the Cowgirl jumpers, freshman Erin Urbanoski placed ninth in the long jump and was the seventh-best collegiate competitor. With her jump of 17-6 1/4, which earned her three points for the Cowgirls.

In the throwing ring, the Cowboys had a personal best from sophomore Joe Plante in the 35lb weight throw. He finished as the second-best collegiate thrower with his toss of 60-10 3/4, which ranks 13th-best all-time in UW history. He was joined by freshman Mark Sparks who also hit a personal best and finished as the eighth-best collegiate with his throw of 54-6.

“Joe really did a good job today, he just continues to improve with every competition,” said assistant coach Paul Barrett.

For the Cowgirl throwers, junior Ashley Hutchinson finished seventh overall and was the sixth collegiate in the 20lb weight throw, with her toss of 56-3. While junior Amanda Aimone was close behind with a throw of 54-10.25, good for ninth place overall.

In Seattle, the distance squad sent two individuals to compete in the 5,000-meter run. Junior Alysha Davis for the Cowgirls and junior Greg Miller for the Cowboys.

Davis ran a time of 17 minutes, 36.52 seconds and finished 17th in her section. Her time was her personal best and a mark good enough for sixth all-time in Cowgirl history.

Miller, who was running with a mild chest cold, ran a 14:53.13 and finished 12th in his section.

On Saturday, the Cowboys and Cowgirls will continue action in Colorado Springs and will begin their competition in Ames.

Cowboy hockey splits with AFA

2010-02-08T17:00:00.001-07:00

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The University of Wyoming hockey club split two games against the United States Air Force Academy last weekend, winning 6-3 and losing 5-2.

In the series opener Friday, Mitch Nelson (Sheridan), Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.), Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) and Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) netted second-period goals to help the Cowboys seize command against the Falcons. Jake Bates (Jackson) and Michael Leriger (Houston, Texas) added goals in the third period.

Leriger, Luke Walker (Jackson) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) contributed two assists apiece for UW. Bates, Yorke, Mitch Barker (Powell) and Elliott Bauder (Douglas) also had assists.
Goalkeeper Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) improved to 11-7 by turning aside 29 of 32 shots.

The Cowboys didn't have as much success in Saturday's contest, allowing four unanswered goals after scoring the game's first point. Wood and Yorke had goals and Bates, Leriger, Rick Comer (Gillette) and Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) recorded assists.

UW (18-11) concludes its regular season with a 7 p.m. Friday faceoff against the Colorado School of Mines (0-10-1) at the Laramie Community Ice Arena. The American Collegiate Hockey Association Pacific Regional Tournament follows Feb. 19-21 in Las Vegas.

Cowgirl soccer signs seven

2010-02-08T16:55:00.003-07:00

University of Wyoming head soccer coach Danny Sanchez announced the signing of seven student-athletes got the fall of 2010. The Cowgirl class includes, two forwards, two midfielders, two defenders, and one goalkeeper.

Joining Wyoming soccer will be Ellen McCormick (Omaha, Neb.), Carmen McDermott (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Lucie McDowell (Queensland, Australia), Mackenzie Meade (Laramie) Liz O’Reilly (St. Clair, Australia), Sara Paul (Calgary, Alberta), and Julie Vande Berg (Tempe, Ariz.).

The Cowgirls will look to replace four seniors from last year’s squad in Kerstyn Etheridge, Morgan Johnson, Emily Layton, and Emma Wilson.

"We are very excited about our 2010 recruiting class. We feel that we have addressed specific needs throughout the team and will have more depth and competition at each position," said Sanchez. "What makes this class a bit unique is that most of these players can play multiple positions. They each have gained experience playing in different roles on their high school and club teams. They each come in with a commitment to improve Wyoming soccer and they are excited to become a part of our university."

McCormick, who can play forward or midfield, will join the Cowgirls after playing her high school career at Omaha Marian in Omaha, Neb. McCormick earned all-state honors in 2009 after leading her team to the conference championship. She played club soccer for Toro Depotivo and the Omaha Elite FC and was named team captain in 2008. McCormick led the OFC Elite RIO to the 2009 Nebraska State Championship. She was also a member of the ’92 Nebraska ODP team.

McDermott, a 5-foot, 9 goalkeeper from Colorado Springs, Colo., joins the Wyoming soccer program after playing her high school career at Pine Creek High School. McDermott was a four-time letterwinner and earned first team all-state in 2008-09 where she is also the team captain heading into her senior year this spring. She played her club soccer for the Colorado Rush and also participated in the Colorado Olympic Development program where she played in the ODP Championships in 2009. Academically, McDermott was an all-state academic team champion member for 2008-09 and was named academic all-state for three years.

A native of Queensland, Australia, McDowell is a midfielder and one of two incoming freshmen from Australia. In her high school career, McDowell was selected to the state high school team as well as the Australian Schoolgirls National soccer team in 2010 where she toured China and the UK with future Cowgirl teammate Liz O’Reilly. McDowell was also a member of the Regional Met North Team from 2006-2009 and the Queensland Schoolgirls Team in 2009. She also participated in swimming, cross country, and softball in high school.

Meade will join the Cowgirls as the all-time leading goal scorer in Laramie High School history with 46 goals heading into her senior season. While at LHS, Meade won two Wyoming State Championships and earned all-conference and all-state selections. Meade played club soccer for the Laramie Blizzard and Fort Collins Arsenal. While with the Blizzard, Meade won two state championships in 2003 and 2007. For the Arsenal, Meade was used primarily as a defender for Fort Collins and her teammates were Colorado State Runner-ups in 2008 and placed fourth in 2009.

O’Reilly and fellow freshman McDowell are the first Australian natives to play soccer at the University of Wyoming. O’Reilly was named to the 2009 and 2010 Australian Schoolgirls National team. She was named the team MVP for their tour of Japan and Korea in 2009. O’Reilly was selected to the all-regional team and all-state teams and also named team captain for both squads. She was a part of the NSW Metro Team for three years and captain of the NSW Metro team that won the 2007 National Championship. At the Hills Sports High School, O’Reilly was a part of the 4-time NSWCHS tournament championships.

Paul, a forward and native of Calgary, Alberta, will join three of her former club teammates that signed with the Cowgirls a year ago. Paul won a total of four provisional and three national championships with her club team Calgary Foothills. She was the leading goal scorer and golden boot winner at the U/18 Canadian National Tournament in 2009. She has been a member of the Canadian National Training Center since she was 13 years old. For her high school team, Paul led her team to three consecutive city championships. Paul was invited to the Team Canada Camp in 2009 and played a U20 international friendly against Mexico in November of 2009.

Vande Berg, a defender, played her high school soccer at Corona del Sol High School. In 2008, Corona del Sol was ranked 8th in the nation during the season. She was a part of numerous tournament championship teams and the 5A state championship team in 2007. Vande Berg was named team captain in 2009 and also participated in swimming in high school. She played her club soccer with the Gilbert Arsenal ’92 that were quarter-finalists in the Far West Regional’s in 2009 and Arizona State Cup Runners-up from 2007-09. In the classroom, Vande Berg was a National Honor Society member, honor roll student, and was named academic all-conference all four years.

"The Mountain West Conference is getting stronger and deeper every year," Sanchez said. "We feel that these talented student-athletes will help us continue to improve and move our program forward. They come from various backgrounds and we feel will have a huge impact on Cowgirl soccer."

The newly signed Cowgirls will join 17 returning players and will look to improve on last year’s 9-8-3 overall record and 3-3-1 MWC mark. The Cowgirls will open spring play by hosting the Wyoming Indoor Classic on March 7.

Cowboys hold off North Dakota State

2010-02-07T17:12:00.002-07:00

FARGO, N.D. – The University of Wyoming wrestling team won its second Western Wrestling Conference dual in as many days by beating the North Dakota State Bison 25-15 on Sunday.

Wyoming now has an overall record of 10-3 and is 5-0 in the league, while NDSU is 9-5 and 2-1. The Cowboys broke a six-match win streak by the Bison. UW also clinched at least a share of the WWC regular season dual title for the second straight year.

The ‘Pokes won five matches, three by bonus-point margin (eight points or more), and took a forfeit at 133 pounds to obtain the final 10-point team margin.

“North Dakota State is a vastly improving team and they came out to win,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “They were riding a win streak that included a win over No. 6 Boise State. They wrestled hard and as a team we matched their intensity.

“We got dominating performances from Mike (Martinez), Shane (Onufer), Joe (LeBlanc) and Fonz (Alfonso Hernandez). Fonz wrestled an outstanding match and really put the dual in our hands with the way he finished. He set the tone for a solid Cowboy win.”

The match began at 133 pounds, where UW’s Cory VomBaur took a forfeit, followed by two bouts where Wyoming wrestled guys above their normal weight classes due to a reoccurring stinger issue that has kept 149-pounder Cole Dallaserra out of the lineup.

Cowboy redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart lost 6-2 to Ryan Adams who is ranked No. 30 at 141 pounds in the NCAA Coaches Panel rankings, and UW’s Chase Smith lost by a riding time point, 3-2 to Andrey Patselov at 149 pounds.

No. 9 Shane Onufer then swung the momentum back in the favor of UW at 165 pounds when he used six takedowns to earn a 14-4 major decision over Tyler Johnson. Onufer is now 22-5 this season.

At 174 pounds, Brock Smith picked up a 7-2 decision for his team over Mac Stoll.

All-American Joe LeBlanc, No. 9 ranked, then delivered at 184 pounds with an 18-2 technical fall win over Kenny Moenkedick. LeBlanc racked up four takedowns and three nearfalls on his way to his 30th win of the season. His overall record of 30-4 includes 24 bonus point margins. The win over Moenkedick was his 11th technical fall this year.

In the 197-pound match, UW’s Alfonso Hernandez was aggressive with five takedowns and two reversals, which resulted in a 15-8 win over Drew Ross.

Wyoming’s L.J. Helbig got caught at heavyweight and pinned by NDSU’s Joe Arthur at the 0:59 mark.

In the final match of the day, No. 12 Michael Martinez faced Justin Solberg, who is No. 32 at 125 pounds in the NCAA Coaches Panel rankings. Martinez made sure that the match was never a close one, as he recorded six takedowns on the way to a 14-5 major decision. He is now 25-7 this season.

Wyoming’s next competition will be their final home dual of the season, as well as Senior Night for Cowboys Alex Rieder and Cory Vombaur. UW will host Cal State Fullerton in the UniWyo Sports Complex on Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. MT. Rieder and VomBaur will be honored prior to the match.

Cowgirls fall to Nebraska

2010-02-07T17:07:00.002-07:00

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Wyoming tennis team suffered its first loss of the young season, falling to Nebraska 5-2 on Sunday.

“Certainly I give credit Nebraska for getting the job done but this was a missed opportunity for us,” said head coach Kati Gyulai. “We keep talking about the importance of the doubles point but we still don’t understand it. Simona and Kim led 4-1 then lost the lead from there. We served at 7-7, 40-15, but couldn’t hold serve. At the end of the day, these mistakes are costly and can change the momentum going into singles.”

The Cowgirls were only able to come up with three wins during the match with the Cornhuskers. The doubles team of Saša Nemcová and Sarah Summerfield grabbed the first win for Wyoming, defeating Abby Buxton and Mary Weatherholt, 9-7.

In singles action, Summerfield and Nemcova also picked up wins for the Cowgirls. Summerfield, in the number two position, defeated Wiveca Swarting, 6-4, 6-2. Nemcova also won for Wyoming defeating Buxton, 6-4, 6-2, at the number six position.

At the number one doubles position, Kim van Ginkel and Simona Synkova lost to Madeleine Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein, 9-7. Rebecca Berger and Alexandra Kovas were defeated by Jennifer Holmberg and Wiveca Swarting, 8-5.

Unfortunately, they would also lose four of six singles matches against the Cornhuskers. At the number one position, Synkova was defeated by Weatherholt, 6-4, 6-2. The Cowgirls grabbed the win from Summerfield but then lost their next three matches. Berger was defeated by Geibert, 6-1, 6-1, Kovacs fell to Weinstein, 5-7, 6-2, (10-4), and van Ginkel lost to Holmberg, 6-4, 6-1.

Up next for the Cowgirls will be their first home match against UC Santa Barbara, Saturday at 9 a.m.

UW track splits squad

2010-02-06T20:50:00.002-07:00

The University of Wyoming track and field teams split their squads on Saturday, with half to the of the team at the Husker Invite in Lincoln, Neb., while the rest went to the New Mexico Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.

While in Lincoln, junior Cowgirl Afiya Walker improved on her sixth-best all-time 400-meter dash time on Saturday with her 55.37 seconds and seventh place finish. Fellow junior, Alysha Davis, ran the eighth-best 3,000-meter run in UW history with her third place finish on Saturday. Senior Jennifer Schmitz finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with her time of 8.83, and the 4x400-meter relay team of Taylor Gardner, Olivia Heaston, Erica Anderson and Walker ran a time of 3:49.34 which is good for sixth-best all-time.

As for the men, junior Greg Miller also entered the top-ten list for the Cowboys, with his sixth-best time of 8:18.97 in the 3,000-meter run. The 4x400-meter relay team of Kekoa Chavez, Jay Petsch, Ken Lane, and Mario Harris finished second in their section with their time of 3:18.88.

“We had another good day in here in Nebraska and hopefully we can continue to improve even more in our next meet,” said head coach Don Yentes.

In New Mexico, redshirt freshman Stephen Michel finished third in the long jump against some very tough competition. His best jump of 24-feet, 3 1/2 inches improved his place in the top-ten list and moved into ninth all-time. Junior Jeremiah James was right behind Michel in fourth place with his jump of 24-3.

The Cowgirls were led by freshman Erin Urbanoski in the long jump 18-3 3/4 and a seventh-place finish.

“We were a little off our game today,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “Stephen Michel had a good meet and had a personal best in the long jump, against some very good competitors.”

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will again split up their squads to compete at the Air Force Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., and at the Iowa State Invitational in Ames, Iowa. Both meets will be two-day meets and start on Friday.

UW swimmers sweep Air Force

2010-02-06T18:55:00.003-07:00

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In the final dual meet of the season, the Wyoming swimming and diving team swept the Air Force Falcons on Saturday afternoon, breaking two school records on the diving boards. With the 183-102 win, the Cowgirls finish in second place in the final Mountain West Conference dual standings, their highest finish ever. The Pokes took down Air Force by a final of 167-133 and clinch third in the final standings.

The Cowgirls finish 2009-10 with a record of 14-1 overall and 7-1 in the league. The Cowboys advance to 7-3 overall and 3-2 with the victory in the final dual of the season.

"It was a great team effort on both sides," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "The men’s meet was a dog fight from the beginning and on the women’s side we swam very well and had some dominating performances. Our next step is to win a conference title on both sides."

The Cowboys won a total of 10 events, including one swimmer and one diver winning multiple events. On the diving boards, Mark Murdock led the Pokes today and broke Cowboy great Andy Welsh’s one-meter school record with a score 358.95 points. Murdock not only broke the 25 year-old school record, but he also one the three-meter board with 350.77.

In the pool, the Cowboys were led by sophomore Brandon Fischer who won both breaststrokes he competed in. Fischer swam the 100 breaststroke in 56.32 seconds and the 200 in 2:06.93 for UW. In a close meet, the Cowboys pulled slightly ahead in the 200 freestyle after Christian Johnson, Brett Henehan and Matt Jones finished first, second and third respectively. The Cowboy freestyle swimmers continued their winning ways with Tommy Gregory placing first in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.20.

Tyler Kybartas swam the 200 butterfly in 1:54.34 and was first while Nathan Fuller won the 200 backstroke with a final time of 1:51.96 and Kendrick Bachman won the 200 IM in 1:53.97. The Cowboys 400 freestyle relay made up of Johnson, Jamie Comrie, Jones and Gregory also finished first.

