Bears Wrestle Well in Competitive Dual against Cowboys

Sunday, February 16

Laramie, Wyo.

2 PM

University of Northern Colorado

Wyoming

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

2/16/2020 5:15:00 PM | Wrestling

Results Sheet

Northern Colorado dropped the rivalry dual against Wyoming in Laramie

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

LARAMIE, Wyo. – Northern Colorado wrestling faced off against rival Wyoming Sunday afternoon, with the Cowboys winning the dual 22-11. UNC won four matches by decision, while Wyoming had six wins, recording bonus points in three.

"We wrestled well today," head coach Troy Nickerson said. "A few guys had some opportunities at some upsets and were not able to seal the deal. I still believe this team is going to be hitting their stride at the right time and we will be ready come March."

No. 23 Alan Clothier, Jace Koelzer, Chris Sandoval and No. 11 Andrew Alirez all earned decisions for UNC against the Cowboys.

Clothier earned a big win for the Bears, beating No. 31 Tate Samuelson in the 184 lbs match. The redshirt-junior built a 4-1 lead after the first and added an escape, along with a penalty point to win a 6-2 decision over Samuelson.

Koelzer would keep his winning streak going with a 6-3 decision win over Jacob Svihel at 125 lbs. Koelzer started strong with a takedown and a two-point nearfall in the first period. Koelzer held his lead for the rest of the match to get the victory.

In the 141 lbs match, Sandoval earned his first dual win of the season, 10-5 by decision over Mark McConnell. Sandoval tallied four takedowns in the match and adding the riding time bonus to overcome McConnell.

Alirez would meet No. 33 Jaron Jensen in the 149 lbs match, winning a 9-4 decision. Alirez racked up three takedowns in the win and would earn the riding time
bonus at the end. It was Alirez second win over Jensen this season.

"Our lightweights led the way with victories, while Alan Clothier continues to separate himself from the competition," Nickerson added.

Billy Higgins nearly pulled off the upset against No. 11 Hayden Hastings in the 174 lbs bout. Higgins led 6-3 after the first period and held a 6-4 advantage after the second. In the third period, Hastings rode out Higgins and tied the bout with a stalling penalty on Higgins and the riding time bonus. Hastings would win the bout in overtime with a takedown for the 8-6 sudden victory.

The 133 lbs match was the second meeting of the ranked opponents in the dual as No. 18 Mosha Schwartz faced No. 8 Montorie Bridges. In the match, Bridges would win a 9-3 decision over Schwartz accumulating 1:29 minutes of riding time.

UNC's record dropped to 2-8 and 1-6 in the Big 12. The Bears lost one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Results
157: No. 33 Dewey Krueger dec. Jimmy Fate (UNC), 6-1
165: Cole Moody major dec. Jordan Robison (UNC), 13-3
174: No. 11 Hayden Hastings dec. Billy Higgins (UNC), 8-6
184: No. 23 Alan Clothier (UNC) dec. No. 31 Tate Samuelson, 6-2
197: No. 19 Stephen Buchanan maj. dec. Xavier Vasquez , 12-3
285: No. 18 Brian Andrews tech. fall Robert Winters Jr. (UNC), 19-0
125: Jace Koelzer (UNC) dec. Jake Svihel, 6-3
133: No. 8 Montorie Bridges dec. No.18 Mosha Schwartz, 9-3
141: Chris Sandoval (UNC) dec. Mark McConnell, 10-5
149: No.11 Andrew Alirez (UNC) dec. No.33 Jaron Jensen, 9-4

What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado will close out its dual schedule on the road next Sunday, Feb. 23, against Air Force, with the first match starting at 2 p.m.(MST).

To always stay up to date on all aspects of UNC Wrestling, you can visit UNCBears.com, as well as follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsWrestle.