UVU Returns to Action Against Wyoming and Missouri

OREM, Utah — After having five dual meets postponed over the last two weeks due to COVID-19, the Utah Valley University wrestling team will return to the mat this weekend with a pair of home matches on Saturday evening against Big 12 foes Wyoming and No. 13 Missouri.

Saturday's action will be contested at UVU's Lockhart Arena and will open with a neutral-site match between the Cowboys and 13th-ranked Tigers at 4 p.m. UVU will then take on Wyoming at 6 p.m., before closing the day with a dual against No. 13 Mizzou in the nightcap at 8 p.m.

All three contests will be streamed live on FloWrestling (subscription required), while the UVU vs. Wyoming and the UVU vs. Mizzou matches will also be streamed live for free on both YouTube and the WAC Digital Network. Live results for all three duals will also be available by visiting TrackWrestling.com.

Saturday's action will mark Utah Valley's first competition since Jan. 2 when it fell in non-conference dual action to Pac-12 foe Oregon State in Nampa, Idaho. UVU was then scheduled to host Big 12 foes Air Force, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State at home on Jan. 14 and 15, as well as take on Northern Iowa and No. 10 Iowa State on the road on Jan. 21 and 23, but had all five contests postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Wolverine program.

The Wolverines will enter Saturday with a 5-3 overall record and an 0-2 Big 12 Conference clip. UVU holds wins on the year over California Baptist and CSU Bakersfield, as well as non-Division I foes Doane, North Idaho, and Northwest Kansas Tech. UVU's losses on the season have come to No. 4 Oklahoma State, Northern Colorado, and Oregon State. The Wolverines will enter Saturday currently ranked 38th on the latest FloWrestling Team Tournament poll and 43rd on the most recent WIN Magazine Tournament Power Index.

Ranked Wolverines
UVU currently has five Wolverines ranked on the latest national polls with redshirt junior and 2021 All-American Taylor LaMont (125 pounds) and freshman 133-pounder Haiden Drury leading the way as they are each ranked as high as 13th, with LaMont's ranking coming via FloWrestling and Drury's on the first NCAA Coaches' Panel ranking. Redshirt sophomore 197-pounder Evan Bockman is next by being ranked as high as 24th in his weight class, while fellow redshirt sophomore Jacob Armstrong is 28th at 184 pounds, and redshirt freshman Kekana Fouret is 32nd at 174.

UVU Leaders
The second-year freshman and Fresno State transfer Drury leads UVU on the season with a 14-4 record at 133, which includes a trio of wins coming over nationally ranked opponents. Currently out with an injury, sophomore heavyweight Jayden Woodruff is next at 12-3. Fellow sophomores Armstrong (184), Chase Trussell (HWT), and Bockman all follow with nine wins apiece at 9-3, 9-4, and 9-6, respectively. The reigning All-American and 2021 Big 12 Conference runner-up has appeared in just three matches so far on the season as he'll enter Saturday with a 2-1 clip.

About the Opposition
Wyoming will come to town with an 0-4 record and an 0-3 Big 12 Conference dual clip after too experiencing COVID issues over the past few weeks. The Cowboys have dropped duals on the year to No. 4 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Iowa State, North Dakota State, and Oregon State. UW most recently fell at home to Oregon State, 22-12, last weekend. Despite the setbacks, the Pokes are ranked as high as 21st in the most recent FloWrestling Team Tournament poll and 23rd in both the current InterMat and WIN Magazine tournament rankings.

The Cowboys currently have eight grapplers ranked with 2021 All-American Stephen Buchanan leading the way by checking in at fifth at 197 pounds. Hayden Hastings is next by being ranked as high as 11th at 174 pounds, followed by heavyweight Brian Andrews at 12th, Jacob Wright 13th (157), Tate Samuelson 16th (184), Cole Moody 20th (165), Job Greenwood 33rd (133), and Chase Zollmann is an honorable mention at 141. Of the eight ranked wrestlers, seven of them were NCAA qualifiers for Wyoming last season.

Saturday's dual will mark the 17th all-time meeting between UVU and UW. Wyoming holds a 15-1 all-time series lead and has won 14 straight duals. UVU's lone win came on Jan. 21, 2006 in Laramie, as now associate head coach Erkin Tadzhimetov helped lead the Wolverines to a 26-19 victory with a 0:35-second fall in the contest. The two teams met in a round robin tournament last season, but the most recent dual meet came on Jan. 26, 2020 when Wyoming pulled out a 37-9 victory in Green River, Wyoming.

