UVU Takes Down No. 18 Oregon State

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Utah Valley University wrestling team opened the Oregon State Duals with a bang on Saturday afternoon by knocking off the 18th-ranked Beavers by a score of 20-19 on their home mat at Gill Coliseum.

Upset wins from seniors Chasen Tolbert (125 pounds) and Derek Thomas (197), as well as bonus-point victories from Thomas, redshirt freshman Raider Lofthouse (157) and senior Ross Taylor (174) were the difference in the contest as the Wolverines managed to record the one-point victory despite both teams winning five bouts apiece in the meet.

"It was a fun match that was competitive and I was happy with how our guys fought throughout," head coach Greg Williams said. "It was a big win for our program, as well as individually for Chasen, Derek and Ross as they helped seal the victory for us. Overall, I was very pleased with how our guys competed.

The 12th-ranked Tolbert got the Wolverines (2-2, 0-0 Big 12) off to a strong start in the opening bout against the Beavers (2-3, 0-0 Pac-12) as he managed to hold on for a 4-3 upset victory over No. 10 Ronnie Bresser. The UVU senior 125-pounder was the first to strike in the contest, as he recorded an opening period takedown to jump out to a 2-0 advantage. Following a quick second-period escape, Tolbert held a 3-1 advantage after two. In the final frame, Tolbert then managed to ride Bresser out for the majority of the period to earn a decisive riding time point to hold on for the 4-3 win over the 2015 NCAA qualifier and Pac-12 Champion.

Following a 6-2 victory by OSU's Joey Palmer at 133, sophomore Jarod Maynes answered back for the Wolverines with a 5-3 win of his own over Jack Hathaway to give UVU a 6-3 lead in the meet. The Beavers then took a brief 7-6 lead following a major decision at 149 pounds, but Utah Valley bounced right back with a 13-5 major decision win of its own from the redshirt freshman Lofthouse to give UVU a 10-7 lead. In his first collegiate victory, Lofthouse controlled OSU's Abraham Rodriquez with three takedowns and a four-point nearfall en route to the bonus-point victory.

Oregon State then recorded another major decision at 165 to take an 11-10 advantage, but a big fall from the 174-pound senior Taylor helped the Wolverines regain the lead at 16-11. Trailing by a point late in the second period, Taylor managed to throw OSU's Tyler Chay to the mat for a takedown but the Wolverine senior didn't stop there as he immediately followed it up by pinning Chay in the center of the mat just before time expired in the period.

After a major decision win by Oregon State's Corey Griego at 184 pounds, Thomas responded for the Wolverines in a big way with a dominant 10-1 major decision upset over fifteenth-ranked Cody Crawford at 197 pounds. The UVU senior scored a pair of takedowns, along with a four-point nearfall and a riding time point to secure the third bonus-point victory of the match for the Wolverines and give Utah Valley a 20-15 lead with just one match to go.

In the final bout of the meet, No. 5 Amarveer Dhesi needed a technical fall or a fall to help the Beavers overcome the five-point deficit but UVU sophomore heavyweight Dustin Dennison did what he needed to do as he held on to lose by major decision to the highly ranked Dhesi, 21-8, to secure the win for the Wolverines.

The victory marks just the second win in program history over a ranked foe for Utah Valley and its first over a nationally ranked opponent since it defeated the then eighth-ranked Boise State Broncos at home on Feb. 5, 2010. It is also UVU's first all-time win over Oregon State in three tries.

The Wolverines will close the Oregon State Duals on Saturday at 4 p.m. MT/3 p.m. PT against No. 15 Rutgers. Following the final dual of the weekend against the Scarlet Knights, UVU will return to Orem for its home opener against Boise State on Saturday, Nov. 28 at 4 p.m. The contest will not only mark the home opener for Utah Valley but also its first home dual as a member of the Big 12 Conference.

Utah Valley 20, #18 Oregon State 19

• 125: #12 Chasen Tolbert (UVU) over #10 Ronnie Bresser (OSU), Dec. 4-3
• 133: Joey Palmer (OSU) over #18 Jade Rauser (UVU), Dec. 6-2
• 141: Jarod Maynes (UVU) over Jack Hathaway (OSU), Dec. 5-3
• 149: Joey Delgado (OSU) over Brayden Humpherys (UVU), MD 12-3
• 157: Raider Lofthouse (UVU) over Abraham Rodriquez (OSU), MD 13-5
• 165: #12 Seth Thomas (OSU) over Kieffer Taylor (UVU), MD 16-4
• 174: Ross Taylor (UVU) over Tyler Chay (OSU), Fall 5:00
• 184: Corey Griego (OSU) over Will Sumner (UVU), MD 11-3
• 197: Derek Thomas (UVU) over #15 Cody Crawford (OSU), MD 10-1
• 285: #5 Amarveer Dhesi (OSU) over Dustin Dennison (UVU), MD 21-8