UVU Newcomers Led Green to 36-17 Victory Over Black Team

OREM, Utah – Fans got their first look at the 2015-16 Utah Valley University wrestling team with the annual Green & Black Intrasqud Dual and the youthful Green team reigned supreme with a 36-17 victory over veteran Black team.

"We have a really talented young group and they showed that tonight," head coach Greg Williams said. "That Green team was mostly made up of freshmen, so we're excited about the future of the program. Overall, we have some work to do but by the end of the season I think that we can be pretty good."

In all, six newcomers recorded wins for the Green squad en route to the victory, including two from true freshman Jake Armstrong (184 pounds). Fellow first-year freshmen Grant LaMont (149), Khristian Olivas(149), Kimball Bastian (165) and Richie Ybarra-Brandt (197) all also picked up wins for the Green team, as well as sophomore transfer Mitch Brown (125).

Armstrong recorded his pair of wins over senior Ross Taylor (3-2) and junior Abel Gomez (injury default), while LaMont defeated redshirt sophomore Brayden Humpherys (9-4). Olivas and Bastian both picked up respective overtime takedowns to top LaMont (6-4, SV-1) and sophomore Koleton Hardy (5-3, SV-1). Ybarra-Brandt rounded out the impressive evening by the true freshmen with a 7-4 decision over sophomore Aryton Almberg. The sophomore transfer Brown, who wrestled his freshman campaign at Air Force, picked up the lone fall of the exhibition contest by pinning redshirt freshman Josh Temple in 1:45.

In one of the most anticipated matches of the evening, redshirt sophomore Dustin Dennison picked up a big win for the Green squad by gutting out a 5-3 decision over sophomore Jordan Karst in a battle of heavyweights. With the match all squared up at 2-2 entering the final period, Dennison managed to record a go-ahead escape point and a clutch late takedown to seal the victory.

Seniors Chasen Tolbert (125), Jade Rauser (133) and Derek Thomas (197) all took care of business for the Black team, as Rauser and Thomas each won by major decision and the 13th-ranked Tolbert managed to record a decisive 7-1 decision.

Redshirt freshman Raider Lofthouse was the lone other grappler from the Black squad to record a victory on the night, as he defeated freshman Kieffer Taylor by a score of 10-3.

"I was also pleased with how some of our studs (upperclassmen) wrestled tonight," added Williams. "We saw a lot of good things on the night, as well as a few not so good things that we'll take back to the room to work on."

To view the complete results from UVU's lone exhibition of the season, click here.

The Wolverines will now prepare for next week's regular-season opener at the Eastern Michigan Duals on Saturday, Nov. 7. There, UVU will face a trio of tough opponents in No. 11 Illinois, Michigan State and Rider (currently receiving votes for the top 25). Following a date with No. 19 Oregon State in Corvallis on Nov. 21, the Wolverines will return to Orem for their first home dual meet of the season when on Nov. 28 when Boise State comes to town.