"I felt like the tide turned when we went one-two-three in the 200 freestyle," Johnson added. "I am pleased with the effort our guys had today. I can not tell you how well Mark (Murdock) dove today by breaking the school record on one-meter. We had some super swims and awesome diving in the final meet of the year. Now we focus on the conference championships."

On the women’s side, the Cowgirls 183-102 win came thanks to winning nine events, including four Cowgirls winning multiple events. On the diving boards, senior Stephanie Ortiz scored a 276.6 to win the one-meter, as well as taking the three-meter springboard with a 276.85.

In the water, senior Cassie Stelow, usually a sprint freestyle swimmer, showed her versatility by winning both the 100 breaststroke (1:05.38) and 100 butterfly (59.25) for Wyoming. Fellow senior Molly Janak won both the 100 and 200 backstrokes in her final dual meet of her career.

Also in her final dual meet, senior Shauna Nelson won her first event of the season in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 11:04.84. Three Cowgirl freshman stepped up by winning events as well. Paige Fischer won both the 200 freestyle (1:56.21) and 500 freestyle (5:22.81), T.J. Padova finished first in the 100 freestyle (54.18), and Meghan Swirzcki won her first collegiate event in the 200 breaststroke (2:25.49).

"Ortiz dominated today and was fantastic by setting the school record on one-meter in her final dual meet," Johnson said. "Cassie (Stelow) swam events she isn’t used to swimming and also dominated. Shauna Nelson and Molly Janak swam great in their final meets as well. It is great to finish second in the conference, but we have always finished higher at the conference championships then in the regular season standings and we hope to do that again this year."

Wyoming swimming and diving will train and focus on the all-important MWC Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., Feb. 24-27.

Cowgirl tennis opens with wins

2010-02-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Wyoming Cowgirl Tennis team (2-0 overall) completed its first day of the spring season with two victories over the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans and the Creighto n BlueJays on Saturday.

“These two matches were good season openers for us,” said head coach Kati Gyulai. “I think we struggled with our doubles today but we improved from the first match to the second. We did a good job in singles. We need to continue raising our level of play as we keep moving forward with the season.”

The first match of the day pitted the Cowgirls against Arkansas-Little Rock. Wyoming won seven of the nine matches against the Trojans to come away with the 6-1 win. The number one doubles team of Simona Synkova and Kim van Ginkel started the match with a 9-7 win over Anne Weijenborg and Yana Kakovikina. Rebecca Berger and Alexandra Kovacs also picked up a doubles win for the Cowgirls defeating Fanny Lopez and Nathalia Garay, 8-1.

In singles, Wyoming won five of six matches, including the first four matches. Number one singles player Summerfield defeated Weijenborg, 6-2, 6-3. Nemcova followed Summerfield with a tiebreak win over Kakovkina, 7-5, 7-6 (3). The Cowgirls picked up two more matches from van Ginkel and Kovacs. van Ginkel defeated Luksich, 7-6, 6-4 and Kovacs defeated Garay in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. Navarro for the Cowgirls also picked up a win over Van Den Houte, 6-3, 6-0.

The second match of the day featured the Cowgirls against the Creighton Bluejays. Wyoming also won this match 6-1.

In doubles, the Cowgirls swept the Bluejays winning all three matches. The number one team of van Ginkel and Synkova defeated Leesa Cladwallader and Sarah Cladwallader, 6-3, 6-1. Nemcova and Summerfield, followed with a win against Anna Kirshenbaum and Kelsey Schmidt, 8-3. In the final doubles match, Cowgirls Kovacs and Navarro defeated Lindsey Erickson and Tess Reddin, 8-6.

Singles was another strong point for the Cowgirls in their second match of the day. Wyoming won five of six matches. Summerfield started off with a win over Reddin, 6-3, 6-1. Kovacs followed with a win over Mastro, 6-1, 6-1. Van Ginkel and Nemcova continued the Cowgirls success with wins at number four and five. van Ginkel defeated Schmidt, 6-2, 6-1, while Nemcova defeated Erickson, 6-2, 6-2. At the sixth position Navarro defeated Mary Pat McMullan, 6-2, 6-1.

The Cowgirls will close out the weekend on Sunday at 9 a.m. MT against the University of Nebraska.

UW track competes in Nebraska

2010-02-05T22:04:00.001-07:00

LINCOLN, Neb. – Four University of Wyoming track and field athletes entered the program's top-10 list Friday at the Husker Invite.

“We had a fairly nice day today, but didn’t have very many qualify for the finals,” said head coach Don Yentes. “We had a lot of personal bests but are competing against some very tough competition.”

Freshman Brandon Douglass ran the fourth best time in UW history in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.34 seconds and finished 19th overall. Also entering the top-10 were Cowgirl juniors Afiya Walker in the 400-meter dash, Emily Byra and Francis Gipson in the 5,000-meter run.

Walker ran a time of 55.94, which was good for sixth-best all-time and qualified for the finals to be run on Saturday. Byra and Gipson ran the ninth- and 10th-best times in the 5,000-meter run with respective times of 17:58.73 and 18:14.16.

Senior Jennifer Schmitz will join Walker in the finals on Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles with her eighth-place time of 8.78.

“I felt like we took a step forward today and we will see what we can do tomorrow,” said Yentes.

Action will continue Saturday in Lincoln, along with the rest of the Cowboys and Cowgirls competing at the New Mexico Classic, in Albuquerque, N.M.

Cowboys crush Jackrabbits

2010-02-05T21:58:00.002-07:00

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The University of Wyoming wrestling team won big and won often on Friday night, crushing South Dakota State 34-9 in Western Wrestling Conference action.

The Cowboys earned pins at three weight classes, a major decision at another, were the recipient of a forfeit and tacked on two additional solid decisions to run away with the team scoring.

Sophomores Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds and Shane Onufer at 165, in addition to senior Cory VomBaur at the 133-pound weight class, all ended their matches by sticking their opponents. Freshman Jimmy Belleville tallied the other bonus point win for UW, a major decision at 157 pounds.

After the dual win, Wyoming has an overall record of 9-3 and is 4-0 in the league. SDSU is 1-9-1 overall and 0-3 in the WWC. UW now leads the all-time series with SDSU, 11-0.

“This was a good win for us,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “Every conference match is important and every match helps prepare us for the postseason.”

The dual began at 149 pounds where UW was forced to insert 133-pounder Kasey Garnhart, due to an arm injury to starter Cole Dallaserra. Despite giving up almost 20 pounds, the Cowboy redshirt freshman gave Nick Hagar all he could handle before dropping a 3-1 decision.

Belleville quickly righted Wyoming’s ship in the next bout by cruising to a 12-2 major decision over Nick Flynn. He has been a spark to the lineup since earning a spot last month with a 4-2 dual record, all of his wins coming by bonus-point margin (eight points or more) and scoring 24 team points. Belleville now has a season record of 27-5.

No. 9-ranked Onufer dominated in his match against Seth Moe, leading 15-4 before a pin at the 4:16 mark. He now is 21-5 overall, with seven pins this season and a team-best 21 for his career.

Wyoming’s All-American, LeBlanc, also ranked No. 9, mirrored Onufer’s performance by leading 14-4 over David Michaud at the time of his pin and getting the fall at 4:15, just one second earlier than his teammate. LeBlanc’s overall record is now 29-4 with an incredible 23 bonus point margins. It was his ninth pin of the season, the 16th of his career, and he now has a record of 11-1 in duals this year, contributing a gaudy 52 team points.

Sandwiched between Onufer and LeBlanc’s pins was a win by forfeit for UW’s Brock Smith at 174 pounds.

A stalling point provided the difference at 197 pounds, where Wyoming’s Alfonso Hernandez lost to SDSU senior Tyler Sorenson, 3-2. Hernandez had a two-point reversal and Sorenson had two escape points, before the costly penalty in the third period decided the match outcome. Sorenson is currently listed No. 28 in the all-important NCAA Coaches Panel rankings.

The ‘Pokes got a big-time performance by redshirt freshman L.J. Helbig at heavyweight, where he out-muscled the bigger Kevin Kelly for a 4-1 decision. A takedown by Helbig in the third period was the turning point of the match. Although he weighs in at 197 pounds, Helbig is now 3-2 at heavyweight for Wyoming, 2-0 in the WWC.

No. 12 ranked Michael Martinez faced a scrappy opponent, Aaron Pickrel, in the league’s toughest weight class, 125 pounds, but came away with a hard-earned 10-4 decision. In familiar fashion, Martinez outlasted his opponent and is now 24-7 this season.

One of the biggest wins of the evening for the Cowboys came in the next match, where VomBaur worked his way to only the second pin of his four-year career. Leading 16-6 over Tyler Johnson in the third period, VomBaur kept the pressure on his opponent near the edge of the mat and was rewarded with a victory by fall at 6:19.

UW’s only lopsided loss of the night came at 141 pounds where Chase Smith trailed the entire seven minutes and lost to Dustin Walraven, 8-1.

“When you are on the road, you have to take the match out of the official’s hands and we did not do that at 197 pounds,” Branch said. “I hated to see it end that way in such an important match. We are not performing at 141 pounds and that has to be addressed, but overall I liked our performance.

“NDSU will be tougher, so we need to bring an even better effort on Sunday.”

The ‘Pokes will now make the three-hour drive north on I-29 for another WWC dual on Sunday, this time against North Dakota State at noon.

UW hockey club goes 2-1

2010-02-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club won two of three games last weekend, twice beating Mesa State College after losing to the University of Colorado.

The Cowboys (17-8) handled the Mavericks with ease, winning 6-2 Saturday at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and 7-2 Sunday at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne to finish a four-game season sweep.

In the first game against Mesa State, Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) netted a pair of goals and Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) padded his team-leading points total with a pair of assists. Will Alpsteg (Kearney, Neb.), Willie Forbes (Casper), David Wilcox (Houston. Texas) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) also scored goals for UW. Jake Bates (Jackson) had an assist.

In goal, Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) turned aside 19 shots to earn the victory.

Alpsteg, Nelson and T.J. Peters (Jackson) scored two goals apiece in the weekend finale to back the strong goaltending of Sean Collins (Cheyenne), who stopped 16 of 18 shots. Elliott Bauder (Douglas) had the Cowboys' other goal.

Bates, Peters, Ross, Wood, Rick Comer (Gillette), Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Cody Leeper (Bondurant) recorded assists.

UW opened its weekend with a 6-2 loss Friday against the Buffaloes in Cheyenne. Peters and Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) tallied goals for the Cowboys, and Wood, Taylor Freeman (Parker, Colo.) and Matt Moore (Casper) had assists.

UW faces off twice this weekend against the Air Force Academy club squad at World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Cowboy wrestlers bounce back for two wins

2010-01-30T22:24:00.002-07:00

The University of Wyoming wrestling team took firm hold of the reins in the Western Wrestling Conference standings on Saturday by soundly defeating fellow league front-runners Northern Iowa and Utah Valley in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

The Cowboys won eight of nine bouts competed and received a victory by forfeit in their 37-3 win over the UVU Wolverines. Then UW turned right around and took down the UNI Panthers by a 26-12 margin, winning six of 10 match-ups.

By beating their two WWC opponents, Wyoming’s overall record improves to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in the league. Utah Valley’s record is now 6-2 and 2-1, while Northern Iowa falls to 6-10, 2-2 in conference duals. Earlier in the afternoon, UVU had defeated UNI by a score of 19-16.

Wyoming’s win over Northern Iowa broke a nine-match losing streak to the Panthers that dated all the way back to Feb. 4, 1964, a 29-3 win by the ‘Pokes in Laramie.

“It was good to come out on the winning end tonight,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “We needed to shake off last night (OSU loss) and we did. This is an indication that our team is getting better and these were two big WWC victories.

“I saw some inspiring performances tonight from our team. Kasey’s (Garnhart) come from behind win, Jimmy’s (Belleville) upset over Reiner (of UNI) and L.J.’s (Helbig) last-second victory were examples of the type of efforts we need to have every time we step on the mat.

Among the highlights for the ‘Pokes were a major decision and technical fall by sophomore All-American Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds, as well as two victories apiece for the freshman Belleville (157 pounds) and sophomore Shane Onufer (165 pounds). No. 6-ranked LeBlanc now has a record of 28-4, with 22 of those wins coming by bonus-point margin. Both Belleville and Onufer each recorded falls for their team, Belleville’s over Tyson Reiner of UNI at 2:33 and Onufer’s over Jeb Clark of UVU at 2:10.

“We now need to focus on finishing the rest of our league schedule strong for seeding purposes, but we need to also look bigger than that,” Branch said. “We need to pay attention to the little things that will benefit us on a larger scale at the West Regional and the NCAA Tournament.”

The next two WWC dual matches for the Cowboys will be on the road, at South Dakota State on Friday at 6.pm., and then at North Dakota State on Sunday at noon.
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Wyoming 37, Utah Valley 3
125 pounds - No. 13 Ben Kjar (UVU) dec. No. 11 Michael Martinez 5-3
133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) dec. Flint Ray 3-2
141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) dec. Jeff Newby 6-2
149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) dec. Justin Morrill 4-3
157 pounds - Jimmy Belleville (WYO) by medical default over Jamison Moss 1:44
165 pounds - No. 10 Shane Onufer (WYO) pin Jeb Clark 2:10
174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) dec. Brad Darrington 8-6
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) major dec. Casen Eldredge 15-5
197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) dec. Josh Wood 7-1

Hwt. (285) - L.J. Helbig (WYO) won by forfeit
---
Wyoming 26, Northern Iowa 12
125 pounds - No. 11 Michael Martinez (WYO) by medical default over Terrance Young 3:11
133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (WYO) dec. Ryan Jauch 11-9
141 pounds - Charlie Ettelson (UNI) dec. Cory VomBaur 4-1
149 pounds - Trent Washington (UNI) SV decision over Cole Dallaserra 4-2
157 pounds - Jimmy Belleville (WYO) pin Tyson Reiner 2:33
165 pounds - No. 10 Shane Onufer (WYO) dec. Nick Pickerell 5-0
174 pounds - Jarion Beets (UNI) sec. Alex Rieder 7-4
184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) technical fall over Scott Hazen (UNI) 15-0, 5:36
197 pounds - L.J. Helbig (WYO) dec. Dustin Bauman 9-5
Hwt. (285) - Christian Brantley (UNI) dec. Alfonso Hernandez 3-2

Indoor track fares well at Air Force

2010-01-30T22:17:00.004-07:00

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The University of Wyoming women’s track team finished the Don Barrett Air Force Duals tied for first place with Colorado State, while the Cowboys placed second out of five teams.

The Cowgirls dual score of 3-0-1 and tied CSU with 59 points each. The Cowboys came away with a 3-1 record, losing only to Colorado State by a score of 64-57.

“Just like with all meets, you have some ups and downs, but I thought we had a pretty good day,” said UW head coach Don Yentes. “We have some kids that are really starting to come around and we have some kids that feel like they can go through the motions in training and turn it on in competitions. You just can’t do that, and as soon as they all realize it we will have a pretty good team.”

On the women’s side, the sprinters were led by junior Afiya Walker in the 200-meter dash with her time of 24.84 seconds, which is good for eighth in UW history. Senior Jennifer Schmitz and freshman Katy Hall went second and third in the 60-meter hurdles with their respective times of 8.73 and 8.80.

It was the first time we have seen the distance team this season since competing in the cross country season, and they were led by juniors Alysha Davis and Emily Byra in the 1-mile run. They finished in sixth and seventh, while freshman Brooke Hughes finished in eighth in the 3,000-meter run.

The throwers are lacking a little depth, but competed well with junior Ashley Hutchinson placing second in the 20lb weight throw and third in the shot put. Fellow junior Amanda Aimone was right behind her with a fourth-place finish in the weight throw.

The jumpers were led by freshman Erin Urbanoski, as she took the title in the long jump with her leap of 18-feet, 7 inches.

