University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, February 16
Orem, UT
7 pm
University of Northern Colorado
at
Utah Valley
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
Preview: @UNCBearsWrestle looks to close out the dual season with two wins
2/15/2018 4:38:00 PM | Wrestling
Northern Colorado battles Utah Valley on the road Friday night and then hosts Air Force on Sunday afternoon
GREELEY, Colo.- Northern Colorado wrestling closes its 2017-18 dual schedule this weekend with a road test against Utah Valley on Friday night at 7 P.M. and the final home contest against Air Force on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 P.M. The dual against Air Force was originally scheduled for Feb. 21, but it was moved up to include the results in the final overall records that determine seeding in the Big 12 Championships.
UNC (2-9, 1-5) is coming off of a difficult 38-4 defeat against No. 15 Wyoming this past Saturday. Along with the dual, No. 20 Jacob Seely [197] was lost to injury, less than a minute into his match.
Rico Montoya [133] won UNC's sole match against the Cowboys, with a 11-2 major decision victory over Ronnie Stevens. Montoya has a 19-9 record this season and 7-4 in dual matches. In the latest Coaches' Panel, Montoya was listed at No. 25.
Keilan Torres [165] is down to his final two duals at UNC and fans will have one last opportunity to see him wrestle at Bank of Colorado Arena on Sunday. Torres was ranked No. 20 by the Coaches' Panel. On the season, Torres has a 17-7 record with a 9-2 record in dual matches. He also leads the team with 11 pins on the season.
Dylan Gabel [184] comes in at No. 19 in W.I.N. Magazine's rankings and is ranked No. 22 by the Coaches' Panel. For the season, Gabel has compiled an 18-8 record and 9-2 in duals. After winning his first nine dual matches, Gabel as dropped the last two against West Virginia's Brenden McRill (1-3) and Wyoming's Chaz Polson (1-5).
Northern Colorado as a team and its ranked wrestlers can finish the dual season strong with wins against two Big 12 opponents.
Scouting Utah Valley
Utah Valley has been having a strong season under 12th year head coach Greg Williams, with an 8-5 record and 4-3 in the Big 12. The Wolverines scored an upset over Oklahoma at home, 19-18, after defeating Fresno State [26-12] and CSU-Bakersfield [20-15] earlier this season. Utah valley also has wins over North Dakota State [26-13] and West Virginia [24-9]. The Wolverines have dropped their last two duals against Wyoming [4-28] and Air Force [10-26]. The lineup for Utah Valley has five ranked by the Coaches Panel, including No. 6 Taylor LaMont in the 125 lb weight class. The others include No. 16 Demetrius Romero [165]. No. 33 Tanner Orndorff [197], and No. 27 Dustin Dennison (HWT). Kimball Bastian [174] is ranked as high as No. 17 by Intermat.com and he is ranked No. 29 in the Coaches Panel.
Northern Colorado and Utah Valley battled last season in Orem, UT, with UNC earning the 22-14 victory. Â
Scouting Air Force
Air Force has posted a 7-4 record and 2-3 in Big 12 duals this season under fourth-year head coach Sam Barber. The Falcons victory over Utah Valley [26-10] last week ended a three-match losing streak for the team. Air Force had previously lost to No. 6 Minnesota, 29-6, but rebounded with a win over Fresno State 24-12. Senior Dane Robbins has been a consistent performer for the Falcons in the 149 lb weight class, with a 15-9 record and 8-3 in duals. The 184 lb weight class will have a good match between Gabel and Senior Zen Ikehara, who has recorded a 12-6 record and 5-3 in duals. Gabel defeated Ikehara last year with a 6-0 decision.
]Last season, Air Force edged Northern Colorado 20-15 down in Colorado Springs.
Projected Lineups
Northern Colorado [2-9, 1-5]
125: Sean Cannon (7-10)
133: #25 Rico Montoya (19-9)Â
141: Benjamin Polkowske (10-15)
149: Jimmy Fate (17-13)
157: Tyler Kinn (11-13)
165: #17Â Keilan Torres (17-7)Â
174: Sethan Bogulski (6-17)
184: #19Â Dylan Gabel (18-8)
197: Tanner Davis (1-12)
HWT: Robert Winters Jr. (10-16)
Utah Valley [8-5, 4-3]
125 – #6 Taylor LaMont, RFr. (22-2, 9-0 duals) OR Josh Jensen, Jr. (9-10, 1-3)
133 – Durbin Lloren, RFr. (13-15, 4-9) OR Jarod Maynes, RSr. (11-9, 2-3)Â
141 – Matt Findlay, RFr. (8-7, 4-3) OR Chase Call, RSo. (8-7, 0-1)
149 – Matthew Ontiveros, RJr. (9-13, 2-7) OR Landon Knutzen, RFr. (4-6, 0-0)
157 – Raider Lofthouse, RJr. (1-12, 1-12)Â
165 – #16 Demetrius Romero, RSo. (23-4, 11-0)
174 – #17 Kimball Bastian, RSo. (14-7, 7-2)Â
184 – Gary Jantzer, RFr. (18-11, 7-4) OR Will Sumner, RJr. (15-8, 1-1)
197 – #33 Tanner Orndorff, RSo. (18-11, 8-5)
285 – #27 Dustin Dennison, RSr. (26-8, 8-3) OR Benjamin Andrew, RFr. (11-7, 2-0)
Air Force [7-4, 2-3]
125: Tony DeCesare Fr., (14-11, 4-5 duals) or Drew Romero, Sr., (1-0, 1-0 duals)
133: Isaac Jimenez, Jr., (9-5, 2-2 duals)
141: Alec Opsal, So., (12-4, 6-0 duals) or Garrett O'Shea, So., (15-9, 1-1 duals)
149: Dane Robbins, Sr., (15-9, 8-3 duals)
157: Alex Mossing, Jr., (12-6, 3-2 duals)
165: Alex Lopouchanski, Jr., (8-6, 4-3 duals)
174: Michael Billingsley, Sr., (12-10, 4-4 duals)
184: Zen Ikehara, Sr., (12-6, 5-3 duals)
197: Anthony McLaughlin, Jr., (11-8, 5-3 duals) or Casey Jumps, Fr., (10-6, 1-2 duals)
285: Matt Wagner, So., (10-12, 3-6 duals)
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado faces Utah Valley in Orem, UT on Friday, Feb. 16th at 7 P.M. (MT) and then will return home to finish the dual season against Air Force on Sunday, Feb. 18th at 3 P.M. The UNC-Utah Valley dual can be streamed live on GoUVU.com and live stats will be available through Tackwrestling.com. Follow the dual on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle.
Tickets for the UNC-Air Force dual are $8 for adults and $5 for youth (fees apply). They can be purchased online by clicking here. All tickets originally purchased for the dual on Feb. 21st will be accepted at the door on Sunday, Feb. 18th.Â
The Dual can be streamed live on the free PlutoTV app for any smart device and live stats are available through Trackwrestling.com.
Â
UNC (2-9, 1-5) is coming off of a difficult 38-4 defeat against No. 15 Wyoming this past Saturday. Along with the dual, No. 20 Jacob Seely [197] was lost to injury, less than a minute into his match.
Rico Montoya [133] won UNC's sole match against the Cowboys, with a 11-2 major decision victory over Ronnie Stevens. Montoya has a 19-9 record this season and 7-4 in dual matches. In the latest Coaches' Panel, Montoya was listed at No. 25.
Keilan Torres [165] is down to his final two duals at UNC and fans will have one last opportunity to see him wrestle at Bank of Colorado Arena on Sunday. Torres was ranked No. 20 by the Coaches' Panel. On the season, Torres has a 17-7 record with a 9-2 record in dual matches. He also leads the team with 11 pins on the season.
Dylan Gabel [184] comes in at No. 19 in W.I.N. Magazine's rankings and is ranked No. 22 by the Coaches' Panel. For the season, Gabel has compiled an 18-8 record and 9-2 in duals. After winning his first nine dual matches, Gabel as dropped the last two against West Virginia's Brenden McRill (1-3) and Wyoming's Chaz Polson (1-5).
Northern Colorado as a team and its ranked wrestlers can finish the dual season strong with wins against two Big 12 opponents.
Scouting Utah Valley
Utah Valley has been having a strong season under 12th year head coach Greg Williams, with an 8-5 record and 4-3 in the Big 12. The Wolverines scored an upset over Oklahoma at home, 19-18, after defeating Fresno State [26-12] and CSU-Bakersfield [20-15] earlier this season. Utah valley also has wins over North Dakota State [26-13] and West Virginia [24-9]. The Wolverines have dropped their last two duals against Wyoming [4-28] and Air Force [10-26]. The lineup for Utah Valley has five ranked by the Coaches Panel, including No. 6 Taylor LaMont in the 125 lb weight class. The others include No. 16 Demetrius Romero [165]. No. 33 Tanner Orndorff [197], and No. 27 Dustin Dennison (HWT). Kimball Bastian [174] is ranked as high as No. 17 by Intermat.com and he is ranked No. 29 in the Coaches Panel.
