Ivanov was one of three Boise State champions, joining Jason Chamberlain and Jake Swartz at the top of the podium.
It was a short trip for Ivanov, the 18th ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, who received a first-round bye before defeating Adam Fierro in the semifinal. He advanced to the finals where he faced No. 9 RJ Pena of Oregon State. Ivanov pulled out a 3-2 decision after trailing 2-1 heading into the final period. The senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa started the final period on top and quickly picked up a two-point near fall to take the lead and rode out until the final whistle.
It is the second-consecutive year a Bronco has taken home the Outstanding Wrestler Award. Brent Chriswell was given the honor last year.
Chamberlain won the third conference championship of his career by defeating No. 7 Scott Sakaguchi in the championship bout, 3-1 in overtime. It was the rubber match of the series and the second time the two went to overtime this season. Chamberlain's road to the finals was filled with bonus points after getting a pin in the first round and a technical fall in the second. Chamberlain is the 10th wrestler in school history to win three conference titles for the Broncos.
Swartz defended his conference crown at 184 pounds with three wins at the tournament this season. The redshirt junior earned a pair of decisions against Sean Pollock and Ryan Davies in the morning session to advance to the finals. There he faced Arizona State's Kevin Radford and won by a 3-1 decision
Brian Owen (133) and J.T. Felix (285) each made appearances in the finals of their weight classes but each lost by decision.
After Felix upset Levi Cooper in the semifinals he faced Chand Hanke of Oregon State in the finals. Felix took an early lead but Hanke was able to ride him out in the final period, secure the riding time point, and win by a 3-2 decision.
Owen wrestled to a 3-1 victory in the semifinals but was upended by Devon Lotito of Cal Poly in the finals, 5-2.
Travis Himmelman (141) and Holden Packard (165) and Cody Dixon (197) each finished third. Himmelman and Packard each went 3-1 for the tournament while Dixon advanced on a first-round bye and finished 2-1.
Scott Bacon finished 1-2, losing his first-round match but rebounding with a 9-2 decision in the consolation semifinal. In the third-place match, he lost a heartbreaker as Cody Weishoff picked up a reversal and near fall with four seconds left in the second tiebreak period to win 7-4.
Rami Haddadin finished the tournament 0-3.
In all, five Broncos are locked in for the NCAA tournament later this month. Each of the three champions and two runner-up finishers will go with automatic qualification. At the conclusion of the conference tournament schedule next week, at large bids will be announced. Scott Bacon will be one of the hopefuls as he was ranked in the top 33 of both the latest coaches' poll and RPI ratings.
The NCAA Tournament will be held March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa.
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