@UNCBearsWrestle Ready to Compete at NCAA Championships

ST. LOUIS, Misso. – For the third consecutive year, Head Coach Troy Nickerson will be sending at least one wrestler to the Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships.

The 2017 NCAA Division National Championships will begin this Thursday at the Scottrade Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.

Northern Colorado will be sending four wrestlers to the big dance this year:
[133] Rico Montoya
[141] Timmy Box
[165] Keilan Torres
[184] Dylan Gabel

This marks the most wrestlers Nickerson has ever sent to the NCAA Tournament, with this being only being his third season at the helm.

In Their Own Words:
Head Coach Troy Nickerson: "It has been a great year for this program up to this point, and I am proud of the four guys we qualified for the NCAA Tournament. With that being said, we still have some work to do in St. Louis and I look forward to seeing how the guys respond to being on the biggest stage our sport has to offer at this level. We will have a full day to get acclimated and adjust to the area, so that should help in getting ready by Thursday morning."

Wrestlers Notes:
All four NCAA Qualifiers will be dancing for the first time this week. With three of the four qualifiers being returners for the Bears, the future is bright for Northern Colorado.

Every coach and wrestler in the country is cognizant of how imperative it is to get hot at the right time, and that is exactly what the Bears have done.

Each qualifier for Northern Colorado has won at least six of their last ten matches rolling into the NCAA Tournament.

[133] So. Rico Montoya (18-12)
-2017 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling First Team
-Started as a true freshman last season, going 19-13 at 133 lbs.
-1^st at 2016 Cowboy Open, 1^st at 2016 Northern Colorado Open
-Win streaks of 7 and 5 this year
-4^th at 2017 Big 12 Championships
-1 fall, 3 tech falls, 5 MD this season

Rico Montoya has been a pillar of consistency since his arrival onto the UNC campus last year, by producing back-to-back winning records at 133 lbs. for the Bears. After losing his first match of the season, Montoya rattled off a seven match win streak, which included Cowboy Open and Northern Colorado individual titles.

After being one match away from placing at the Cliff Keen Invitational and some tough dual meets, Montoya has found his stride once again, going 7-3 in his last ten matches and winning five in a row during that stretch. One of those wins came over No. 13 seed Earl Hall (Iowa State).

Montoya will face No. 14 seed Mitch McKee (Minnesota) in the first round. McKee is no stranger, as Montoya lost 9-2 earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Invitational.

[141] RSr. Timmy Box (26-12)
-2017 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Second Team
-Transfer from Cal State Bakersfield (4 years at CSUB, 2 years at UNC)
-Career record at CSUB: 42-27, career record at UNC: 49-25
-Overall career record 91-52
-Took 2nd place at the Pac 12 Conference Championships in 2013
-Took 4th place at Pac 12 Championships in 2015
-Two-time FILA Junior All-American (5th in both Freestyle and Greco in 2013)
-Took 6^th at 2016 Big 12 Championships at 149 lbs.
-25 wins last season, most on team
-3^rd at 2016 Cowboy Open, 2^nd at 2016 Northern Colorado Open, 6^th at 2016 Cliff Keen Invitational
-5 falls, 4 tech falls, 9 MD this season

For the second straight year, Timmy Box has had the most wins for the Bears (tied with Keilan Torres this year). Since transferring from CSUB Bakersfield last season, Box has amassed 51 wins and placed at every tournament he has competed in except the Southern Scuffle.

Box came out of the gates hot this season, winning 15 of his first 20 matches, and placing at the Cowboy Open, Northern Colorado Open, and the Cliff Keen Invitational.

After a stellar dual season that resulted in an 8-2 record and the second most dual wins on the team, Box has been solid all season. Box has remained in the rankings all year, and heads into the NCAA Tournament with a lot of momentum. He is currently ranked 27^th, in the final NCAA Coaches' Panel.

Box will wrestle against No. 14 seed Thomas Thorn (Minnesota) in the first round.

[165] RJr. Keilan Torres (26-14)
-Transfer from Oklahoma State in 2015 (2 years at Oklahoma State, 2 years at UNC)
-6^th at 2017 Southern Scuffle
-3^rd at 2017 Big 12 Championships
-13 falls, 4 MD

Keilan Torres has had a year with ups and downs, but has blossomed in 2017. Torres became the first Northern Colorado wrestler to reach the semifinals at the Southern Scuffle, and the highest placer (6^th) as well.

With arguably the toughest weight in the Big 12 Conference, Torres pieced together a good dual season with a 7-5 record. Torres carried this swagger into the Conference Tournament, with a 3^rd place finish, that included three wins in a row over top 20 opponents.

Currently ranked 18^th, which is the highest on the team, Torres is poised to make a deep run if he wrestles to his potential. He is a winner of his last three matches, and is 7-3 in his last ten matches.

Torres will face No. 15 seed Drew Hughes (Michigan State) in the first round.

[184] RSo. Dylan Gabel (24-9)
-2017 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling First Team
-Career record 32-12
-1^st 2016 Northern Colorado Open, 2^nd 2016 Reno TOC, 8^th 2017 Southern Scuffle
-Win streaks of 7 and 5 this season
-3 falls, 2 tech falls, 4 MD
-2^nd at 2017 Big 12 Championships – first finalist in Big12 for Northern Colorado
-Season ending shoulder surgery last season in November, bounced back for 22-8 record this season

After suffering a season ending injury last season, Gabel responded with a great bounce back campaign. Gabel has placed in every tournament he has appeared in this season; except for the Cliff Keen Invitational, where he was one match away from placing.

With the best dual record on the team at 9-2, Gabel was primed for a big conference tournament. At the Big 12 Championships, Gabel became the first Bear to ever reach the Big 12 finals, where he placed 2^nd.

Being ranked 20^th the whole season, Gabel has been consistent all season for Northern Colorado.

Gabel will wrestle against No. 8 seed and returning All-American Jack Dechow (Old Dominion).

2017 NCAA Tournament Information:
Friday's action will include the quarterfinals and semifinals, along with four rounds of consolations.

All times listed are Mountain Time.

The consolation semifinals and final round take place Saturday morning, concluding with the finals at 5 p.m. Saturday.

ESPNU will provide coverage of Thursday's first round (10 a.m.), Friday's quarterfinals (9 a.m.) and Saturday's matches for third, fifth and seventh places (9 a.m.).

Coverage of Thursday's second round (4 p.m.), Friday's semifinals (5 p.m.) and Saturday's championship finals (6 p.m.) will be on ESPN.

ESPN3 will stream every match throughout the entire three days of competition.

Follow @UNCBearsWrestle on Twitter for live updates on matches and team updates.

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