Northern Colorado and Utah Valley battled last season in Orem, UT, with UNC earning the 22-14 victory. Â
Scouting Air Force
Air Force has posted a 7-4 record and 2-3 in Big 12 duals this season under fourth-year head coach Sam Barber. The Falcons victory over Utah Valley [26-10] last week ended a three-match losing streak for the team. Air Force had previously lost to No. 6 Minnesota, 29-6, but rebounded with a win over Fresno State 24-12. Senior Dane Robbins has been a consistent performer for the Falcons in the 149 lb weight class, with a 15-9 record and 8-3 in duals. The 184 lb weight class will have a good match between Gabel and Senior Zen Ikehara, who has recorded a 12-6 record and 5-3 in duals. Gabel defeated Ikehara last year with a 6-0 decision.
]Last season, Air Force edged Northern Colorado 20-15 down in Colorado Springs.
Projected Lineups
Northern Colorado [2-9, 1-5]
125: Sean Cannon (7-10)
133: #25 Rico Montoya (19-9)Â
141: Benjamin Polkowske (10-15)
149: Jimmy Fate (17-13)
157: Tyler Kinn (11-13)
165: #17Â Keilan Torres (17-7)Â
174: Sethan Bogulski (6-17)
184: #19Â Dylan Gabel (18-8)
197: Tanner Davis (1-12)
HWT: Robert Winters Jr. (10-16)
Utah Valley [8-5, 4-3]
125 – #6 Taylor LaMont, RFr. (22-2, 9-0 duals) OR Josh Jensen, Jr. (9-10, 1-3)
133 – Durbin Lloren, RFr. (13-15, 4-9) OR Jarod Maynes, RSr. (11-9, 2-3)Â
141 – Matt Findlay, RFr. (8-7, 4-3) OR Chase Call, RSo. (8-7, 0-1)
149 – Matthew Ontiveros, RJr. (9-13, 2-7) OR Landon Knutzen, RFr. (4-6, 0-0)
157 – Raider Lofthouse, RJr. (1-12, 1-12)Â
165 – #16 Demetrius Romero, RSo. (23-4, 11-0)
174 – #17 Kimball Bastian, RSo. (14-7, 7-2)Â
184 – Gary Jantzer, RFr. (18-11, 7-4) OR Will Sumner, RJr. (15-8, 1-1)
197 – #33 Tanner Orndorff, RSo. (18-11, 8-5)
285 – #27 Dustin Dennison, RSr. (26-8, 8-3) OR Benjamin Andrew, RFr. (11-7, 2-0)
Air Force [7-4, 2-3]
125: Tony DeCesare Fr., (14-11, 4-5 duals) or Drew Romero, Sr., (1-0, 1-0 duals)
133: Isaac Jimenez, Jr., (9-5, 2-2 duals)
141: Alec Opsal, So., (12-4, 6-0 duals) or Garrett O'Shea, So., (15-9, 1-1 duals)
149: Dane Robbins, Sr., (15-9, 8-3 duals)
157: Alex Mossing, Jr., (12-6, 3-2 duals)
165: Alex Lopouchanski, Jr., (8-6, 4-3 duals)
174: Michael Billingsley, Sr., (12-10, 4-4 duals)
184: Zen Ikehara, Sr., (12-6, 5-3 duals)
197: Anthony McLaughlin, Jr., (11-8, 5-3 duals) or Casey Jumps, Fr., (10-6, 1-2 duals)
285: Matt Wagner, So., (10-12, 3-6 duals)
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado faces Utah Valley in Orem, UT on Friday, Feb. 16th at 7 P.M. (MT) and then will return home to finish the dual season against Air Force on Sunday, Feb. 18th at 3 P.M. The UNC-Utah Valley dual can be streamed live on GoUVU.com and live stats will be available through Tackwrestling.com. Follow the dual on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle.
Tickets for the UNC-Air Force dual are $8 for adults and $5 for youth (fees apply). They can be purchased online by clicking here. All tickets originally purchased for the dual on Feb. 21st will be accepted at the door on Sunday, Feb. 18th.Â
The Dual can be streamed live on the free PlutoTV app for any smart device and live stats are available through Trackwrestling.com.
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
HC Nickerson, Vinny Zerban, and AJ Heeg Post Dual Press Conference vs Cal Baptist 01/24/2025
Wednesday, May 21
Andrew Alirez Press Conference
Wednesday, May 21
Postmatch Press Conference - HC Troy Nickerson
Wednesday, May 21
Head Coach Troy Nickerson and Andrew Alirez Post Match Press Conference
Monday, February 24
