University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Alirez Secures All-American Honors, Advances to NCAA 141-Pound Final
3/17/2023 10:55:00 PM | Wrestling
TULSA, Okla. – Legacy secured, mission not over.
No.2 seed Andrew Alirez defeated No. 6 Beau Barnett (Penn State) 6-2 in the 141-pound semifinals to the NCAA national championship final.
It sets up a must-see final between two unbeatens. No. 1 seed Real Wood (Iowa) will enter with a 20-0 mark and Alirez is 26-0. For UNC, it's the program's first national final since 1969.
Earlier in the day Alirez defeated Lachlan McNeil 6-4 and made history to earn his first NCAA All-American nod and the program's first since 2010.
"Really proud of Andrew and how he competed throughout the entire tournament," said UNC head wrestling coach Troy Nickerson. "He's prepared for this moment, and it all comes down to Saturday night."
The Bears received standout performances from freshmen Stevo Poulin (125) and Vincent Zerban (157).
The duo started day two by avenging loses from earlier this season at the Wyoming dual.
Poulin defeated No. 21 Jore Volk (Wyoming) 5-2 and dropped a competitive 8-3 decision to No. 10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State).
Zerban won a close 3-2 decision over No. 15 Jacob Wright (Wyoming). Zerban then followed that with a dominating 10-1 majority decision over Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) before falling 7-3 to No. 4 Jared Franek (NDSU).
"Stevo and Vinny have showed that they can compete at the highest level, and we are all very proud of them," Nickerson said. "The future is very bright for them as individuals and our program."
No.2 seed Andrew Alirez defeated No. 6 Beau Barnett (Penn State) 6-2 in the 141-pound semifinals to the NCAA national championship final.
It sets up a must-see final between two unbeatens. No. 1 seed Real Wood (Iowa) will enter with a 20-0 mark and Alirez is 26-0. For UNC, it's the program's first national final since 1969.
Earlier in the day Alirez defeated Lachlan McNeil 6-4 and made history to earn his first NCAA All-American nod and the program's first since 2010.
"Really proud of Andrew and how he competed throughout the entire tournament," said UNC head wrestling coach Troy Nickerson. "He's prepared for this moment, and it all comes down to Saturday night."
The Bears received standout performances from freshmen Stevo Poulin (125) and Vincent Zerban (157).
The duo started day two by avenging loses from earlier this season at the Wyoming dual.
Poulin defeated No. 21 Jore Volk (Wyoming) 5-2 and dropped a competitive 8-3 decision to No. 10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State).
Zerban won a close 3-2 decision over No. 15 Jacob Wright (Wyoming). Zerban then followed that with a dominating 10-1 majority decision over Jason Kraisser (Iowa State) before falling 7-3 to No. 4 Jared Franek (NDSU).
"Stevo and Vinny have showed that they can compete at the highest level, and we are all very proud of them," Nickerson said. "The future is very bright for them as individuals and our program."
Players Mentioned
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