Laramie native Stephen Michel led the Cowboys, winning the 60-meter dash in 6.78, which was third on the all-time UW list. Sophomore Travis Gunderson and freshman Lenyn Leonce ran identical 7.04 60’s and tied for eighth as well as entering their names in the record books as well. Freshman Brandon Douglass improved his 60-meter hurdles personal best time to 8.36 and jumped from seventh all-time to fifth with his second-place finish.

On the distance squad, junior Greg Miller finished second in the 1-mile run with his time of 4:24.54, before being converted for altitude.

Sophomore Joe Plante had a solid day with two personal bests in the shot put (50-9 1/2) and in the 35lb weight throw (59-4 1/4).

The jumpers were once again led by junior Jeremiah James, who took the title in the long jump and triple jump, while Michel followed in the triple jump and Leonce followed in the long jump.

“I tend to look past Jeremiah James’ performances because we get use to seeing them on a regular occurrence,” said Yentes. “But he is a freak. He continues to lead this very talented jumping crew and I look forward to them continuing their success.”

The Cowboys on the day came away with eight top-three finishes and had three individual winners while the Cowgirls finished with seven top-three finishes and also had three individual crowns.

Up next for the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be the Husker Invitational Friday and Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

Divers conclude Air Force meet

2010-01-30T22:13:00.002-07:00

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- At the Air Force Diving Invite, junior Allie Smith won the three-meter event, while senior Stephanie Ortiz placed second for the Cowgirls. The top performance for the Cowboys came from Mark Murdock, who placed first on platform and second on one-meter.

In the two days of the AFA Invite, the Cowgirls had 11 scores rank in the top 10 on the three boards. On Saturday, Smith led the way on three-meter with her winning score of 282.05 points. A day after winning the one-meter event, Ortiz placed second on three-meter with 273.25. Senior Emily Huth was sixth at 265.85 and sophomore Tiffany Izatt was 11th with 245.60.

On platform Smith placed the highest for the Cowgirls in third with 195.40. Ortiz and Huth placed fifth and sixth respectively.

On Saturday, the Pokes were competing on one-meter and platform. Murdock placed the highest for the Cowboys on both boards. Murdock won the platform event with 342.45. Murdock also led the way on one-meter at 306.95 and finished in second. Sophomore Valentin Schwarz was right behind Murdock on one-meter and placed third with a 267.30.

Up next, Cowgirl swimming and diving team will be in action against two rivals. On Thursday, the Cowgirls will host Colorado State in Corbett Pool at 5 p.m. and on Saturday, both teams travel to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force at 1 p.m.

Cowboys close, but lose lopsided match

2010-01-29T22:56:00.011-07:00

Richard Anderson photos
At top, Wyoming coach Mark Branch talks things over with 165-pounder Shane Onufer Friday night against No. 4 Oklahoma State. At left, official Charlie Jones lifts UW 149-pounder Cole Dallaserra's hand in victory.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Mark Branch detested it as a wrestler; he hates it equally as a coach.

Close just isn’t good enough.

In most of the individual bouts, the Wyoming Cowboys were close with their Oklahoma State counterparts, losing three one-point matches, one two-point bout, one three-point match (in overtime) and a four-point match.

As is often the case in wrestling, close individual bouts don’t make a close team match and No. 4 Oklahoma State rolled to a 31-3 win in front of a Wyoming record 2,566 fans Friday night in the Arena-Auditorium.

“The crowd was great, the band was great, the cheerleaders were great and we weren’t great,” Branch said. “That was the difference. We were OK. If I was OK with close losses, then I would be real happy, but I’m not OK with close losses.”

Branch, who was a four-time All-American at Oklahoma State and two-time national champion, went into overtime in his first match as a starter at OSU with the No. 1 wrestler in the country. He ended up losing in OT and took many pats on the back for a job well done.

Losing, and the congratulations that he received just made him angry.

“Everybody rushed to me ... I was on the front page of the paper, and everybody was telling me good job because I lost in overtime to the No. 1 kid in the country,“ Branch said. “That’s when I knew that I was going to be a winner, because I was disgusted that people were telling me good job after a loss. ‘Don’t tell me good job, I just got beat.’”

Branch said his wrestlers have known him long enough to know that they aren’t going to get a “good job” in defeat.

“I’m just making it clear that I am not happy with close losses,” said Branch, who did say that that his Cowboys (6-3) battled hard, just not very smart.

“We were in three or four matches that we found a way to lose," he said. “We have to find a way to win. That’s the difference right now in us being a top-level team and us being just one of the others.

“It was good experience for us, it was good to be in front of a good crowd. I don’t think our kids were really taken out of their focus by their surroundings, but we just didn’t have the formula to get the win in the end in a lot of matches. When that happens, the score gets lopsided real quick.”

That’s exactly how the match began, as Wyoming’s Michael Martinez (ranked 11th) lost a 3-2 decision to No. 10 Chris Notte. Martinez, who lost two previous lop-sided matches to Notte this season, fell behind 3-1 in the third period on a two-point near fall.

“I was proud of a lot of our effort, we just did some dumb things,” Branch said. “Michael Martinez wrestled a good, hard, solid match, but he went to his butt. When I went out there during an injury timeout, I said, ‘get to your feet, don’t go to you butt.’ I think, if he doesn’t get sucked onto his back and give up those back points, we feel pretty good about his chances to win.”

At 133 pounds, No. 5 Jordan Oliver edged Wyoming’s Cory Vombaur 4-3 on a reversal with just seconds left.

"Cory did a great job of staying in the match against a stud, but he gives up a reversal with 12 seconds left," Branch said.

The toughest loss to swallow for Branch and UW came at 184 pounds, when Wyoming All-American Joe LeBlanc, ranked No. 6 in the country, losing an 8-5 overtime decision to No. 10 Clayton Foster.

Foster had the early lead, but LeBlanc battled back to take a 5-3 lead late, only to give up an escape with three seconds left. Foster had built up riding time, so the match went into overtime at 5-5.

LeBlanc came out aggressive, but Foster had the last laugh when he fought off the charge and put the Wyoming wrestler on his back for a three-point near fall.

Branch admitted that both he and LeBlanc were confused on how much riding time was left, but that didn’t excuse giving up the escape in the end of regulation.

“It was a wild match and I lost track (of the riding time),” Branch said. “But that is not an excuse. I tell these guys that we wrestle to score next every time. Joe didn’t put the effort in to finish that match. You just never give up an easy escape, I don’t care what the situation is.”

The highlight of the match for Wyoming was at 149 pounds when Cole Dallaserra defeated Luke Silver -- OSU’s only un-ranked wrestler -- 3-0. After two scoreless periods, Dallaserra got a reversal in the third period and added a point on riding time.

“It’s like coach says, he wants us to wrestle to the philosophy of always scoring next, just keep pressure on the guy,” Dallaserra said. “I was just looking to score next and ride him tough.”

Oklahoma State, which thumped Northern Colorado 41-3 earlier in the day in Greeley, Colo., is now 10-2-1 on the season. Nine of OSU wrestlers are ranked in the Top 20, including eight in the Top 10.

“Oklahoma State is a top five team year-in and year-out, so they pretty much know how to win the close matches. We have to learn to do that," Branch said. “I like a good fight, but if you come up short and don’t find a way to win, that doesn’t do much for you.”

The Wyoming Cowboys don’t have long to lick their wounds, as they return to Western Wrestling Conference action on Saturday, hosting Utah Valley at 4 p.m. and Northern Iowa at 5:30 p.m. Both matches are set for the UniWyo Sports Complex.

“We did not have the formula to win tonight,” Branch said. “Now we have to find a way to get those matches behind us, make weight in the morning and make the adjustments that we need in order to win some important conference match-ups.”
---
No. 4 Oklahoma State 31, Wyoming 3
125 -- No. 10 Chris Notte (OSU) dec. No. 11 Michael Martinez 3-2.
133 -- No. 5 Jordan Oliver (OSU) dec. Cory VomBaur 4-3.
141 -- No. 8 Jamal Park (OSU) dec. Chase Smith 8-1.
149 -- Cole Dallaserra (WYO) dec. Luke Silver 3-0.
157 -- No. 17 Neil Erisman (OSU) maj. dec. Jimmy Belleville 13-0.
165 -- No. 9 Alex Meade (OSU) dec. No. 10 Shane Onufer 8-6.
174 -- No. 7 Mike Benefeil (OSU) dec. Brock Smith 7-3.
184 -- No. 10 Clayton Foster (OSU) dec. No. 6 Joe LeBlanc 8-5, overtime.
197 -- No. 7 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) dec. Alfonso Hernandez 3-2.
Hwt. -- No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) pin. L.J. Helbig 2:30.
　

Cowgirl swimmers beat SDSU

2010-01-29T21:51:00.003-07:00

A home meet at a different venue proved to be to the Wyoming women's swim team's liking, as the Cowgirls rolled toppled San Diego State 153-128 Friday at the Laramie Recreation Center Pool.

Meanwhile, in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Wyoming divers were competing in the Air Force Invite. Cowgirl one-meter scores were added into the final dual meet scores today, while tomorrow’s three-meter will also be counted. However, the Cowgirls were able to take down the Aztecs without three-meter diving scores added in.

The Cowgirls extend their overall record to 12-1 and 5-1 in league action. SDSU drops to 11-3 overall and 5-3 in the conference. Coming into the meet tonight, the Aztecs were third in the conference behind BYU and the Cowgirls and also received votes in the latest NCSAA poll.

“Tonight was an awesome meet that was swam very hard on both sides. Our girls put out a great effort and beat a darn good team in San Diego State,” said UW head coach Tom Johnson. “The girls dusted themselves off after the loss the BYU and battled hard for the win tonight.”

Leading off the meet, the Cowgirls Kelsey Conci, Lesley Young, Shelby Bull, and Cassie Stelow swam the 200 medley relay 1 minute, 44.48 seconds, for first place, a new Wyoming pool record.

The Aztecs rallied and won four of the next five events, but the Cowgirls held a narrow lead. Senior Stelow stepped-up to the starting blocks in the 50 freestyle and not only won the event, but broke Olympian Amy Van Dyken’s Corbett Pool record with a time of 23.32.

The Cowgirls went on to win five of the seven remaining events and pulled ahead with great performances from the Cowgirl divers at the Air Force Invite. Shelby Bull won the 100 freestyle in 51.87 and followed that up with a win in the 100 butterfly at 57.63 later in the meet. Lauren Hewson swam the 200 breaststroke in 2:19.30, breaking the old Corbett Pool record that was 2:21.28. Lesley Young swam the 200 IM in 2:09.50 for the last individual win of the night. The Cowgirl 400 freestyle relay also placed first with a time of 3:26.57, another Wyoming pool record.

“Cassie Stelow was blazing fast by breaking former Olympian Amy Van Dyken’s record. She was outstanding in the 50 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay,” Johnson said. “Lauren Hewson was close to an NCAA provisional time and broke the old pool record. Overall it was a great team effort.”

For the UW divers, both the Cowgirls and Cowboys were competing at the Air Force Invite. Scores from the women’s one-meter today were added into Friday's dual. On Saturday, the Cowgirls three-meter scores will also be added in.

Leading the way was senior captain Stephanie Ortiz and fellow senior Emily Huth. Not only did Ortiz and Huth place first and second against the Aztecs in dual action, they also placed one-two for the entire one-meter competition. Ortiz finished with a total of 275.65 points for the first place finish. Huth was close behind in second with a total of 269.35. Allie Smith also gave the Cowgirls a top-five finish by scoring 251.7 and placing fourth. Virginia Marcon finished with a personal best mark of 249.60 and placed sixth, while sophomore Tiffany Izatt was tenth in the field of 24.

The Cowboy divers were led by junior Mark Murdock, who placed first on three-meter with a score of 355.60. Sophomore Valentin Schwarz added a fifth placed finish with 257.40.

“The divers were wonderful and gave us very valuable points today,” Johnson said. “It was a blast to have our fans there and out from behind the glass. It was a tremendous atmosphere at the Rec Center.”

The UW divers will continue competing at the Air Force Invite on Saturday. Next up for the Cowgirls will be the Border War against Colorado State Thursday at 5 p.m. in Corbett Pool.

Cowboy hockey sweeps Colorado College

2010-01-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club, fronted by Erik Blomberg and Michael Leriger, swept two American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) games against Colorado College last weekend.

The Cowboys overwhelmed the Tigers 11-4 Friday at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and 12-2 Saturday at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne to improve their record to 15-7 this season.

Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) netted three goals in Friday's contest and added two more in the series finale, boosting his season point total to 25, one behind Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) for the team lead.

Leriger (Houston, Texas) recorded a goal and an assist in both victories for UW, ranked sixth in the ACHA's Pacific Region.

Willie Forbes (Casper) and T.J. Peters (Jackson) had two goals apiece in Friday's victory, and Nelson, Elliott Bauder (Douglas) and Tyler Yorke (Houston, Texas) also scored goals in the series opener.

Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) stopped 31 of 35 shots to earn the victory between the pipes.
A pair of club newcomers, Mitch Barker (Powell) and Matt Moore (Casper), sparked the Cowboys in Saturday's triumph. Both players scored two goals apiece in the opening two periods as UW surged to a 9-2 advantage.

Cody Leeper (Bondurant) also had two goals, and Nelson, Rick Comer (Gillette) and Taylor Freeman (Parker, Colo.) each had one goal.

In goal, Sean Collins (Cheyenne) made 14 saves for his second victory in two collegiate starts.

UW plays three games this week, beginning with a 7 p.m. matchup Friday against the University of Colorado (12-8) at the Taco John's Events Center. The Cowboys play Mesa State College (7-17-1) the following two days, at 7 p.m. Saturday in Laramie and at 11 a.m. Sunday in Cheyenne.

Cowboys beat BYU; Cowgirls drop first dual

2010-01-23T20:17:00.002-07:00

For the first time in Wyoming swimming and diving history, the Cowboys defeated BYU for the second consecutive year Saturday at Corbett Pool, 178-122. The Cowgirls and BYU women entered the meet with undefeated records, but the Cowgirls fell to BYU 185-115.

The Cowboys pick up two conference victories this weekend and have an overall mark of 6-3 and 2-2 in the Mountain West conference. BYU drops to 2-5 overall and 0-5 in conference.
The Cowgirls lost only their first dual meet all year and are 11-1 and 3-1 in the league. The BYU women are the lone undefeated MWC team at 11-0 and 8-0 MWC.

"I am very happy for the guys to beat BYU two years in a row for the first time ever," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "For the women, we started out winning the 200 medley relay and set a new pool record in that event, and had some good swims and great diving, but there were a few parts that I was disappointed with."

The Cowboys won 11 events against the Cougars. Senior captain Tommy Gregory and sophomore Brandon Fischer won multiple events each. Gregory won both the 100 freestyle (46.92 seconds) and 200 freestyle (51.85) in his last meet at Corbett Pool. Fischer won both the 100 (57.70) and 200 (2:08.83) breaststrokes as he did a day earlier against Utah. Gregory and Fischer also helped the Cowboy relays to win the 200 medley relay. Gregory also led off in the 400 freestyle relay, another first place finish for UW.

Other event winners for the Cowboys included Marshall Dilworth in the 100 backstroke at 51.85, Tyler Kybartas in the 200 butterfly in 1:57.36, Christian Johnson swam the 50 freestyle in 21.66, Nathan Fuller in the 200 backstroke finished at 2:08.83, and Sam Holmes swam the 500 freestyle in 4:49.03 for a first place finish.

The Cowgirls started the meet off on the right foot by winning the 200 medley relay and set a Corbett Pool record in the process with a time of 1:45.34. In the water, Cassie Stelow led the way in the 50 freestyle by placing first with a time of 23.65. Lauren Hewson won the 200 breaststroke a day earlier against Utah, and backed that performance with another win in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:22.16.

