Near Sellout Crowd on Hand as Alirez and UNC Take on No. 6 Mizzou

Saturday, November 2

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

Missouri

11/3/2024 1:08:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Michael High, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Wrestling in front of the home fans for the first time in 20 months, Andrew Alirez made a triumphant return in front of an announced crowd of 2,456 at Bank of Colorado Arena Saturday.

The Greeley native last wrestled an NCAA match March 18, 2023 – 595 days - when he won the 2023 National Championship. He took off last season to focus on qualifying for the 2024 Olympics. Alirez, ranked number one faced 10th-ranked Josh Edmond and earned a 12-2 major decision, pushing the Bears ahead 11-7 in the team total.

Starting at 197 pounds, No. 6 Missouri won the first two bouts, with a decision and a major decision on its way to a 25-14 team victory over No. 20 UNC.

No. 12 Stevo Poulin posted the first points of the season for the Bears with a 7-1 victory over Gage Walker at 125 pounds. Poulin led 3-0 after one period with a takedown and opened a 4-0 gap with an escape in the second frame. He added two penalty tallies and one for riding time while allowing an escape for the final score.

Dominick Serrano ranked No. 21 pulled UNC even at 7-all, with a major decision. He trailed 3-1 after the first three minutes but scored 11 of the 12 points in round two. He recorded two takedowns, a 3-point near fall, an escape and a penalty point for two stalling warnings by his opponent. With the match in hand, the Greely native allowed an escape before securing the 15-5 major decision with another takedown.

Alirez did not allow an offensive point, registering three takedowns, with two in the first and one in the second. He salted away the 12-2 major decision with Edmond's stalling warning penalties and a riding time bonus.

After Benji Alanis suffered a tightly contested bout at 149 that went to sudden victory, Vincent Zerban pushed the Bears gap back to four with an 8-4 win. He moved in front with an early takedown and extended to 7-0 with an escape and a second takedown in round two. He collected the riding time bonus after surrendering an escape and a takedown.

UNC UM
197: Aeoden Sinclair (Mizzou) over Franklin Cruz (UNC) (MD 19-11)                           0        4
285: Seth Nitzel (Mizzou) over Remington Peterson (UNC) (Dec 11-4)                         0        7
125: No. 12 Stevo Poulin (UNC) over Gage Walker (Mizzou) (Dec 7-1)                        3        7
133: Dominick Serrano (UNC) over Kade Moore (Mizzou) (MD 15-5)                           7        7
141: Andrew Alirez (UNC) over Josh Edmond (Mizzou) (MD 12-2)                               11      7
149: Logan Gioffre (Mizzou) over Benji Alanis (UNC) (SV-1; 7-4)                                  11      10
157: Vinny Zerban (UNC) over James Conway (Mizzou) (Dec 8-4)                              14      10
165: Cam Steed (Mizzou) over Daishun Powe (UNC) (Fall 0:29)                                   14      16
174: Keegan O`Toole (Mizzou) over Aydin Rix-McElhinney (UNC) (TF 20-4 5:57)         14      21
184: Colton Hawks (Mizzou) over AJ Heeg (UNC) (MD 9-1)                                           14      25
Team Score:                                                                                                                    14      25
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com.

Up Next
UNC heads to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a pair of duals beginning at Drexel Friday, Nov. 15.

Next Home Match
The Bears return to Bank of Colorado Arena Saturday, Nov. 21 for the UNC Quad Duals. To purchase tickets, visit uncbears.com/tickets or call 970-351-4849. Tickets can also be purchased at the Campus Commons Ticket Office, Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. TicketSmarter is the official resale marketplace of UNC athletics.

About TicketSmarter.com
TicketSmarter® is a ticket resale marketplace and is not affiliated with Ticketmaster® or Live Nation®. TicketSmarter® is an online ticket marketplace and a proud member of the Digital Ally Companies (NASDAQ: DGLY). TicketSmarter® offers tickets to more than 125,000 live events ranging from concerts to sports and theatre shows.

TicketSmarter® is a primary and secondary ticketing solution for events and high-profile venues across North America including more than 300 professional sports teams and collegiate athletic departments. TicketSmarter® is also dedicated to giving back through contributions to charitable organizations.-

100% Ticket Guarantee
All purchases are backed with a TicketSmarter® ticket guarantee. Have peace of mind knowing when you make your purchase for any sporting event, concert or theatre show that your tickets will be valid. You will receive a 100% refund if the event is canceled and not rescheduled. You will also receive a 100% refund if your order was accepted but the tickets were not delivered by the seller or shipped in time for the event. TicketSmarter® also provides a worry-free guarantee that your tickets will be valid upon entry. If they are not valid, we will provide you with a refund.