Newly back in the Big 12 Conference in the sport of wrestling, the Missouri Tigers will come to Orem for the first time this weekend with a 7-3 overall record and a 5-1 Big 12 clip. Mizzou is currently ranked 13th in this week's NWCA Top 25 Coaches Poll and as high as ninth in the most recent FloWrestling Dual rankings. After knocking off No. 20 Oklahoma 23-14 last Thursday in Norman, the Tigers then fell at home to No. 23 South Dakota State, 21-12, on Saturday. Mizzou also holds wins on the year over No. 17 Lehigh, No. 17 Northern Iowa, Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, and Binghamton, and besides falling to No. 23 SDSU last weekend, has also dropped contests to No. 5 NC State and No. 10 Virginia Tech. Missouri finished the season last year with a seventh-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships and crowned a trio of All-Americans.

The Tigers currently have nine grapplers ranked led by second-year freshman 165-pounder Keegan O'Toole by being rated the nation's top-ranked wrestler on the most recent NCAA Coaches' Panel ranking. O'Toole placed third at the NCAA Championships as a true freshman a season ago. Fellow 2021 All-American Rocky Elam is next by being ranked as high as fourth at 197, and he's followed by Allan Hart in fifth at 141, Peyton Mocco ninth at 174, Noah Surtin 12th at 125, Zach Elam 15th at heavyweight, Jeremiah Kent 16th at 184, Josh Edmond 17th at 149, and Jarrett Jacques 18h at 157. Of the group, eight were NCAA qualifiers for the Tigers last season.

Saturday's meeting between UVU and Mizzou will mark just the second all-time meeting between the two schools. Missouri holds a 1-0 series advantage after shutting out the Wolverines in the lone previous meeting, 48-0, on Jan. 2, 2005 in Columbia.

Probable Lineups
Utah Valley (5-3, 0-2 Big 12)
125: #13 Taylor LaMont, RJr. (2-1) OR Yusief Lillie, Fr. (6-10)
133: #13 Haiden Drury, Fr. (14-4) OR Kobe Nelms, So. (9-7) OR Kainalu Estrella, RSo. (8-5)
141: Ty Smith, RFr. (1-6)
149: Sam Edelblute, RFr. (3-5)
157: Jaxon Garoutte, Fr. (5-5)
165: Danny Snediker, Fr. (5-3)
174: #32 Kekana Fouret, RFr. (10-6) OR Hunter Morse, Fr. (7-6)
184: #28 Jacob Armstrong, RSo. (9-3)
197: #24 Evan Bockman, RSo. (9-6) OR Ashton Seely, RJr. (0-0)
285: Chase Trussell, RSo. (9-4)

Wyoming (0-4, 0-3 Big 12)
125: Brendon Garcia, So. (11-8) OR Jake Svihel, So. (12-12) OR Darrick Stacey, So. (4-6)
133: #33 Job Greenwood, So. (14-10)
141: HM Chase Zollmann, RFr. (11-7) OR Darren Green, Fr. (12-4)
149: Jaron Jensen, Sr. (15-7)
157: #13 Jacob Wright, RJr. (11-4)
165: #20 Cole Moody, RSo. (4-3) OR Cooper Voorhees, Fr. (22-9)
174: #11 Hayden Hastings, RJr. (15-4)
184: #16 Tate Samuelson, Jr. (13-5)
197: #5 Stephen Buchanan, So. (14-2)
285: Terren Swartz, So. (12-10) OR Mason Ding, Fr. (0-0)

#13 Missouri (7-3, 5-1 Big 12)
125: #12 Noah Surtin, RFr. (14-3)
133: Trey Crawford, Fr. (9-8) OR Connor Brown, RJr. (0-1)
141: #5 Allan Hart, RJr. (12-3)
149: #17 Josh Edmond, Fr. (11-4)
157: #18 Jarrett Jacques, Jr. (13-7)
165: #1 Keegan O'Toole, Fr. (14-0) OR Mitchell Bohlken, RFr. (3-7)
174: Sean Harman, RFr. (16-7) OR #9 Peyton Mocco, RSo. (10-4)
184: #16 Jeremiah Kent, RSo. (11-5)
197: #4 Rocky Elam, Fr. (12-2) OR Jack Flynn, RSo. (8-0)
285: #15 Zach Elam, RSo. (7-3)

*Individual rankings listed are the highest ranking taken from the latest InterMat, FloWrestling, NCAA Coaches' Panel, and WIN Magazine rankings.