Cowgirl diver Stephanie Ortiz nearly broke the pool record again on three-meter springboard. Ortiz won the event and finished with 314.18 points. On one-meter, Ortiz came in a close second at 295.35, while fellow senior Emily Huth was right behind Ortiz in third with 290.70.

"The girls faced the defending conference champion today, but hopefully we can get them at the conference championships in February," Johnson said. "The divers had a great rounds today. We swam well and very tough, but we have to get better for next week."

The Cowgirls will be back in action in Laramie next week against San Diego State, hosting the Aztecs Friday at 5 p.m. at the Laramie Rec. Center pool.

Petsch finishes second

2010-01-23T20:13:00.002-07:00

BOULDER, Colo. -- Wyoming senior Jay Petsch came away in second place Saturday in the multi-events at the Potts Invitational.

Petsch was leading after the first day and four events but slipped to second place at the conclusion of the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000-meter run. Petsch won the hurdle event with a time of 8.53 seconds, tied for third in the pole vault at 13-feet, 5 1.4 inches and was fourth in the 1,000-meter run with a personal best time of 2:59.64. He scored 4,974 points, just 21 points shy of his personal best.

“Jay had a good weekend and unfortunately left quite a few points on the board,” said assistant coach Quincy Howe. “This is the only time we can get the kids a multi-event before they go to conference in late February, so it was good to get them the experience.”

Petsch was joined by sophomore Henry Ferreira, who finished the two-day heptathlon in fifth with a personal best 4,267 points. Henry competed well and finished the day strong with a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles and fifth-place finish in the 1,000-meter run.

“Henry has a lot of potential, and along with Jay, left quite a few points on the board, but with time Henry will get there,” said Howe. “We got exactly what we wanted to get out of this weekend and I couldn’t be happier heading into the bulk of our schedule.”

The UW track team returns to action on Jan. 30, in Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on the Air Force Academy.

UW swimmers sweep Utah

2010-01-22T21:54:00.001-07:00

The University of Wyoming swimming and diving team swept the Utah Utes in Corbett Pool on Friday. In the process, the Cowgirls broke three pool records, while the Pokes improve their record and win their first Mountain West conference dual.

The Cowgirls defeated the Utah women by a final score of 182-115 to improve their record to 11-0 overall and 4-0 in conference meets. The Cowboys advanced their record to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in conference with a 162-137 victory over the Utah men.

"Tonight was a solid team effort from both sides," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "We lost a few events we should have won, but breaking three pool records was awesome and it was great for our the guys to get their first conference win."

The first pool record that went down Friday night was also the first race of the night. Kelsey Conci, Lesley Young, Stephanie Vint and Cassie Stelow swam the 400 medley relay in 3:53.00, a new Corbett Pool record. The old record was set by Utah in 2006.

Cowgirl relays continued setting new marks in the 200 freestyle relay. Stelow, Conci, Shelby Bull, and Vint touched in at 1 minute, 34.89 seconds to set the new record as well.

Individually, Lauren Hewson, a transfer to UW from Utah, broke the 200 breaststroke pool record by placing first in 2:21.28. Other individual winners for the Cowgirls include Paige Fischer in the 1000 freestyle (10:56.90), Bull in the 200 freestyle, Conci in the 100 backstroke (58.89), Lauren Hewson in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.98), Stelow in the 50 freestyle (23.57), Mandy Schumacher in the 200 backstroke (2:09.48) and Kristen Flachbarth in the 500 freestyle (5:21.93).

"The relay records set tonight was fun to watch. The 200 freestyle relay crushed the previous record," Johnson said. "Lauren Hewson and Paige Fischer swam very well tonight. I thought Lauren (Hewson) swam the best she has this season at altitude."

The Pokes earned their first conference victory and were led by two double winners. Senior Tommy Gregory won both the 50 and 100 freestyle to give his team much needed points.
Sophomore Brandon Fischer won his two events, the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.

Other winners were Nathan Fuller in the 100 backstroke (51.82), Tyler Kybartas in the 200 butterfly (1:57.12), and Kendrick Bachman in the 200 IM (1:56.17). The Pokes 400 medley relay of Marshall Dilworth, Fischer, Kybartas, and Gregory also finished first.

"Fischer was awesome today like last week, and Tommy Gregory was a stud as well," Johnson said. "Kendrick Bachman swam a great 200 IM and saved us in that race. I was happy for the guys to get their first conference win."

On the diving boards, senior Stephanie Ortiz nearly broke the pool record on three-meter with a score of 316.55 points, two points away from a pool record. Ortiz backed up her winning three-meter performance with another first place finish on one-meter with a score of 278.35. Junior Mark Murdock placed the highest for the Cowboys on both boards. Murdock won the one-meter springboard with a final of 314.40, and placed second on three-meter with 310.95.

"The divers were awesome again today. Ortiz winning both boards was huge and Murdock did very well too," said Johnson. "All-in-all it was a good meet for us. Tonight the challenge is to rest and recover and be ready to be challenged tomorrow."

Wyoming will host BYU in Corbett Pool on Saturday. Senior recognition will take place prior to the meet as well. One board of diving will take place at 10:30 a.m., while the meet will start at noon.

Petsch, Jackson lead UW in Boulder

2010-01-22T21:49:00.002-07:00

BOULDER, Colo. -- Wyoming senior Jay Petsch leads the Cowboys and the rest of the field in the first day of the Potts Invitational on Friday in the heptathlon, while junior Britney Jackson led the Cowgirls in the conclusion of the women’s pentathlon.

Petsch has a leading 2,808 points through four events with three to go on Saturday. He was first in three of four events, while fellow Cowboy, sophomore Henry Ferreira was first in the last event. Petsch won the 60-meter dash (7.21 seconds), high jump (6-feet, 2 3/4 inches) and long jump (22-7 3/4) while Ferreira took the title in the shot put (43-2 1/2).

“We are definitely getting what we need and want out of this weekend,” said UW assistant coach Quincy Howe. “Jay is competing very well and with the position we are in our goal is to take the title tomorrow. Henry hasn’t completed a multi in a long time, so we want him to finish tomorrow strong and without any setbacks.”

Ferreira has a total 2,394 points through four events with three to be finished tomorrow (60-meter hurdles, pole vault, and 1,000-meter run).

For the Cowgirls, Jackson finished the five event pentathlon in seventh place with a total of 3,184 points. She was followed by freshman Hannah Romsa who competed in her first collegiate pentathlon and finished 11th out of 16 competitors with a total of 2,685 points.

Jackson had her best finishes in the high jump where she tied for second with a leap of 5-5 1/4 and in the 60-meter hurdle event where she placed 10th with a time of 9.74. Romsa’s best event of the day was also in the 60-meter hurdles where she finished just behind Jackson in 11th place with a time of 9.85.

“Britney had a solid day but not a breakthrough day,” said Howe. “Hannah is very inexperienced and got a taste of the collegiate multi-event day today. Both Britney and Hannah will improve throughout the season.”

Saturday will bring the conclusion of the Potts Invite and the final three events of the men’s heptathlon.

Tickets on sale for UW-Oklahoma State

2010-01-22T14:37:00.004-07:00

UW coach Mark Branch

WWC has 19 wrestlers ranked nationally

The University of Wyoming athletics department has announced that advance tickets are on sale for the Cowboy wrestling team’s upcoming home dual with Oklahoma State, as well as a limited number of seats in the Wyoming section at the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Tickets may be purchased online at WyomingAthletics.com, by calling 800-922-9461 or in person at the UW Athletics Ticket Office.

On Jan. 29, a large crowd is expected when the ‘Pokes host No. 4-ranked Oklahoma State. In anticipation of the increased number of fans, the Cowboy vs. Cowboy match-up will take place in the Arena-Auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. The event is presented by Your Local Ford Stores.

UW’s busy weekend continues on Jan. 30 when it hosts a full day of Western Wrestling Conference duals. The first WWC dual of the day will feature a neutral-mat match, with the Utah Valley Wolverines against the Northern Iowa Panthers at 2 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Next, the ‘Pokes will face Utah Valley at 4 p.m., followed immediately by a match-up with the defending West Regional champions, UNI at approximately 5:30 p.m.

Tickets for each day will be $5 for adults and $3 for youth. UW students can gain free admission with a valid ID.

Saturday’s tickets will not be presold. Doors will open at 1 p.m. and one ticket on that day will gain entrance for all three dual match-ups. Additionally, a ticket from Saturday’s women’s basketball game between Wyoming and Air Force, at 2 p.m. in the AA, will gain free admittance to that day’s wrestling duals.

“We have a great opportunity to be hosting three outstanding teams in one weekend,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “It will be a great showcase of wrestling for our fans. Oklahoma State brings in the richest tradition in college wrestling and Northern Iowa and Utah Valley are two of the toughest teams in our conference. These duals will weigh heavily on our season and our preparations for the NCAA tournament and we are ecstatic to be able to host them in Wyoming.”
For the three upcoming duals, all tickets are general admission.

All orders online for the OSU dual are subject to a $1.00 per ticket fee and a $3.00 per order fee. Phone orders are subject to a $3.00 per order fee and there is no per ticket fee for phone orders. There are no fees for anything ordered in-person at the ticket office window or on the day of the event. OSU dual tickets ordered prior to Sunday, Jan. 24 can be mailed out, then after that, all tickets will be held at will call.

Regarding the 2010 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Omaha, Neb., for the first time in many years a block of seats will be available for Cowboy fans. The Division I National Championships will be held March 18-20, at the Qwest Center.

Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets through the UW Athletics Ticket Office to ensure that all Wyoming fans will be seated in the same section. The three-day, six-session ticket costs $160 and UW’s allotted seats are in sections 206 and 207.

Exact seat locations at the Qwest Center will be allocated February 24, and will first be based off of the purchaser’s Cowboy Joe Club priority point rank, then off of their Cowboy Wrestling Club donation level.

“Last year, we had a good number of Wyoming fans at the NCAA Tournament, but they all obtained tickets through various sources and were spread out,” Branch said. “From now on, we need to make sure that our fan base is united at the national championships. Our Cowboy wrestlers need to know that our fans are together supporting our team and that they have a physical presence in the stands.”

WWC has 19 wrestlers ranked nationally

2010-01-22T14:13:00.002-07:00

The Western Wrestling Conference has had 19 wrestlers named in the first of three coaches' panel rankings for the 2009-10 wrestling season. Highlighting the weight classes for the fourth-year league were five wrestlers at 125 pounds and four at 141 pounds.

The final rankings will be one of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Four Cowboys are ranked, led by Joe LeBlanc, who is tied for seventh at 184 pounds; Shane Onufer, 10th at 165, Michael Martinez, 11th at 125 and Cory VomBaur, 20th at 133.

Last season, the NCAA West Regional Tournament, at which all WWC institutions currently qualify for nationals, was awarded 13 automatic qualifiers. The WWC was also given one additional wild-card bid for a total of 14 spots.

This year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament will take place March 6 in Brookings, S.D. and is hosted by South Dakota State University.

Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches across the nation. Each qualifying tournament has five coaches rank the top 33 wrestlers in two weight classes. For ranking purposes, coaches must select a wrestler as a starter at a designated weight class. In addition, coaches may only select one wrestler per weight class.

The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.

Following is a list of the highest-ranked wrestler in each weight class in the WWC. A list of complete rankings is attached…

125 pounds – No. 11 Michael Martinez (Wyoming)
133 pounds – No. 20 Cory VomBaur (Wyoming)
141 pounds – No. 18 Cole VonOhlen (Air Force)
149 pounds – No. 19 Brett Robbins (Northern Iowa)
157 pounds – No. 19 Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado)
165 pounds – No. 10 Shane Onufer (Wyoming)
174 pounds – No. 29 Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa)
184 pounds – T No. 7 Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming)
197 pounds – No. 28 Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State)
HWT (285 pounds) – No. 29 Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa)

Cowboy wrestling thumps No. 25 Nebraska

2010-01-17T15:51:00.004-07:00

UW freshman Jimmy Belleville

LINCOLN, Neb. – The University of Wyoming wrestling team took the fight to the home team and beat the No. 25-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 29-10 on Sunday.

Wyoming won the first five matches competed, in addition to receiving a forfeit, en route to a 26-0 lead that it would never relenquish.

No. 9-ranked Shane Onufer at 165 pounds, No. 11-ranked Michael Martinez (125) and true freshman Jimmy Belleville (157) each contributed bonus-point wins to the team score, fueling UW’s big early lead. On the day, the ‘Pokes also got victories from senior Cory VomBaur (133), sophomore Chase Smith (141) and All-American Joe LeBlanc (184).

With the win at NU’s Coliseum, Wyoming improves their dual mark to 6-2 overall while Nebraska falls to 8-6.

“As a team, I am pleased with how we competed today and this is a big win for our program,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “This was a tough environment to wrestle in, they have great fans, and Nebraska is a tradition-rich program that I am very familiar with. So for us to come out and give the effort we did was really good to see. Our guys worked hard and in general, performed well.

“The little things are becoming very important at this time in the season and we did some little things well today. Now we have to move on to the next little thing and focus on it. If we do that we will continue to improve.”

Martinez started things off at 125 pounds for the Cowboys with a 12-3 major decision over David Klingsheim. Martinez would get a takedown late in the first period and then control the match from that point on. Another takedown at 6:36 in the third period sealed the bonus-point win for the UW sophomore. He now has a 22-5 overall record.

At 133 pounds, VomBaur then pulled off a low-scoring decision over C.J. Napier, 3-2. Down by one point, he scored a takedown with ten seconds remaining in the match and gave UW a 7-0 team lead.

Chase Smith survived two takedowns at 141 pounds, then produced one of his own in the third period, but a three-point nearfall at 4:00 in the second period by Smith would prove to be the decisive point in his 8-5 decision over Mike Koehnlein.

Wyoming’s Cole Dallaserra then received a win by default at 149 pounds taking Wyoming’s team lead to 16-0. Belleville brought the UW bench to its feet at 5:57 in the third period with a win by fall over Tyler Koehn at the 157-pound weight class. He nearly pinned Koehn in the first period and held a 10-2 lead, with riding time, at the time of the fall. It was the first dual win of Belleville’s young career.

In a physically dominant effort at 165 pounds, Onufer used five takedowns on his way to a 13-2 major decision over James Nakashima. He gave the ‘Pokes an insurmountable 26-0 team lead, sealing the dual win. Onufer now has an 18-4 overall record.

Nebraska finally got on the board at 174 pounds when Brock Smith suffered an 8-4 loss to No. 3-ranked, All-American Stephen Dwyer.

LeBlanc had his hands full at 184 pounds with Josh Ihnen, using a valuable riding time point to pull out a 5-4 decision. He leads the team with a 26-3 overall record, 8-0 in duals.

At the 197-pound weight class, Alfonso Hernandez faced No. 2-ranked, two-time All-American Craig Brester, and lost by major decision 12-1.

Finally, in the heavyweight bout, L.J. Helbig wrestled up in weight versus No. 13 Tucker Lane and lost 7-1.

“Even in the matches we lost, I was proud of our efforts,” Branch said. “On the flip side of that, I was also disappointed with our efforts in some matches we won. These are all learning experiences and we need to keep trying to get better each time out.”

The Cowboys will now prep for a big weekend on Jan. 29-30 when they host No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State on Friday, and then on Saturday will wrestle Western Wrestling Conference foes Utah Valley and Northern Iowa in Laramie.

Cowboys roll past UNC

2010-01-15T23:40:00.003-07:00

The University of Wyoming wrestling team started the Western Wrestling Conference dual season with a bang on Friday night, soundly defeated the Northern Colorado Bears 33-6 at the UniWyo Sports Complex.

The ‘Pokes won seven of nine bouts that were wrestled and did not give up an offensive point to their league opponent until the seventh match of the evening. UW had three bonus-point victories to begin the dual and then won by forfeit at 197 pounds, giving themselves a huge cushion they would never relinquish.

