Recap: Senior night for @UNCBearsWrestle, but team falls 24-16 to West Virginia

Saturday, February 3

Greeley, CO

7 pm

University of Northern Colorado

West Virginia

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

2/3/2018 10:45:00 PM | Wrestling

Tyler Kinn and Keilan Torres pick up wins on senior night

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo.- Senior night did not go as expected for Northern Colorado wrestling, as the Bears fell 24-16 to West Virginia.

The Mountaineers managed to win more matches then UNC and they also had the advantage in technical falls over the Bears. UNC's record dropped to 2-8 and 1-4 in Big 12 conference duals.

The dual started in the 125 lb weight class, with Sean Cannon taking on Zeke Moisey. Cannon found himself in a 6-0 hole after Moisey scored a takedown and a four-point, near fall on him. In the second period, Moisey added to his lead with another takedown and Cannon was hit with a stalling penalty. Another takedown and a two-point, near fall gave Moisey the 15-0 technical fall victory over Cannon. West Virginia raced out to a 5-0 lead in the dual.

No. 24 Rico Montoya took the mat in the 133 lb weight class against Matthew Schmitt. In the first period, Moisey scored a takedown to take the lead, but Montoya salvaged an escape to leave the score at 2-1. Montoya tied the match up at three with a takedown, only to see Schmitt retake it with a reversal at the end of the second. The third period was where Montoya went to work, scoring a takedown and a two-point, near fall. Montoya earned an 8-5 decision win over Schmitt and UNC was on the board, trialing West Virginia 3-5.

Senior Benjamin Polkowske faced Christian Monseratt in the 141 lb weight class. Monseratt built a 4-0 lead over Polkowske in the first period with a takedown and a two-point, near fall. A reversal in the second period would give Monseratt a 6-0 lead heading into the final period against Polkowske. Monseratt managed another takedown on Polkowske and added another point for riding time to win 9-1 by major decision. The Mountaineers now had a 9-3 lead over the Bears.

In the 149 lb weight class, Jimmy Fate went against Kyler Rea. In the first period, Rea started the scoring with a takedown on Fate for a 2-0 lead. Rea would then pin Fate at 1:32 and West Virginia's lead swelled to 15-3.

Tyler Kinn was the second senior wrestling on the night for UNC, meeting Hunter Jones in the 157 lb weight class. Kinn did not waste time the first period, scoring a pair of takedowns to hold a 4-1 lead over Jones. In the second period, Kinn tallied three takedowns on Jones for a 11-4 advantage against Jones. Looking for bonus points in the final period, Kinn tacked on two more takedowns and added a riding time point for the 17-6 major decision victory. UNC closed the gap on West Virginia to 15-7, going to the intermission.

Out of the break, No. 17 Keilan Torres ran out onto the mat for Senior Night to take on Nick Kisussis in the 165 lb weight class. There was a lack of scoring during much of the first period, but Torres made it count when he did. After a takedown at :13 seconds, Torres pinned Kiussis with one second remaining in the first. UNC was right back in the dual, now trialing 13-15.

Sethan Bogulski was up for UNC in the 174 lb weight class against Parker VonEgidy. Bogulski had the early lead with a takedown on VonEgidy and lead 2-1 after the first period. Now in the second, VonEgidy scored his own takedown, but Bogulski managed to get an escape to keep the score close at 4-3. Bogulski tied the match up at four with an escape to start the third, but VonEgidy picked up a takedown to earn the 6-4 decision victory. UNC saw the deficit grow to 18-13.

In the 184 lb weight class, No. 16 Dylan Gabel battled Brenden McRill. After a scoreless first period, McRill broke through in the second with an escape to hold a slim advantage. Gabel tied the match at one in the third period with an escape, but McRill got a takedown with :21 seconds to pull of the 3-1 decision win. The Mountaineers now had a 21-13 lead over the Bears.

Tanner Davis was the final senior to take the mat for UNC on Saturday night and he was up against No. 18 Jake Smith. In the first period, Smith took the lead with a takedown of Davis and added an escape in the third for a 3-0 lead with one period to go. Smith added a riding time point to win 4-1 by decision over Davis. West Virginia's lead now stood at 24-13 with one match to go.

The final matchup Robert Winters Jr. going up against Brandon Ngati in the heavyweight class. The two wrestled to a 0-0 tie in the first period, but Winters picked up an escape in the second for a 1-0 advantage. Ngait chose down to start the third and the move paid off with an escape to tie the match up at one. With the score tied, the match went to overtime and Winters ended the match with a takedown at :25 seconds for the 3-1 sudden victory.

Despite the win from Winters, West Virginia prevailed in the dual 24-16 and improved its record to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12. The dual defeat was UNC's fourth in a row and the team is only a month away from the Big 12 Championships. The technical fall defeat in the 125 lb weight class, along with dropping six of 10 matches was the deciding factor in the dual.

In Their Words
Troy Nickerson, Head Coach
On the match
"It's a little disappointing. I thought some guys wrestled well, some not so well. Tyler wrestled well, Keilan did his thing, Del [Winters] wrestled well, but we need to continue to get better. I think we certainly left a couple matches out on the table and then bonus points again; they're killing us. We certainly have all of the skill, but we need to show some more heart and fight, along with more effort as a team."

On the four seniors
"They're a great group and they have definitely bought in. They have been here the entire time I have and have been with me the longest. They do everything that we ask of them. That's the important part and they do it the right way. They don't cut corners and they are good leaders for our program. We are going to miss all four of them and they're a good group, but they still have more to do here."

Tyler Kinn
On the match
"We need to wrestle with more heart. Even in my match I thought I could have started earlier, going for the tech. I felt him break a little bit and that's always my plan to use my gas tank to my advantage and the elevation. If I feel those good shots, I can keep firing them off."

On senior night
"I have spent a lot of time here and a lot of hours. Its getting closer and closer to the end. It's exciting for the next chapter, but it's also a bit sad."

Keilan Torres
On the match
"I was just trying to have fun. I don't have many opportunities to wrestle in front of this crowd so I just wanted to let it fly. We just have do that as a team. I have been with these guys for the last three years and I know how good we are. It's disappointing the streak we're on right now, but I believe in these guys and I know we're going to come back stronger. "

On senior night
"It was nice to wrestle in front of my family since don't have the opportunity very often. My family coming out and having their support is really nice."

Robert Winters Jr.
On the match
"I know I'm supposed to have the urgency right off the bat. But as it went on, I could feel him getting tired and I could take advantage. We actually need to get it together. We have all the talent and ability to do it. We need that sense of urgency."

On the seniors
I'm definitely going to miss them a lot. They taught me a lot of stuff. I remember I was in a tough place and Keilan told me to have that confidence and build it up. I outweighed Tanner, but he always went hard at me and made me a better wrestler."

Up Next
Northern Colorado travels up I-25 to Cheyenne for a difficult conference dual against No. 22 Wyoming on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 6 P.M.