All Three Wolverines Continue in NCAAs

DETROIT — Four-time NCAA qualifier Taylor LaMont led the way for the Utah Valley University wrestling team during Thursday's opening session at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday afternoon by recording a 7-2 victory over the No. 12 seed Malik Heinselman of Ohio State.

The 2021 All-American for the Wolverines LaMont (125 pounds) looked strong in his opening match of the 2022 NCAA's by racking up a trio of takedowns en route to defeating the higher seeded foe and fellow four-time NCAA qualifier to advance to Thursday evening's second round. UVU's other two competing grapplers-No. 17 Haiden Drury (133) and No. 24 Evan Bockman (197)-both dropped tightly contested first-round matches at their first trip to the NCAA Championships on Thursday to fall to the wrestlebacks.

In his first match, the four-time NCAA qualifier for the Wolverines LaMont struck first with a last-second takedown in the closing seconds of the opening period to take a 2-0 lead. Following an escape from Heinselman in the second, LaMont responded with another takedown and was close to gaining some back points as he took a 4-1 lead into the final stanza. The 21st-seeded Wolverine then capped the bout with an escape and another takedown to claim the contest by a score of 7-2.

LaMont now moves on to round number two to face a familiar foe in the No. 5 seed and 2022 Big 12 champion Killian Cardinale of West Virginia on Thursday evening. The two met up last month in Morgantown, and Cardinale managed to pull out a tightly contested 3-2 decision.

In Drury's first NCAA Championship match against the No. 16 seed and EIWA runner-up Josh Koderhandt of Navy, Koderhandt opened an early lead thanks to a first period takedown to take a 2-1 lead after one. The 17th-seeded second-year freshman for the Wolverines responded by riding Koderhandt out in the second period. Drury then recorded a quick reversal right out of the gate in the third to take a 3-2 lead, but Koderhandt responded with an escape and takedown to take a 5-3 advantage. With the clock winding down, and in a scramble, Drury then looked to have secured a winning reversal (with riding time) but after video review no reversal was awarded as Koderhandt held on to pull out the hard-fought bout by a score of 5-4.

Drury now drops to the wrestlebacks and will face No. 32 Dominic LaJoie of Cornell on Thursday night.

The sophomore Bockman also had a tightly contested opening contest against four-time NCAA qualifier and ninth-seeded Cameron Caffey of Michigan State but in the end ended up falling by a score of 6-4. The 24th-seeded Wolverine jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage with a big lift and takedown and was close to securing another takedown at the end of the opening period but it wasn't awarded as the period ran out just before he could secure it. Holding to a 2-1 advantage, Bockman then added an escape point in the second to extend his lead to 3-1. Caffey then responded in the final stanza with an escape and a takedown the tie the bout at 4-4. With Bockman close to securing the winning takedown late in the final period, Caffey managed to slip his attempt and turn it into the winning takedown of his own to claim the first-round battle by a score of 6-4.

With the setback, Bockman now drops to the consolation rounds and will face No. 25 Jaron Smith of Maryland on Thursday evening.

All three Wolverines will continue the 2022 NCAA Championships with session number two on Thursday evening at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET. The session will be televised live on ESPN, while individual mat coverage will continue on ESPN3 and the ESPN App. Day two of the NCAA Wrestling Championships will then get underway on Friday at 9 a.m. MT/11 a.m. ET.

UVU Results
125 - #21 Taylor LaMont (1-0)
#21 Taylor LaMont (UVU) DEC #12 Malik Heinselman (Ohio St), 7-2

133 - #17 Haiden Drury (0-1)
#16 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) DEC #17 Haiden Drury (UVU), 5-4

197 - #24 Evan Bockman (0-1)
#9 Cameron Caffey (Michigan St) DEC #24 Evan Bockman (UVU), 6-4