With the win, Wyoming improves their dual mark to 5-2 overall, 1-0 in the WWC, while Northern Colorado falls to 1-9 and 0-1.

“We knew that the lower weights would be tougher matches tonight, so that is why we started out at 165 pounds,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “That was a good weight for us to start at and our upper weight classes really gave us some momentum for the remainder of the dual.

“We trained hard this last week and I did not expect us to be at our best physically tonight, but I did expect us to be on top of our game mentally. I saw some good things and now we just need to go back, clean a few things up and fix the little stuff. We need to continue to chain wrestle and put multiple moves together.”

There were multiple story-lines for the Cowboys against the Bears, including a technical fall win by No. 9-ranked Shane Onufer to kick-off the dual at 165, a major decision by Brock Smith at 174 pounds, a fall from No. 6-ranked All-American Joe LeBlanc at 184, a gritty decision by Alfonso Hernandez at heavyweight, a three-overtime decision by No. 11 Michael Martinez in the 125-pound weight class, as well as shut-out wins by Cory VomBaur (133) and Cole Dallaserra (149).

Wyoming was off and running after reigning WWC Wrestler of the Week Onufer racked up seven takedowns in his 19-4 technical fall win over Kevin O’Brien at 165 pounds. He now owns an overall record of 17-4, with 11 bonus-point wins.

Brock Smith kept lighting up UW’s side of the scoreboard in the 174-pound bout with an aggressive 14-2 major decision over Patrick Prentice. Smith has a 3-1 dual record for the ‘Pokes and an overall mark of 16-8.

Sophomore sensation LeBlanc did not disappoint the home crowd at the 184-pound level, as he pinned Eric Brennan at 5:33. At the time of the fall, LeBlanc led 12-2 and had over four minutes in riding time. The win was No. 70 of his young, two-year career. He now has an overall record this season of 25-3, 7-0 in duals. It was LeBlanc’s eighth pin of the season, the 15th of his career. Of his 25 wins this year, 20 have come by bonus-point margin.

Redshirt freshman L.J. Helbig received a forfeit from UNC at 197 pounds, which gave UW a 21-0 team lead.

Wrestling up in weight to fill UW’s void at heavyweight, Hernandez then gave a valiant effort to beat the much larger Justin Tuell of Northern Colorado by a score of 3-2. He was the aggressor all match and his approach finally paid off in the third period when Tuell was twice penalized points for locking his hands in an effort to keep Hernandez from escaping.

The lightweight bout was a rematch of last season’s West Regional finals match-up between Martinez and the Bears’ Tony Mustari. A riding-time point by Mustari sent the match into extra time, but an escape and subsequent takedown by Martinez in the second overtime, followed by Martinez staying on top for the entire third OT, sealed the match 6-3 in UW’s favor. It was the UW sophomore’s first match back in action since December, after some academic issues kept him out of the last two duals. Martinez now has an overall record of 21-5.

“Win or lose, Michael (Martinez) is going to come out and battle,” Branch said. “He was not happy with his match, but he did keep after it and got a good win. It was good to have him back.”

At 133 pounds, VomBaur tilted a low-scoring affair in his favor by riding Casey Cruz for the entire second period, then gaining three points in the last period via escape, penalty and riding time. The 3-0 win by the UW senior avenged a loss to Cruz earlier this season at the Cowboy Open.

UW’s Chase Smith could not do much with No. 20-ranked Kenny Hashimoto of UNC at 141 pounds and lost 9-2. However, Dallaserra followed with a 5-0 blanking of Justin Gonzalez at 149 pounds to get his team an additional three points. Dallaserra is now 15-8 this season, 4-2 in duals.

The last match of the evening saw UW freshman Jimmy Belleville shrug off his redshirt season at 157 pounds and give Justin Gaethje all he could handle in a close 6-4 loss. It was Belleville’s first varsity action for the ‘Pokes, but after competing the previous portion of the season unattached he does have an impressive 23-4 overall record.

UW will now immediately head out on the road, traveling east on I-80 to face the No. 25 Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Cowgirl swimmers stop UNLV

2010-01-15T23:29:00.002-07:00

LAS VEGAS -- The Wyoming cowgirls swim team remained unbeaten with an impressive 196.5-102.5 win over UNLV Friday night. The Pokes came in as huge underdog’s and took UNLV down to the wire, but came up short with a 154.5-139.5 loss.

The Cowgirl victory advances their unblemished record to 10-0 overall and 3-0 in the MWC. The Cowboys are now 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the league. For UNLV, the men advance their overall mark to 5-1 and 3-0 in the conference, while the women drop to 1-7 and 1-4 in the MWC.

"All in all, it was a great meet for us and we swam well," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "The women came out and won the first race and never looked back. The men’s meet was nip and tuck the whole way and made it very close at the end."

The Cowgirls won 14 of 15 events, including two Cowgirls winning multiple events and three divers earning NCAA Zone "E" qualifying scores.

In the pool, the Cowgirls were led by junior Stephanie Vint and freshman Paige Fischer. Vint won three individual events and anchored the 400 freestyle relay that placed fourth. Vint’s victories came in both the 100 (57.82 seconds) and 200 (2:05.46) butterflies, along with the 400 IM (4:24.31). Fischer took over the distance events for the Cowgirls winning both the 1000 freestyle (10:21.62) and 500 freestyle (5:03.26).

Other individual winners for UW were Kelsey Conci in the 100 backstroke (57.45), Lesley Young in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.50), Cassie Stelow in the 50 freestyle (23.35), Shelby Bull in the 100 freestyle (51.73) and Lauren Hewson in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.91). The Cowgirls also won the 200 medley relay in 1:45.56, and 400 freestyle relay in 3:27.47.

The Cowgirl divers swept both the one-meter and three-meter springboards. Emily Huth earned a Zone qualifying score by placing first on one-meter with a score of 285.53 points. Stephanie Ortiz and Allie Smith were second and third respectively and also earned Zone marks. On three-meter, Smith led the way in first with another Zone score of 285.38. Huth and Ortiz finished in second and third.

"The divers dominated today with the Zone scores. They have been great all week," Johnson said. "Vint won three events and swam really well. Paige (Fischer) continued her impressive times in the 1000 freestyle and remains unbeaten in that event this year. Stelow and Bull had tremendous swims as well. We were deep today and had a great team effort."

The Pokes took the defending conference champions to the last race before the winner was decided. Individually, sophomore Brandon Fischer led the charge by winning three events of his own. Fischer won both the 100 (56.67) and 200 (2:03.39) breaststrokes, as well as the 400 IM (4:04.91).

Other individual winners today include Marshall Dilworth in the 100 backstroke (50.52) and Nathan Fuller in the 200 backstroke (1:51.69). On the diving boards, the Cowboys also swept both their boards. On one-meter Mark Murdock led the way with a Zone qualifying score of 320.85 and finished first. Teammate Kyle Bogner was second and also qualified for Zones with 318.83. The two Cowboy divers then switched placed on three-meter. Bogner was first with 341.25, while Murdock was second with 291.53. Bogner’s three-meter score is also a Zone qualifying score.

"We had another relay DQ’ed today that could have cost us the meet. That is something we definitely need to get better at. The divers were tremendous with their Zone scores today," Johnson said. "Guys like Fischer, Dilworth, Fuller, and Henehan were studs today. We just need to find a way to win a few more events."

The Wyoming teams return home for a pair of meets next week, hosting Utah Friday at 5 p.m. and BYU Saturday at noon.

Indoor sprinters compete at Air Force

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The University of Wyoming track and field team had seven sprinters compete in the Air Force All-Comers meet on Friday.

The Cowboys had four compete in the 60-meter hurdles and all ran very well. They were led by freshman Brandon Douglass with a second-place finish and time of 8.41 seconds, which was a personal best and time that was good for seventh all-time in UW history. Douglas was followed by senior Kekoa Chavez with his fifth place finish and personal best time of 8.63.

The Cowgirls had three athletes compete in the 60-meter hurdles and were led by senior Jennifer Schmitz and freshman Katy Hall. Schmitz ran a 8.89, good for third place while Hall ran a personal best 8.93, good for fourth place and a time that ranks eighth all-time in Cowgirl history.

“I was very happy with the way that we ran today,” said UW head coach Don Yentes. “We are farther along than I thought we would be at this point after having six weeks between meets, and it was a great for some of our sprinters to run against some competition, instead of just practicing.”

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will compete as a team Friday in the Potts Invite in Boulder, Colo.

Cowgirl swimmers remain unbeaten

2010-01-12T22:37:00.003-07:00

DENVER -- The Wyoming women's swim team remained unbeaten with a 178-122 win over Denver on Tuesday. The Cowboys weren't as fortunate, falling to DU 154-146.

With the win, the Cowgirls are now 9-0 on the season in duals, while the Cowboys fell to 5-2 with the loss.

The Wyoming divers kicked off the meet with the women on the three-meter board and the men on the one-meter board. The Cowgirls were led by Allie Smith, who won with a final score of 279.60 points. Stephanie Ortiz, Tiffany Izatt and Emily Huth placed second through fourth respectively. For the Pokes one-meter, Mark Murdock was second (335.70) and Kyle Bogner was third (322.43).

Later in the meet the divers returned to the boards with the women on one-meter and the men on three-meter. The Cowgirls this time were led by Ortiz in first with a final score of 311.47, while Huth was second with a total of 268.20. The Pokes went second and third with Murdock at 356.17 and Bogner at 354.82 on three-meter.

"The Cowgirl divers were solid as usual, which they have been all year," said head coach Tom Johnson. "The men dove well but were up against a tough DU diver, Cody Stambaugh, and we competed well against him."

In the pool, the Cowgirls started the night off by winning the 200 medley relay with Kelsey Conci, Lesley Young, Shelby Bull, and Cassie Stelow. Freshman Paige Fischer came in first in the 1000 freestyle in 10 minutes, 31.93 seconds to give the Cowgirls their first individual win of the night.

The Cowgirls continued their winning ways by winning a total of 13 events. The Cowgirls had three races that ended with first and second place finishes. In the 50 freestyle, the Cowgirls won with Conci in first and Stelow close behind in second. Other one-two finishes were in 100 freestyle with Bull and Stelow, and 500 freestyle with Fischer and Stephanie Vint.

Other individual winners include Vint in both the 200 freestyle (1:53.16) and 200 IM (2:07.68), Conci in the 100 backstroke (56.70), Lesley Young in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.16) and Lauren Hewson in the 200 breaststroke (2:19.45). The Cowgirls ended the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay with Bull, Caroline Wells, Conci and Stelow.

"The women were unbelievable. Vint was a hammer, winning multiple events and participating in the relays," said Johnson. "Cassie Stelow was a little disappointed with her 50 freestyle but came back with Shelby Bull and they both swam season bests in the 100 freestyle, which is good to see."

For The Cowboys won seven events and the first win of the night came from captain Brett Henehan, who captured the 200 freestyle in 1:42.73. Marshall Dilworth followed with his own first place finish in the 100 backstroke in 51.62. In the 100 freestyle, captain Tommy Gregory and Christian Johnson went first and second to give Wyoming much needed points. In the 200 breaststroke, the Pokes also went first and second with Brandon Fischer and Kendrick Bachman.
"The 200 medley relay that we were disqualified in to start the day really hurt us," said Johnson. "It cost us the meet at the end, but we still had stellar performance from Brett Henehan, Brandon Fischer and Kendrick Bachman."

Other event winners for the Cowboys included Fischer in the 100 breaststroke (56.93), Gregory in the 50 freestyle (21.27) and Nathan Fuller in an exciting 200 backstroke (1:52.56).

Wyoming returns to the pool on Friday against conference foe at UNLV, beginning at 1 p.m.

Cowboys rally to beat N.C. State

2010-01-05T23:08:00.003-07:00

Redshirt freshman Lee Helbig

UW-NCS statistics

by UW Media Relations

The University of Wyoming wrestling team took its home fans on an emotional roller coaster on Tuesday night in the UniWyo Sports Complex against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Short-handed and with a shuffled lineup, UW fell behind 15-4 after five weight classes, only to rally and win the remaining five bouts, earning a 26-15 team victory.

Wyoming improves to 4-1 in dual matches this season, while North Carolina State drops to 2-5. The Cowboys are now 3-0 all-time versus the Wolfpack.

Getting wins for the ‘Pokes in their first home dual since Nov. 13 were senior Cory VomBaur at 133 pounds, sophomores Shane Onufer (165), Brock Smith (174), Joe LeBlanc (184) and Alfonso Hernandez (197), as well as the unlikely hero, redshirt freshman Lee Helbig at heavyweight.

“The overall theme tonight was that we needed our guys to step up and fill some vacancies,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “Some guys stepped up and some didn’t. The later needs to, and will be addressed, but hats off to our upper weights. They really pulled through and made the end of that dual about as exciting as it could be. They put a good product out there and hopefully that is what our fans want to see.”

The Cowboy team was not in a good position to begin the match since they were missing two starters from this past fall. Junior heavyweight Matthew McLaughlin has been declared academically ineligible for the remainder of the season and No. 10-ranked lightweight Michael Martinez was relegated to the bench pending a decision on his own academic issues.

As a result, the ‘Pokes had to forfeit the 125-pound weight class and immediately were down 6-0.

No. 22-ranked VomBaur got the Cowboys their only win in the lower weights at 133 pounds with an 8-0 major decision over Scott Norris. VomBaur fended off Norris early and then took control of the match with a takedown at 2:08, never looking back on his way to a bonus-point win.

UW was now down 6-4, but things would only get worse over the next three matches. Sophomore Chase Smith and junior Cole Dallaserra each lost one-point decisions at 141 and 149 pounds respectively, while sophomore Mikah Kadera also dropped a decision at 157 pounds, by a score of 8-4. Wyoming was now behind by 11 points, 15-4.

The Wolfpack would not score another team point, as the Cowboys’ upper weights then took the reins and guided their squad to a victory by winning five consecutive bouts.

In his first action in a month due to a knee injury, No. 9-ranked Onufer set the tone for a comeback by sticking Ray Ward to the mat at 4:35 in the second period of their 165-pound match. The win by fall was his fifth this season and 19th of his two-year career. Onufer dominated the match from the start and led 9-2 at the time of his pin, thanks to three takedowns, a two-point nearfall and an escape. He now has a season record of 15-4.

Brock Smith then followed suit at 174 pounds by shutting out Quinton Godley, 5-0. Smith is 15-7 this season, 2-0 in duals for the Cowboys.

All-American and No. 7-ranked LeBlanc took all of two minutes and 28 seconds to pin Jonathan Becker at 184 pounds, continuing his amazing run of bonus-point victories this year. He now has a season record of 23-3, with 18 of those wins by either fall, technical fall or major decision. The fall against the Wolfpack was LeBlanc’s seventh this season and 14th of his career. His win gave UW the lead for good at 19-15.

Hernandez then put the match out of reach for his team with an impressive 13-4 major decision at 197 pounds over Andrew Tumlin. He led 4-1 heading into the third period before gassing his opponent with four takedowns in the final two minutes.

Helbig’s match at heavyweight then ended the evening on an emotional high note. Wrestling up in weight in his first career dual for the Brown and Gold, the UW 197-pounder took the fight to his much larger opponent, Eloheim Palma, never giving the N.C. State big man a chance to rest. Helbig won 6-0 in dominating fashion, with takedowns in the first and third periods, an escape point and a riding time point. In fact, Helbig had 3:20 in riding time as he had control from beginning to end. He is now 14-8 this season.

“I can’t say enough about L.J. (Helbig),” Branch said “He won tonight because from the moment he stepped onto that mat he thought he could beat their guy. It’s exciting to see a guy who is put into that kind of situation really step up and perform. With adversity the best will come out of you and our entire team can learn from that kind of effort.”

