Recap: @UNCBearsWrestle wins five matches, drops dual to Northwestern

Sunday, December 10

Legacy HS; Broomfield, CO

2 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

Northwestern

12/10/2017 7:22:00 PM | Wrestling

Wildcats top Bears 24-20

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo.- Despite winning five matches, Northern Colorado dropped its first dual of the season to Northwestern 24-20 at Legacy High School. After starting the dual with two decision victories, UNC was unable to keep the momentum going and fell to 0-1 on the year.

The difference in the dual was bonus points in the middle rounds, where Northwestern had two pins, a tech fall, and a major decision. Northwestern had a 24-9 lead and the deficit was too great for the Bears to overcome during the last matches of the dual.

Dylan Gabel [184] picked up a victory in the first match of the day with a 5-0 decision over No. 18 Mitch Sliga. Gabel scored a takedown on Sliga at 1:15 in the first period and padded his lead to put UNC up 3-0 in the match.

Jacob Seely [197] was tied at zero after the first period against Zachary Chakonis. In the second, Chakonis pulled ahead with an escape and had a 1-0 lead going into the final period over Seely. After takedown by Chakonis, Seely responded with one of his own at 0:15 and completed the comeback with a 4-3 win by decision. The win extended UNC's lead to 6-0.

The Wildcats would tie the dual up at six when Conan Jennings pinned Robert Winters Jr. [HWT] at 3:00.

Michael Johnson [125] lost to No. 12 Sabastian Rivera by tech fall at 5:00 (18-3) and Northwestern had a 11-6 advantage. Rico Montoya [133] cut the deficit down with a 7-4 decision over Colin Valdivez.

Northwestern's Alexander McKenna pinned Benjamin Polkowske at 5:38 to extend the lead out to 17-9. Jimmy Fate [149] faced off against No. 9 Ryan Deakin, who was also a Legacy High School alumni. Deakin defeated Fate 16-3 by major decision and the lead grew to 21-9. Tyler Kinn was unable to stop the momentum and dropped an 8-4 decision to Shayne Oster, giving Northwestern a 24-9 lead.

Although down to the Wildcats, Keilan Torres [165] pinned Michael Sepkle with 17 seconds left in the second period. The pin gives Torres a team-leading four on the season.

Sethan Bogulski [174] also had an impressive performance in his match against Braxton Cody. Bogulski dominated from the beginning, scoring two takedowns, a two-point near fall and a four-point near fall in the first period. The match ended with a 21-6 tech fall at 6:41.

In Their Words
"We wrestled well today. Each team won five matches and it came down to bonus points. I'm really proud of Dylan Gabel getting back and beating a top 20 ranked wrestler and Seth Bogulski getting his first dual win as a Bear."-Head Coach, Troy Nickerson

"I was just going for the big move all through out. I didn't feel I wrestled well, but I saw an opening and I went for it to get the fall. I was trying to put ourselves in a situation to still win the dual. I felt like if I went out there and got the fall it would bring the score up and see what could play out."-Keilan Torres

Match Results

184: Dylan Gabel (UNC) over Mitch Sliga (NW) (Dec 5-0)
197: Jacob Seely (UNC) over Zachary Chakonis (NW) (Dec 4-3)
285: Conan Jennings (NW) over Robert Winters Jr. (UNC) (Fall 3:00)
125: Sebastian Rivera (NW) over Michael Johnson (UNC) (TF 18-3 5:00)
133: Rico Montoya (UNC) over Colin Valdivez (NW) (Dec 7-3)
141: Alexander McKenna (NW) over Benjamin Polkowske (UNC) (Fall 5:38)
149: Ryan Deakin (NW) over Jimmy Fate (UNC) (MD 16-3)
157: Shayne Oster (NW) over Tyler Kinn (UNC) (Dec 8-4)
165: Keilan Torres (UNC) over Michael Sepkle (NW) (Fall 4:46)
174: Seth Bogulski (UNC) over Braxton Cody (NW) (TF 21-6 6:41)

Up Next
Northern Colorado starts Big 12 play against No. 3 Oklahoma State on Monday, December 18^th at Bank of Colorado Arena. The dual will start at 7:00 p.m. (MT).