University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Sunday, February 24
Greeley, Colo.
2 PM
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Air Force
Montoya and Rodriguez Take the Mat at BOCA One Last Time Sunday
2/23/2019 10:28:00 AM | Wrestling
Northern Colorado will wrap up its dual schedule against Air Force
Sunday afternoon will be the final time Northern Colorado wrestling fans will be able to watch two of the programs compete in the Blue and Gold. Rico Montoya and Dante Rodriguez will take the mat for the final time at Bank of Colorado Arena as UNC takes on Air Force in the final dual of the season.
Montoya has made his mark in his four seasons wrestling for UNC and has been one of the cornerstones of the program since head coach Troy Nickerson took over the program.
"Our seniors have been really important," Nickerson said. "There is only two of them but they've helped us get to the point of winning some duals. Hopefully they can finish out their careers as individuals at the national tournament and getting on that podium."
Since arriving in Greeley, Montoya has qualified for the NCAA Championships the past two seasons and is a two-time placer at the Big 12 Championships. Montoya has posted a 75-47 overall record, going 27-20 in dual matches and totaling 11 pins in his career.
Earlier this season, Montoya became the first UNC finalist at the Southern Scuffle in program history in the 125 lb class. At the 2018 Scuffle, Montoya defeated No. 2 Scott Parker from Lehigh, where he would place fourth in the 133 lb class.
Montoya has not only been a standout on the mat, but as a student as well, earning NWCA All-Academic honors the past two seasons. Montoya has also been an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection the last three seasons.
During his senior campaign, Montoya has a 13-6 record and 5-4 in dual matches. Montoya won a championship at the Northern Colorado Open to begin his season and leads the team in wins. Montoya also ranks first for the Bears with six major decisions and four tech falls.
Montoya looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season and is currently No. 16 in the latest coach's rankings.
Rodriguez transferred to UNC at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, after wrestling the last three years at Iowa State. Rodriguez was initially recruited by Nickerson when he was an assistant for the Cyclones. Rodriguez would also wrestle alongside Bears assistant coach, Michael Moreno both were in Ames.
Rodriguez had an outstanding freshman season, qualifying for the NCAAs after being a finalist in the Big 12 Championships in the 141 lb class.
This season at UNC, Rodriguez has a 3-1 record with all three wins coming by fall at home. Rodriguez recently had falls against Utah Valley's Landon Knutzen and Wyoming's Jed Loveless.
Northern Colorado is coming off two tough dual losses last week to Utah Valley(17-22) and No. 12 Wyoming(19-26).
Scouting the Falcons
Air Force will close out its dual schedule as well on Sunday and its record currently stands at 6-6 and 2-5 in Big 12 duals. Last week at home, the Falcons dropped a 31-9 dual against Oklahoma, while rebounding with a 25-17 victory over Utah Valley. Air Force currently has three wrestlers ranked in the latest Coaches panel, including No. 27 Sidney Flores(125), No. 28 Alex Mossing(157) and No. 32 Anthony McLaughlin(197).
Northern Colorado faced Air Force at home last season, with the Falcons topping the Bears 27-6. Rico Montoya earned a 6-5 decision win over Isaac Jimenez at 133.
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado will host senior day at Bank of Colorado Arena on Sunday, Feb. 24, with the first match taking place at 2 pm. Rico Montoya and Dante Rodriguez will be honored at the break between the fifth and sixth matches.
Tickets to the dual are $8 for adults and $5 and can be purchased online by clicking the link here.
The dual will be streamed live on PlutoTV(Ch. 205) and live scoring will be available through Trackwrestling.com. Follow the dual on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle.
Projected Lineups
Northern Colorado [4-9, 0-7 Big 12]
125- No. 16 Rico Montoya, Sr. (13-6) OR Michael Johnson, RSo. (3-4)
133- Sean Cannon, Jr. (4-13)
141- Chris Sandoval, So. (5-7) OR Armando Santillan, So. (2-7)
149- Dante Rodriguez, RSr. (3-1)
157- Jordan Robison, So. (7-13)
165- Macoy Flanagan, RSo. (6-13)
174- Sethan Bogulski, RSo. (2-11) OR Trenton Schultz, So. (5-8)
184- Dalton Robertson, Jr. (11-10)
197- No. 17 Jacob Seely, RJr. (12-6)
285- Robert Winters Jr., RSo. (8-12) OR Jacob Scanlan, RJr. (0-0)
Air Force [6-6, 2-5 Big 12]
125 - No. 27Sidney Flores, Fr. (17-10)
133 - John Twomey, Sr. (15-11) OR Tony DeCesare, So. (4-6)
141 - Garrett O'Shea, Jr. (17-10)
149 - Alec Opsal, Jr. (13-13)or Tommy Stager, So. (15-11)
157 - No. 28 Alex Mossing, Sr. (18-12)
165 - Jacoby Ward, So. (12-11)
174 - Randy Meneweather, Jr. (15-15)
184 - Jacob Thompson, Fr. (7-12)
197 - No. 32Anthony McLaughlin, Sr. (10-5) OR Casey Jumps, So. (8-7)
285 - Kayne Hutchison, Fr. (9-6)
Montoya has made his mark in his four seasons wrestling for UNC and has been one of the cornerstones of the program since head coach Troy Nickerson took over the program.
"Our seniors have been really important," Nickerson said. "There is only two of them but they've helped us get to the point of winning some duals. Hopefully they can finish out their careers as individuals at the national tournament and getting on that podium."
Since arriving in Greeley, Montoya has qualified for the NCAA Championships the past two seasons and is a two-time placer at the Big 12 Championships. Montoya has posted a 75-47 overall record, going 27-20 in dual matches and totaling 11 pins in his career.
Earlier this season, Montoya became the first UNC finalist at the Southern Scuffle in program history in the 125 lb class. At the 2018 Scuffle, Montoya defeated No. 2 Scott Parker from Lehigh, where he would place fourth in the 133 lb class.
Montoya has not only been a standout on the mat, but as a student as well, earning NWCA All-Academic honors the past two seasons. Montoya has also been an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection the last three seasons.
During his senior campaign, Montoya has a 13-6 record and 5-4 in dual matches. Montoya won a championship at the Northern Colorado Open to begin his season and leads the team in wins. Montoya also ranks first for the Bears with six major decisions and four tech falls.
Montoya looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season and is currently No. 16 in the latest coach's rankings.
Rodriguez transferred to UNC at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, after wrestling the last three years at Iowa State. Rodriguez was initially recruited by Nickerson when he was an assistant for the Cyclones. Rodriguez would also wrestle alongside Bears assistant coach, Michael Moreno both were in Ames.
Rodriguez had an outstanding freshman season, qualifying for the NCAAs after being a finalist in the Big 12 Championships in the 141 lb class.
This season at UNC, Rodriguez has a 3-1 record with all three wins coming by fall at home. Rodriguez recently had falls against Utah Valley's Landon Knutzen and Wyoming's Jed Loveless.
Northern Colorado is coming off two tough dual losses last week to Utah Valley(17-22) and No. 12 Wyoming(19-26).
Scouting the Falcons
Air Force will close out its dual schedule as well on Sunday and its record currently stands at 6-6 and 2-5 in Big 12 duals. Last week at home, the Falcons dropped a 31-9 dual against Oklahoma, while rebounding with a 25-17 victory over Utah Valley. Air Force currently has three wrestlers ranked in the latest Coaches panel, including No. 27 Sidney Flores(125), No. 28 Alex Mossing(157) and No. 32 Anthony McLaughlin(197).
Northern Colorado faced Air Force at home last season, with the Falcons topping the Bears 27-6. Rico Montoya earned a 6-5 decision win over Isaac Jimenez at 133.
Following the Bears
Northern Colorado will host senior day at Bank of Colorado Arena on Sunday, Feb. 24, with the first match taking place at 2 pm. Rico Montoya and Dante Rodriguez will be honored at the break between the fifth and sixth matches.
Tickets to the dual are $8 for adults and $5 and can be purchased online by clicking the link here.
The dual will be streamed live on PlutoTV(Ch. 205) and live scoring will be available through Trackwrestling.com. Follow the dual on Twitter for live updates and results with @UNCBearsWrestle.
Projected Lineups
Northern Colorado [4-9, 0-7 Big 12]
125- No. 16 Rico Montoya, Sr. (13-6) OR Michael Johnson, RSo. (3-4)
133- Sean Cannon, Jr. (4-13)
141- Chris Sandoval, So. (5-7) OR Armando Santillan, So. (2-7)
149- Dante Rodriguez, RSr. (3-1)
157- Jordan Robison, So. (7-13)
165- Macoy Flanagan, RSo. (6-13)
174- Sethan Bogulski, RSo. (2-11) OR Trenton Schultz, So. (5-8)
184- Dalton Robertson, Jr. (11-10)
197- No. 17 Jacob Seely, RJr. (12-6)
285- Robert Winters Jr., RSo. (8-12) OR Jacob Scanlan, RJr. (0-0)
Air Force [6-6, 2-5 Big 12]
125 - No. 27Sidney Flores, Fr. (17-10)
133 - John Twomey, Sr. (15-11) OR Tony DeCesare, So. (4-6)
141 - Garrett O'Shea, Jr. (17-10)
149 - Alec Opsal, Jr. (13-13)or Tommy Stager, So. (15-11)
157 - No. 28 Alex Mossing, Sr. (18-12)
165 - Jacoby Ward, So. (12-11)
174 - Randy Meneweather, Jr. (15-15)
184 - Jacob Thompson, Fr. (7-12)
197 - No. 32Anthony McLaughlin, Sr. (10-5) OR Casey Jumps, So. (8-7)
285 - Kayne Hutchison, Fr. (9-6)
Players Mentioned
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