Wyoming will now take a quick road trip to Corvallis, Ore., to face the No. 24-ranked Oregon State Beavers on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Cowboy wrestlers thump Cardinal

2009-12-19T09:31:00.003-07:00

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.

Onufer earns wrestler of week honors

2009-12-08T13:49:00.001-07:00

UW sophomore Shane Onufer

CEDAR 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)

UW hockey sweeps Metro State

2009-12-07T19:20:00.003-07:00

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.

Cowboy wrestlers finish 10th

2009-12-05T23:20:00.001-07:00

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.

UW indoor tracksters beat CSU

2009-12-05T23:13:00.004-07:00

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.”

Murdock breaks own diving record

2009-12-05T23:07:00.004-07:00

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.

Three Cowboys in Vegas semis

2009-12-05T08:32:00.002-07:00

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.
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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

2009-12-05T08:28:00.002-07:00

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.

Cowboy wrestling signs six

2009-12-03T19:46:00.002-07:00

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.

Cowgirl volleyball signs two

2009-12-03T19:35:00.002-07:00

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.

Cowboy wrestlers split in duals

2009-11-22T23:34:00.002-07:00

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.
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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
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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

Chase Smith leads Cowboys in New York

2009-11-21T23:48:00.003-07:00

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.”

UW swimmers split at TCU

2009-11-21T23:43:00.002-07:00

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.

Cowgirls send Kagarise out on top

2009-11-19T22:26:00.003-07:00

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.”

UW golf signs three

2009-11-18T23:25:00.003-07:00

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.”

Martinez wins league honors

2009-11-17T21:50:00.003-07:00

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.

UW swimmers win in New Mexico

2009-11-14T23:24:00.001-07:00

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.

Cowgirls fall in three to Utah

2009-11-14T23:21:00.003-07:00

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.

Five Cowboys win titles

2009-11-14T23:11:00.002-07:00

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)

UW wrestlers top Northwest

2009-11-13T23:03:00.002-07:00

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.

Cowgirls fall to BYU in three

2009-11-12T21:59:00.002-07:00

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.

Cowboy wrestlers to open at home

2009-11-12T21:56:00.003-07:00

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.

UW hockey drops two of three

2009-11-09T18:16:00.001-07:00

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).

Cowgirls sweep Air Force in three

2009-11-07T22:00:00.004-07:00

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.

Cowgirls come up short again

2009-11-05T22:32:00.007-07:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

In college basketball, it’s a 40-minute game. On the volleyball court, the team that scores the final point gets the win.

For the young Wyoming volleyball team, Thursday night was case of doing just about everything better but scoring points; San Diego State had the edge at the end, winning in five games, 25-20, 22-25, 13-25, 25-13 and 16-14.

The heartbreaking defeat was the fourth time in Mountain West Conference matches that the Cowgirls have taken it to the limit, but come out on the short end of five-set matches. Two of those five-set losses have been to the Aztecs.

“Realistically it was about us; we didn’t handle the pressure situations of the match,“ Wyoming assistant coach Jill Stucky said. ‘As our team matures, we plan on those situations going our way. Right now with this team, we’re going to continue to work on pressure situations, so the next time we get into that position, the match will go our way.”

What made it more difficult to swallow for Wyoming, 1-11 in MWC play and 11-165 overall, is the Cowgirls had a 2-1 edge in the match before dropping the fourth game, and then led 13-10 in the fifth set before the Aztecs, 5-7, 11-12, rallied in the end.

“We just have to finish,” said Wyoming junior outside hitter Lauren Whitney, who had 19 kills and 23 digs in the game. “We get there and we’re fighting, competing, competing and in the end we don’t finish. That’s what we need to work on, finishing the game.”

The one area in which the Cowgirls fell short statistically was on the block, where the Aztecs held a commanding 16-7 edge in total team blocks. SDSU had one solo block and 30 block assists, to just one solo for the Cowgirls and 12 assisted blocks.

Part of that was due to Wyoming losing 6-foot-4 freshman middle blocker Camille Coffman on the first set of the game. Coffman appears to have a high ankle sprain and her availability is in question.

Freshman Makenzie Bartsch, who was seen more and more playing time as of late, filled in admirable, but Coffman’s void was felt.

Stucky said the actual move in the game was made at setter, as junior Barbara Lasic, who had been out with a sprained ankle herself, played the rest of the way and finished with 55 set assists.

“That was the main adjustment that we made,“ Stucky said. “We lost a huge block that we really could have used. At the same time, Barbara is back and healthy; she ran a pretty good offense.”

After two competitive sets to begin the match, the Cowgirls came out on absolute fire in the third frame led by the hard hitting of Whitney, freshman Jodi Purdy and junior JennaRae Jester. The Cowgirls led 16-3 and were never challenged.

That momentum, however, was fleeting, as the Aztecs controlled the fourth game although Wyoming made a nice run to close the gap.

In the end, the ball didn’t fall the Cowgirls way.

“Everything adds up. One to six is just as important as 18-25,” Whitney said. “We have to push through the whole game and not just be satisfied with 20.”

Purdy led all hitters with 21 kills, while Jester added 15 kills and hit .750 with no errors. As a team, the Cowgirls hit .218 and had 65 kills to 56 for SDSU. The Aztecs were paced by Andrea Hannasch with 12 kills and Hannah Evans with 11. Hannasch was also big at the net, with nine assisted blocks.

The Cowgirls will look to bounce back Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when they host Air Force.

“We’ll just keep plugging along. We’ll be back here on Saturday,” Whitney said.

Jester earns academic honors
For the first time in her career, Jester was selected on Thursday to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team. Jester, who has earned a 3.96 cumulative grade-point average in business administration, was one of six individuals to earn Second Team honors.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team is a part of the Academic All-America program. Student-athletes are selected in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). CoSIDA District VII is made up of the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

To qualify, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, must be at least a sophomore and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team’s matches.

An Academic All-MWC and Scholar Athlete selection, Jester has played in all 27 matches and 104 sets this season and for her career 57 matches and 206 sets. Going into Thursday's match, she was averaging a team- leading .257 (191-76-448) hitting percentage and 1.13 blocks per set, while adding 1.93 kills and 2.81 points per set. She currently ranks fourth overall in blocks and fifth in MWC matches in that category.

Lobos end Cowgirls soccer season

2009-11-04T22:36:00.001-07:00

PROVO, Utah -- Wyoming’s soccer season ended Wednesday with a 1-0 loss to New Mexico in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Cowgirls finish the year 9-8-3 overall, while New Mexico (13-4-3) advances to the semi-finals.

The Lobos netted the game winner very quickly out of halftime at the 46:33 mark. Rachel Felds and Alexis Ball teamed up on the assist for the Zaneta Wyne goal.

The Cowgirls kept the attack on the Lobos after the goal, but were unable to find the equalizer. With under a minute left the Cowgirls had a corner kick opportunity and a free kick with eight seconds left, but the Lobos were able to clear.

UNM outshot the Cowgirls 14-7 in the game. Freshman Courtney Merkle made five saves, while UNM keeper Kelli Cornell stopped three shots.

Prior to the game, two Cowgirls were honored by being named Second Team All-Conference. Senior Emma Wilson and junior Nicole Rice earned conference honors of the first time in their careers. Wilson not only led the team in assists, but she also was tied for second in the MWC in assists at the end of the regular-season. Rice was tied for second on the squad in goals with three and second

UW hockey to host weekend games

2009-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club, off to a 5-2 start and ranked seventh in the Pacific Region of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), returns to the ice this weekend with three home games.

The Cowboys open with a 7 p.m. Friday faceoff against the University of Nebraska (4-3) at the Taco John's Events Center in Cheyenne. The Cornhuskers won the last meeting between the clubs, 6-4 in November 2007.

UW's weekend continues Saturday with a 7 p.m. showdown against Iowa State University (2-2) at the Laramie Community Ice Arena and concludes Sunday in Cheyenne with an 11 a.m. contest against Creighton University (0-2).

UW's games last week, against the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines, were cancelled because of poor travel conditions. The Cowboys haven't played since sweeping a two-game series Oct. 24-25 at Mesa State College.

Cowgirl rodeo team to be honored at BYU game

2009-11-04T11:49:00.001-07:00

The University of Wyoming women's rodeo team, winners of last summer's College National Finals Rodeo championship, will be honored at halftime of Saturday's football game against Brigham Young University. The game begins at noon.

The four team members are TaNaye Carroll, La Junta, Colo; Kacy Hatten, Wheatland; Sarah Mulholland, Richland Center, Wis.; and Nikki Steffes, Vale, S.D. They are coached by George Howard.

The four helped UW win its second CNFR title in the past three seasons and the program's fifth overall. The 2009 national champions won 10 of 11 regional rodeos last season and set a school-record with 5,620 total points.

Three of the four team members still attend UW to complete their degrees. Hatten is a current team member and is majoring in agricultural communications; Mulholland majors in nursing; and Steffes is a molecular/medical biology major. Carroll is pursing a doctoral degree at Creighton University.

Both Mulholland and Steffes have used up their eligibility, but Steffes still competes because she is the regional student director. However, her points do not count toward the Cowgirls' team scores.

Steffes won the her second all-around title at last summer's CNFR and was the national goat tying runner-up for the third straight season. Mulholland won the goat tying championship.

Cowgirls rally to stop Colorado Christian

2009-11-03T22:51:00.004-07:00

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls snapped a six-game a losing streak and beat the Colorado Christian Cougars 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-22) Tuesday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Wyoming (11-15, 1-10 Mountain West Conference), stepped out of conference play to take on Colorado Christian (5-24, 1-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference), before playing conference foes San Diego State and Air Force to close out the week.

Facing the Division II School out of Lakewood, Colo., at home figured to be just the tune up the Cowgirls needed to begin the week, but the Cougars had other ideas and came out of the gate with inspired play and shocked the home team winning the first set.

“Colorado Christian, this match really mattered to them,” UW head coach Carrie Yerty said. “They came in ready to play and we did not come ready to play, and it was very obvious.”

Yerty said perhaps her team was overlooking their opponent to their next match with San Diego State.

“I don’t think that our focus was there tonight, but I do commend the team for coming back and winning," Yerty said.

Winning is what the Cowgirls did indeed after the first set and overwhelmed the visitors by a combined score of 50-30 in the next two sets to lead the match 2-1, but the pesky Cougars still would not go away.

The fourth and final set was a back-and-forth battle between two teams hungry for a win. With Colorado Christian clinging to a 22-21 lead, the Cowgirls scored three straight to regain the lead at 24-22. Wyoming would then score the match point, but not without some drama. The final kill hit the west end-line and it was initially ruled out-of-bounds with the point going the other way, but a brief conference by the officials confirmed that the ball hit the end-line and the point went to the home team securing their 11th win of the season.

“Right now, it’s a good confidence boost,” UW junior JennaRae Jester said. “Game one, we weren’t completely all there together, but to make game two better than game one, game three better than two, and four better than three, and that’s what we came out here to do and hopefully that will give our team a lot of confidence.”

Jester had 13 kills in the match, following teammate Jodi Purdy, who had a game-high 16 kills with 12 digs, while Lauren Whitney contributed 10 kills of her own.

Colorado Christian was led by Andi Weber, Taryn Coughlin, and Brooke Wittmayer each recording nine kills and Wittmayer also chipped in 14 digs.

Wyoming will take a day off and then step back into conference play Thursday night against the San Diego State Aztecs, beginning at 7 p.m., in the UniWyo Sports Complex

Cowgils to face Lobos in conference tourney opener

2009-11-03T16:26:00.003-07:00

For the second time in two weeks, the Wyoming soccer team will play in Provo, Utah, as the cowgirls take on New Mexico Wednesday in the first round Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

"We are excited to be playing in the Mountain West Tournament. We know that New Mexico is a very good squad that has a tremendous defense and some of the most dangerous attackers in the league," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "Everyone knows everyone else so well at this point of the season that I expect it to be a very competitive tournament."

The Cowgirls finished the regular season at 3-3-1 in conference play, which puts them as the fifth seed in the tournament, and 9-7-3 and 3-3-1 in conference play, which put them as the fifth seed in the tournament. This season will be the first post-season appearance for UW soccer since 2007.

New Mexico earned the fourth seed after posting an overall record of 12-4-3 and 4-3-0 in the MWC. Earlier in the season on Oct. 8, the Cowgirls traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. for their second conference game of 2009. The Cowgirls fell behind 1-0 in the second half, but scored two goals from freshman Carmen Blume and Mara Cosgrove for the 2-1 victory.

The win over UNM was the fourth of five consecutive victories for the Cowgirls.

Individually, Blume leads the team in goals with four, while four Cowgirls are close behind with three goals scored. Senior Emma Wilson has seven assists on the season which is second most in school history in a single season. Wilson also ranks second in the MWC in assists.

Freshman goalkeeper Courtney Merkle has started in every game for the Cowgirls this season and owns the best save percentage in the conference at .827.

The Cowgirls and Lobos will battle for a chance to move to the semi-finals against regular-season champion BYU.

Cowgirl soccer falls to BYU

2009-11-01T10:06:00.002-07:00

PROVO, Utah -- After a scoreless first half, the University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team fell to the BYU Cougars 2-0 on Saturday.

The Halloween match closed the regular season for the Cowgirls. UW has already clinched a spot in the Mountain West Conference Tournament that will begin next week.

The Cowgirls are 9-7-3 overall and 3-3-1 in the MWC. The ninth ranked Cougars advance to 16-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in league play.

The two teams battled to a first half scoreless tie. BYU held the advantage in first half shots six to one. Freshman keeper Courtney Merkle made four saves to keep the score at zero going into halftime.

BYU struck at the 50:11 mark when Carlee Payne passed ahead to Kassidy Shumway for the first goal of the game. 13 minutes later the Cougars added their second goal of the day on a goal from Andrea Willis.

BYU goalkeeper McKinzie Olson made four saves in the game for her 10th shutout victory of 2009. UW’s Merkle made eight saves and fellow freshman Meagan Burke made one save in her 13 minutes of action.

The Cowgirls will return to Provo again Wednesday for the MWC Tournament. It will mark the first postseason appearance for Wyoming since 2007. The Cowgirls will wait for the completion of other MWC games so see who they will face.

UW cross country teams fifth at MWC meet

2009-11-01T09:58:00.003-07:00

MWC photo/Wyoming junior Emily Byra

OREM, Utah -- The University of Wyoming cross country teams had a pair of fifth-place finishes at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships at the Cascade Golf Course on Saturday afternoon.

The University of New Mexico won the team titles on both the men’s side and women’s side with a total of 29 and 24 points respectively. The Cowboys finished fifth with a total of 132 points, while the Cowgirls also finished fifth but with a total of 165 points.

The Cowboys were led by junior Taylor Kelting with his 8k time of 25 minutes, 34 seconds, good for 24th place. Sophomore Greg Miller was recovering from a bruised foot that he injured a couple weeks ago and ran a very solid race for the ‘Pokes, with his 26th-place finish and time of 25:43. Sophomore Ryan Griesbach and freshman Nik Deininger were not far behind with their 30th and 33rd-place finishes respectively.

“We were looking to finish in the top-four which was a little disappointing,” said head coach Randy Cole. “Greg (Miller) was unable to run to his standard but still put in quite the effort for us today. Taylor (Kelting) picked up the pace for us and ran probably his best race as a Cowboy today.”

On the women’s side, junior Emily Byra led the charge for the Cowgirls, as she finished in 26th place with her time in the 6k race of 22:47. Senior Erin Heffron and junior Francis Gipson were not far behind as they finished in 35th and 36th respectively. Freshman Brooke Hughes ran a solid race with her 39th-place finish and time of 23:30, while junior Alysha Davis crossed the tape in 42nd place.

“Emily (Byra) ran a very smart progressive race and on the women’s side we knew it was going to be a battle,” said Cole. “Both teams are very young and it was a great atmosphere for them, and I really believe that with one more year of training they can be up towards the top battling for a title.”

Up next for the Cowboys and Cowgirls will be the NCAA Mountain Regionals in Albuquerque on Nov. 14.

Cowgirls fall in three to Rams

2009-10-30T22:44:00.002-06:00

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Wyoming Cowgirls stayed with first-place Colorado State, but still fell in three games Friday at Moby Gym.

The Rams, (10-1 in Mountain West play, 18-4 overall), came away with a 25-22, 25-20 and 25-20 win over the Cowgirls, who fell to 1-10, 10-15.

Freshman Jodi Purdy led the Cowgirls with nine kills, eight digs, three block assists and a .280 (9-2-25) hitting percentage. Junior Lauren Whitney had nine kills and nine digs, while junior JennaRae Jester had nine kills and three blocks. Wyoming hit .167 (31-14-102) for the match.

Colorado State was led by Danielle Minch, who had 17 kills and a .419 (17-4-31) hitting percentage. Two players followed with nine kills each. The Rams hit .297 (49-16-111) for the match.

The Cowgirls will be at home next week for three matches. They will host the Colorado Christian Cougars, on Tuesday, the San Diego State Aztecs on Thursday and the Air Force Academy Falcons on Saturday, Nov. 7. The Tuesday and Thursday match will start at 7 p.m., while the Saturday match is slated to start at 7:30 p.m.

UW ready for MWC cross country meet

2009-10-30T14:29:00.000-06:00

The 2009 Mountain West Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday at the Cascade Golf Course in Orem, Utah. The men’s 8K race will begin at 10 a.m., while the women’s 6K race will start at 11 a.m.

Sophomore, Greg Miller will lead the Cowboys while junior Alysha Davis will set the pace for the Cowgirls. Both have experience at the meet and know what they are up against.

“It’s an exciting time and great opportunity for us to compete at the conference championships,” said sixth year head coach Randy Cole. “This is what we talk about all year long, and we are looking forward to putting out our best competitive effort of the season.”

On the men’s side, BYU is ranked seventh in the nation and is favored to take the team title while 19th-ranked New Mexico will push them the whole way. Miller and the Cowboys will put their best foot forward and take the approach of going after one team at a time.

“We have to go after the teams that we are capable of beating and take shots at people ahead of us when we get there,” said Cole. “Greg (Miller) and Taylor (Kelting) have a great shot at earning All-Conference honors as long as they stay close and have an opportunity to take a shot towards the end.”

For the women, 21st-ranked BYU and 20th-ranked New Mexico will again be battling it out for the crown. However, Davis and the rest of the Cowgirls will be running in their tight pack just as they have all season behind them.

“The women have been running in a real close pack all year and as long as we continue to get them to move up in the field we will have a very successful meet,” said Cole. “It should be a real exciting battle towards the end, and as long as we can get everyone clicking on the same day we should compete.”

Eight of the 14 Cowboys and Cowgirls competing at this year’s championships will be their first in their career, so there is much to learn for this season’s squad.

Stucky, Cowgirls ready for Border War II

2009-10-29T16:58:00.007-06:00

The Wyoming coach staff, including, from left, Tony Sunga, head coach Carrie Yerty and Jill Stucky, right, watch from the bench.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

No one gets more fired up for the Border War than Wyoming assistant volleyball coach Jill Stucky. The former Cowgirl player faced the Rams several times in the early to mid 1990s.

Even though she is now on the sidelines, the adrenaline continues to pump, almost out of control.

“The Border War is one of those things that every girl dreams about when they get into college athletics. They have those big dreams that one day I am going to play volleyball at the University of Wyoming and when they think of that, they think of playing against Colorado State University,” Stucky said. “It is such a huge rivalry and it is going to be so much fun. We’re going to pout our best foot forward and we’re going to drive to CSU, have a great practice and give it all we have. I think it will be a great match.”

The Cowgirls and Rams will face off for the second time this season Friday night at 7 p.m. in Moby Gym in Fort Collins.

Stucky, who lettered for the Cowgirls from 1994-96 as Jill Jones, remembers those days fondly. In fact, Wyoming and CSU split six matches in that time span.

“Even when I was not part of this institution, I always kept track of the Border War because it was always an important time for me," she said, filling in for head coach Carrie Yerty Tuesday in the weekly news conference. “It is such a huge part of who Wyoming is, I know the kids can feel it from me every time we play them. They feel that hunger for a win from me. I hope I can transfer that to them.”

The young Cowgirls haven’t had much success against CSU as of late, losing in three games earlier this season in Laramie. The Rams have also won 21 straight matches against Wyoming, with the Cowgirls last win in the series coming one year after Stucky’s graduation in 1997.

The Cowgirls, 10-14 and 1-9 in the Mountain West Conference, have also lost five straight matches this season, although they have been competitive in several of them, losing four five-set affairs in league play.

“Although we would really like to get some Ws, we have changed our lineup so we have five freshmen out of the nine kids who we rotate in,” Stucky said. “For people like (freshman) Makenzie Bartsch, who this is really her first opportunity to play, I don’t think the L in the loser column is such a big deal to her because every time she steps out on the floor, she is learning. The ball is the best teacher. Every rep she gets, she is getting better and better and better in preparing for our next opponent and for her sophomore year, her junior year and her senior year.

“Even though we’re getting Ls, we’re definitely winning right now. All of those young kids are really coming around and making great strides.”

The Cowgirls are led by freshman outside hitter Jodi Purdy, who is averaging 3.45 kills and 2.53 digs per set. She is followed by juniors Lauren Whitney and Dani Bedore. Whitney is averaging 2.48 kills, while Bedore is adding 2.10 kills and 2.00 digs per set. As a team, the Cowgirls are averaging 12.08 kills and 13.31 digs per set.

The Rams are 17-4 overall and 9-1 in the MWC. They are led by Danielle Minch, who is averaging 3.64 kills and almost one dig per set.

UW Polo Club to host CSU

2009-10-27T13:27:00.000-06:00

The University of Wyoming Polo Club will host its first ever polo game when it hosts Colorado State University Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Cliff and Martha Hansen Arena. Admission is free.

Indoor polo involves three players and one alternate on a team using a large, inflated ball that resembles a mini soccer ball, rather than four players using the smaller hard plastic ball found in traditional outdoor polo, says Polo Club President Drew Luplow. He said the eight horses were donated to the club, so no personally-owned horses are needed.

"This is nice so we can let anyone who wants to try come out and ride and participate. This is how most collegiate polo teams operate," Luplow said. UW competes in the U.S. Polo Association that includes CSU, New Mexico State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Washington State and a few others.

Luplow has played for a few years on the outdoor polo fields near Big Horn in Sheridan County. The other players are from that area. They are Matt Huckeba, Peter Burgess and Anthony Kolos. UW is also organizing a women's team.

"I am happy we could get this started and bring something new to the University of Wyoming," he said. "We are still open to new members who want to come in and give it a try."

Next week, the UW men will play in a tournament at CSU that features the University of Kentucky, Westmont, New Mexico State and CSU.

For more information, contact Luplow at dluplow@uwyo.edu, phone (307) 7511-5971.

UW hockey club sweeps Mesa State

2009-10-26T19:41:00.000-06:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club, powered by Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.), Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) and Kenny Ainsworth (Casper), swept a two-game weekend series against Mesa State College.

The Cowboys (5-2) overwhelmed the Mavericks (2-9-1) in both games, winning 6-2 and 8-1 at Glacier Ice Arena in Grand Junction, Colo. Fourteen players recorded at least one point for UW, which outshot Mesa State by a staggering 103-45 count over the weekend.

In Saturday's opener, Ross netted the first two goals of the game to spark the Cowboys. Ryan Allred (Laramie), Jake Bates and Luke Walker (Jackson) and Taylor Freeman (Parker, Colo.) also scored goals.

Bates, Nelson, Elliott Bauder (Douglas), Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.), Dustin Galbreath (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Willy Miller (Arvada, Colo.) and Levi Wood (Cheyenne) recorded assists for UW.

Nelson was the Cowboys' offensive star in Sunday's contest, notching his first collegiate hat trick and assisting on another goal. Bauder added three assists and Bates and Ross each contributed a pair of helpers.

Allred, Blomberg, Wood, Willie Forbes (Casper) and Craig Luplow (Banner) also scored goals for UW. Walker, T.J. Peters (Jackson) and Tyler Yorke (Calgary, Alberta) added assists.

Ainsworth earned both victories in goal, turning aside 19 shots in the first game and making 23 saves in the series finale. After a one-year hiatus from the club, Ainsworth has won four of his first five starts while posting a 1.80 goals-against average.

The Cowboys, ranked No. 7 in the season's inaugural Pacific Region poll of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, match up against Border War rival Colorado State University (3-0-1) this week. The teams' lone meeting of the season is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at EPIC Ice Arena in Fort Collins, Colo.

UW wrestlers still young and talented

2009-10-26T16:04:00.004-06:00

UW wrestling coach Mark Branch

by UW Athletics Media Relations

Expectations will run high for the Wyoming Cowboy wrestling team in 2009-10, as head coach Mark Branch enters his second year at the controls of the program, and after a successful 2008-09 campaign, branded UW as a team on the rise in the world of collegiate wrestling.

UW returns 11 letterwinners for the 2009-10 season, four NCAA qualifiers, including All-American Joe LeBlanc, and boasts a recruiting class that was recognized by numerous national publications for its’ potential at the NCAA level.

Of 24 Wyoming squad members this season, 20 are underclassmen, meaning this talented young team will represent UW on the wrestling mat for multiple years to come.

Several media outlets have listed the Cowboys in their preseason top-25 team polls, in addition to D1CollegeWrestling.net, InterMat, TheOpenMat.com and W.I.N. Magazine each ranking UW’s recruiting class in the nation’s top 20.

“My expectations for this team are always high,” Branch said. “However, this year the team has the same mind-set that I do. They believe that they are capable of the very highest level both as a team and individually, meaning a national title. I will never tell them otherwise because I have seen amazing things happen first-hand. I believe in the work ethic and skills of our guys and I know they will give me everything I ask of them.”

Twelve returning team members saw dual match action last season when the Cowboys grabbed a share of the regular season Western Wrestling Conference dual championship with a record of 15-3 overall, 5-0 in the WWC. The 2008-09 UW team also had a runner-up finish at the West Regional/WWC Tournament, four individual champions and automatic NCAA qualifiers, as well as nine of 10 wrestlers placing in the top-three of their weight class which led the WWC. Branch was the league’s Coach of the Year and was selected as the Top Rookie Coach in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News.

“As far as specific team goals, I will say that after coming so close last year at the conference tournament we definitely want to win that league title and bring that trophy back to Laramie,” Branch said. “Another focal point will be sending 10 guys to the NCAA Tournament. As I look up and down our lineup, I see that as a realistic possibility.”

Despite Wyoming’s youth, the team should not have to rely on any true freshmen at any of the ten weight classes, so the training approach and scheduling approach has been adjusted by the UW coaching staff to match the squad’s needs for the 2009-10 season.

“Our approach to preseason training has changed this year since the coaching staff has a better idea of what we have to work with,” Branch said. “There is more of a focus on mat wrestling, more top and bottom work, since we emphasized technique on our feet all of last season. We are trying to address areas where we saw needs and ones that will make us better.

“Last year, we had a young, unproven team that simply needed live experience. They wrestled more matches than I will probably ever ask of them again, but it was to their benefit. This year, although our team numbers are not where I would like them, we do have options and experience at every weight. Our goal will be to keep the guys healthy, rested and strong, while at the same time facing tougher opponents, and a wide variety of opponents which will help our chances in the NCAA qualification process.

“Our schedule will be considerably tougher this year, as we have tried to expose our team to competition across the country. There were really two key elements we considered when putting together our schedule. One, we want to wrestle elite competition, so that when championship time comes around we have confidence knowing we are prepared. Two, we wanted to cater to our fans and provide more opportunities to watch Cowboy Wrestling in Laramie.

“We are eagerly anticipating our home events. In addition to hosting the Cowboy Open, we have seven dual match-ups, which include the most successful wrestling program in history in Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa and several of our other conference rivals.”

The Cowboys will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA National Tournament by earning automatic or wild-card bids at the West Regional Tournament and WWC Championship, March 6 in Brookings, S.D.

This year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held March 18-20 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.

“Everything that we do as a program is in preparation for the postseason,” Branch concludes. “We should be well prepared when that time comes because of the effort we have put into training and because we will have challenged our team during the season against tough teams, in tough tournaments and in tough environments.”

Weight Class Breakdown

125 - 2009 NCAA qualifier Michael Martinez returns at this weight and should make it a strength for the team. The Cowboy sophomore’s participation this past summer in the Senior World Team Trials, as well as his successful freshman year will further his confidence with three years of remaining eligibility. Freshman Tyler Cox brings a list of impressive prep credentials, but will likely use his redshirt year.

133 - Senior Cory VomBaur, a three-time NCAA qualifier at this weight, will move up to 141 leaving a void that redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart is poised to fill. Garnhart is an unknown on the national scene, but has impressed the UW coaches with his hard work and competitive nature. Freshmen Jake Eitzen and Kyle Komata give depth here but should redshirt.

141 - An interesting and exciting group that features three starters from last season who are changing weight classes. VomBaur, who is moving up, and sophomore Chase Smith, who is moving down from 149. Both are experienced, but both may move back to their original weights before season’s end. Last year’s starter at this weight, junior Cole Dallaserra, is moving up to 149. Newcomers Jimmy Belleville and Colton Zier will also factor into this group, with Belleville expected to redshirt.

149 - Dallaserra will get the nod to start the season here based on his experience. He has hit the weight room hard and has the frame to wrestle at this weight after coming up from 141. Dallaserra came into his own at the end of last year before struggling with an injury. Belleville and Chase Smith could also wrestle at 149.

157 - There is a three-way toss-up at this weight. Sophomores Tyler Davis and Mikah Kadera, as well as redshirt freshman Eric Jones are all on a level playing field. It is a competitive group with depth and it will be interesting to see who rises to the top. Davis has some dual experience and competed in the recent FILA Junior World Team Trials, Kadera got in 22 matches last year, while Jones is very talented, but had a tough initial adjustment to college.

165 - This is another deep weight class for UW, with sophomore Shane Onufer, a 2009 NCAA qualifier at 174, moving down and senior Alex Rieder remaining a viable option. Onufer’s body should be a better natural fit in this group than at 174. Sophomore Brock Smith could also wrestle down at this weight. Freshman Patrick Martinez should use his redshirt year here.

174 - There are a lot of good options in this group, including sophomore Dallas Hintz, Rieder and Brock Smith. Competition will drive the market here as all three are very equal and any one could go for the ‘Pokes. All are team players, will do what is asked of them and are very natural at this weight. Onufer could also wrestle here if needed.

184 - Returning All-American Joe LeBlanc has come back working harder than ever and he headlines the upper weights for UW. The Cowboy sophomore competed for a Junior FILA World Team spot this past summer and wants nothing less than an NCAA title in 2010. Redshirt freshmen Lee (LJ) Helbig and Michael Poulos, as well as sophomore Joe O’Farrell give depth here and should be able to spell LeBlanc when he has the opportunity to rest.

197 - The UW coaches feel good about this weight as sophomore Alfonso Hernandez started most of last year and is the odds on favorite to win the spot in 2009-10. Helbig and O’Farrell will also try to make the travelling squad here. Hernandez is still a raw athlete, but did taste success last year and should challenge to win the conference title after working hard on all aspects of his wrestling.

Hwt. - Junior transfer Matthew (Bubba) Mclaughlin is the only true heavyweight on the Wyoming team, but there is a good feeling about his presence in this spot. He was successful at the junior college level and is a hard worker. The key will be to keep Mclaughlin healthy and in order to accomplish that any one of the Cowboy 197 pounders could wrestle up if the opportunity presents itself against smaller opponent heavyweights.

UW hockey teams splits with AFA

2009-10-19T19:38:00.002-06:00

The University of Wyoming hockey club split its first home series of the 2009-10 season last weekend, winning in Laramie but losing in Cheyenne.

The Cowboys skated to a 2-1 win Friday night over the United States Air Force Academy club squad in the first of four scheduled games this season against their American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Pacific Region rivals. The Falcons rebounded with a 4-1 victory Saturday night.

In the series opener at the Laramie Community Ice Arena, Jake Bates (Jackson) and Erik Blomberg (Parker, Colo.) scored goals and Kenny Ainsworth (Casper) stopped 25 shots to pace UW. Mitch Nelson (Sheridan) and Billy Ross (Superior, Colo.) recorded assists.

The Cowboys couldn't complete the weekend sweep at the Taco John's Events Center. Air Force broke a 1-1 tie with a late second-period goal and then scored twice more in the final 20 minutes. Ryan Allred (Laramie) netted UW's only goal.

The Cowboys (3-2) return to action this weekend with two games against Mesa State College, another Pacific Region rival, at Glacier Ice Arena in Grand Junction, Colo. The Mavericks (2-7-1) are coming off a forgettable weekend at the Seth Schupan Memorial Tournament in Michigan, where they were outscored 35-0 in three losses.

Cowgirl volleyball falls in five again

2009-10-17T22:44:00.004-06:00

It was another five-set heartbreaker Saturday for the Wyoming Cowgirls.

For the third straight match and fourth time Mountain West Conference play, the Cowgirl volleyball team fell in five, tnhis time to BYU 23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18 and 15-11 in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Wyoming, 1-7 in MWC, 10-12, led Utah 2-1 on Thursday before falling in five and also dropped a five-setter to San Diego State a week ago.

The win moved the Cougars to 5-3, 10-9.

“These were two tremendously tough losses this weekend,” said UW head coach Carrie Yerty. “We’ve got to get better at finishing and going into a fifth set with confidence and close it out. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that to this point and we need to work on that. Dani Bedore is doing a great job setting, and JennaRae (Jester) and Jodi (Purdy) are really a stabilizing force that we depend on. As a team, they are battling, continuing to improve, and our blocking has improved tremendously.”

Three Cowgirls finished their night in double-digits, led byPurdy, who recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 20 kills and 12 digs, while hitting .375 (20-5-40). She was followed by Lauren Whitney with 14 kills and Jester with 12 kills and 10 block assists. Senior Jessica Kagarise recorded a career high 25 digs, while Bedore finished with a career high 48 assists and 16 digs. Wyoming hit .135 (60-37-170) for the match and out-blocked the Cougars 12-10.

BYU was led by Christie Carpenter with 21 kills and eight digs, while Christian Measom had 13 kills and six blocks, while Nicole Warner added 12 kills. The Cougars hit .186 (59-28-167).

The Cowgirls will be back out on the road next week for two matches. They will face the New Mexico Lobos Thursday at 7 p.m. and the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday at noon MT.

UW cross country team competes

2009-10-17T22:40:00.001-06:00

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Wyoming cross country teams entered the University of Arkansas Chile Pepper Invitational battling both the top teams in the nation and a nagging respiratory sickness that affected most of the team.

The Cowboys finished with a team 598 points, good for 20th place while the Cowgirls finished 21st with a team 555 points. The men’s title went to Oklahoma State with their team 21 points as the women’s crown went to Texas Tech with a team score of 35 points.

Individually, the Cowgirls were led by junior Alysha Davis, as she crossed the tape in 51st place with her time of 22 minutes, 25 seconds in the 6k race. She was followed by junior Francis Gipson with her time of 23:01 and her 88th-place finish. Three freshman rounded out the field for the Cowgirls in Brooke Hughes (126th, 23:28), Maya Martinez (160th, 23:56) and Felicia McAfee (216th, 25:38).

“Alysha and the Cowgirl team ran a nice solid race,” said UW head coach Randy Cole. “We continue to have a nice pack but we still need to work on getting that pack up closer to the front.”

On the men’s side, junior Taylor Kelting finished first for the Cowboys in 74th place with his time of 31:55 in the 10k race. Sophomore Ryan Griesbach and freshman Nik Deininger crossed the line in 137th and 138th, with their times of 32:53 and 32:55 respectively. While sophomore Sean Wilde and freshman Tyler Gifford rounded out the five man race for the Cowboys in 168th and 209th respectively.

“This was a great experience for our guys as they competed against some of the top teams in the nation on one of the best courses in the nation,” said Cole. “Taylor did a nice job in leading the pack and we really missed Greg (Miller) as he was out for this race because of a bruised foot.

“I am really proud of the way we competed today with some of these nagging sicknesses and injuries. We will continue our training and hopefully rest enough for everyone to get over their illnesses.”

Up next for the Wyoming harriers will be the Mountain West Conference Championship in Orem, Utah, on Oct. 31.

Cowgirl soccer ties UNLV

2009-10-17T22:38:00.001-06:00

After giving up a first half goal, the University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer squad came back and tied the UNLV Rebels at 1-1 in double overtime.

The draw leaves Wyoming with an overall record of 9-5-3 and 3-1-1 in the Mountain West Conference. UNLV is now 5-6-5 overall and 1-2-1 in league play.

"I am pleased that we were able to come back after being down a goal and get the equalizer," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "We played with a lot more energy in the second half and created some chances. UNLV is a very good team and I am glad to get the result."

UNLV scored the first goal of the game at the 21:15 mark in the first period. Ashleigh Shoughro was alone in the box and scored the goal after getting passes from Brittney Flores and Colette Jepson.

The Cowgirls were forced to play from behind in the second half, but were able to find the equalizer. Senior Emma Wilson took a corner kick and crossed the ball when freshman Carmen Blume was able to head in her fourth goal of the season at the 71st minute.

In the overtime periods both teams had equal possession. The Cowgirls and Rebels both took three shots and had two corner kick opportunities in the overtime periods.

Senior Emily Layton and freshman Mara Cosgrove led the team with three shots each. Freshman keeper Courtney Merkle allowed the one goal, but made three saves.

"After our game on Thursday, I thought that we came out with a lot more energy and more confidence," said junior defender Bostyn Burger. "This game today proved that we can play hard and still get a result. We didn’t win, but we still played well and were able to come back and get the result."

Wyoming will play its last home game of the season next Saturday against Utah. The match will be the final home game for four seniors, Kerstyn Etheridge, Morgan Johnson, Emily Layton, and Emma Wilson. The Cowgirls and Utes will kickoff at 1 p.m. at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

Cowgirls drop tough five-setter to Utah

2009-10-15T23:01:00.006-06:00

Richard Anderson photos
Wyoming setter Dani Bedore talks to head coach Carrie Yerty late in the match Thursday against Utah. At left, freshman Brianna Crowe digs a shot, with libero Jessica Kagarise looking on.

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Wyoming Cowgirls came up just short in five sets against the Utah Utes Thursday night at the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Utah battled back from a 2-1 deficit for the 21-25, 25-20, 24-26, 27-25 and 15-13 victory.

This is the second consecutive five-set loss for the Cowgirls and third in league play.

Wyoming (10-11, 1-6 Mountain West Conference) went back and forth with the defending conference champions all night and had a chance to win the match in the fourth set with a 24-22 lead, but the Utes battled back to score five-of-the-last-seven points to win 27-25, forcing a deciding fifth set.

Utah jumped all over the Cowgirls in the final stanza with a commanding 14-7 lead facing the match point, but the home team came roaring back with six unanswered scores to cut the deficit to one. However, that would be as close as Wyoming would get, as the Utes finally scored the match point to edge the Cowgirls and take the match.

“We had 75 digs, which we out-dug that team, we out-blocked that team and we showed a tremendous amount of heart,” UW coach Carrie Yerty said. “We had to change our entire offense. Our setter was injured and Dani Bedore stepped in and had an absolutely incredible match. J Rae (JennaRae Jester) was unstoppable tonight, she showed great poise and composure and you know it didn’t go our way. We had our chances in game four, we had a couple real bad calls that stings, but we had the chance to seal the deal and we just couldn’t get it done.”

Despite the difference in the two team’s records, Wyoming gave the visitors all they could handle.

“We’re ready to take anybody on,” Bedore said. “We’re really not scared to play and we’re confident in ourselves and our ream.”

Stepping in as the starting setter, Bedore recorded 12 digs and 46 assists, while Jester and Jodi Purdy had 11 kills, and Purdy’s 20 digs were also a team high. Lauren Whitney had a match-high of 20 kills.

Utah (13-6, 6-1 MWC), was led by Cinthia Silva’s 16 kills and teammate Keisha Fisher had 17 digs.

Wyoming will face another MWC foe from the state of Utah when rival BYU comes to town Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m., at the UniWyo Sports Complex.

Bedore thinks the key for the Cowgirls to get a win over the Cougars is for the team to not get behind and finish strong.

“We just got to push at the end of the game and not get down so far,” she said.

Cowgirl tennis continues play at regionals

2009-10-15T22:56:00.003-06:00

LAS VEGAS — Several members of the Wyoming Cowgirls tennis team are still alive in the 2009 Wilson ITA Mountain Region Tournament.

“We are excited about all three of our doubles teams,” said UW head coach Kati Gyulai. “We will face some tough competition in each of those matches tomorrow.”

All three doubles team had a highly successful day as they each moved into the round of 16 tomorrow. Nemcova and van Ginkel earned an 8-3 victory over Tiffany and Tabatha Knop. They will play the top seeded team of Jones and Price (BYU) tomorrow. Summerfield and Van Hollen earned a tough 9-7 win over DeVrye and Ogata of Nevada, while Berger and Kovacs defeated Mulhern and Wojakowska (CSU), 8-2. Each of the teams will play at 9 a.m. MT.

In singles play, senior Sarah Summerfield moved on in the draw as she defeated Rumy Terzieva of UNLV, 6-4, 6-2, but fell in two sets, 6-0, 6-4, to the sixth seed Anastasia Putilina of Utah. Unfortunately, Rebecca Berger lost to Camila Belassi of Colorado, 7-5, 6-2, in her only match of the day. Berger will play in the third round while Summerfield will get a fourth round match in the back draw.

In other consolation action, Alexandra Kovacs and Kim van Ginkel each went 2-0 on the day. Kovacs defeated Aodhmait Lombard of Nevada, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, and Andrea Maughan of Utah, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, while van Ginkel defeated Mailia Wahinepio (NAU), 6-3, 6-2 and Hannah Dake (AFA), 6-4, 6-2. Carly Van Hollen closed out her tournament with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over teammate Paloma Navorro, but suffered a 6-4, 6-3 loss, against Christin Molina of Air Force.

Day three of singles and doubles play continues on Friday.

Cowgirl soccer falls to SDSU

2009-10-15T22:29:00.003-06:00

Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming junior Nicole Rice, 19, tries to move the ball against San Diego State on Thursday.

The University of Wyoming Cowgirl soccer team lost its first conference game of the season on Thursday afternoon, 2-0 to San Diego State at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex. The loss breaks a five game winning streak for the Cowgirls.

Wyoming is now 9-5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain West Conference. San Diego State wins their first MWC contest and are 1-0-2 in league play and 8-3-5 overall.

"Give all the credit to San Diego State, they deserve the result," said UW head coach Danny Sanchez. "However, it was a disappointing loss. We needed to play with more energy and confidence and none of those things happened today."

SDSU held the advantage in the first half and out shot the Cowgirls 5-3. Freshman goalkeeper Courtney Merkle made three first half saves to keep the game scoreless at halftime.

The Aztecs got on the board thanks to Niki Fernandes at the 54:55 mark in the second period. Fernandes crossed the ball from inside the box and was able to get it past Merkle for the 1-0 SDSU advantage.

Wyoming came back on the attack and had chances after the goal, but were unable to tie the game. UW’s last chance came on a corner kick taken by senior Emma Wilson. The pass was unable to find a Cowgirl and the Aztecs were able to clear.

Fernandes also assisted on a goal in the final minutes of the game for SDSU. Fernandes found Cat Walker who was alone in the box and scored her sixth goal of the season.

For the Cowgirls Wilson, Mara Cosgrove, and Nicole Rice led the team with two shots each. Merkle made seven total saves.

"We will regroup and focus for our next game," said Sanchez. "Fortunately for us, when you play like we did today, you want another game soon and we get that on Saturday."

Wyoming will enjoy another home game this weekend on Saturday as it hosts UNLV. The Rebels and Cowgirls kick off at noon at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

Cowgirl soccer to host SDSU, UNLV

2009-10-14T21:57:00.001-06:00

The Wyoming soccer team, fresh off of two big Mountain West Conference road wins, returns home this week for a pair of conference matchups.

On Thursday, the Cowgirls face San Diego State at 3 p.m., before hosting UNLV Saturday at noon.

Both matches are set for the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.

The Cowgirls, winners of five straight, are now 3-0 in league play and 9-4-2 overall.

Last week, Wyoming stopped New Mexico 2-1 in Albuquerque on goals from Carmen Blume and Mara Crosgrove.

On Saturday, Wyoming played into overtime, but came away with the victory against TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. Jackson-native Nicole Rice scored two goals to lift the Cowgirls over the Horn Frogs, 2-1.

SDSU is 7-3-5 overall and 0-0-2 in the MWC. The Aztecs have scored 21 goals this season, ranking fifth in that category in the conference. Last week SDSU played Utah and BYU to draws.

UNLV is 4-6-4 and 0-2 in league Rebels are currently on a three-game losing streak after falling to BYU and Utah last week.

Cowgirls close first half with Utah, BYU

2009-10-14T21:44:00.001-06:00

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

From top to bottom, the Mountain West Conference is a different volleyball conference then before.

That has Wyoming head coach Carrie Yerty looking forward to the second half of the season.

The Cowgirls, 1-5 in the MWC, 10-10 overall, will close the first half of league play Thursday and Saturday as they host Utah and BYU respectively. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports. Complex.

“Last year, there were three teams that were very good and there were a chunk of teams that were about the same, and there were the bottom teams that were battling,” Yerty said. “Now, the bottom teams have gotten better and the top teams aren’t as good. So, there is a lot more parody. You seeing Utah losing to New Mexico in four, you’re seeing BYU get beat by TCU. We were right in it with New Mexico. Against UNLV, we had an opportunity to win and against San Diego, we had an opportunity to win.

“I think the only thing we can do is continue to progress and focus on getting better. The wins and losses will eventually take care of itself, I really believe that.”

Last week, the Cowgirls fell in San Diego to the Aztecs in five games, after sweeping Air Force in three.

Despite their league mark, Yerty sees progress in the program.

“I understand everyone would like to see the Wyoming Cowgirls go from 5-29 to 29-5 in 12 months,” Yerty said. “I think what is important is that there is progress being made. It’s frustrating to lose in five, but man, I saw a team in San Diego battle, down two games to come back and win two games, and that was with four freshmen starting and playing. The progress is very good, but that is what it is, it is progress. We’re going to keep chopping wood, we’re going to keep preparing and one unique thing about our conference this year is it is different from last year."

The Cowgirls are led by freshman outside hitter Jodi Purdy, who is averaging 3.51 kills and 2.46 digs per set. She is followed by juniors Dani Bedore and Lauren Whitney. Bedore is averaging 2.38 kills and 1.76 digs, while Whitney is adding 2.35 kills. As a team, the Cowgirls are hitting .201 (948-430-2572) and averaging 12.31 kills and 13.04 digs per set.

Utah is 12-6 overall and 5-1 in the MWC. The Utes are led by Karolina Bartkowiak, who is averaging 3.03 kills and 2.50 digs per set.

The Cougars are 9-8 overall, 4-2 in MWC play and will face the Colorado State Rams before playing the Cowgirls. BYU is by Kayla Walker, who is averaging 4.16 kills and almost one block per set.
　