The Wolverines will have a quick turnaround and return to action Saturday evening for the biggest home dual in program history. Defending national champion and second-ranked Penn State rolls into the UCCU Center at 7 p.m. The match will air live on UVU-TV and will be tape delayed on Fox College Sports next week. The dual with the Nittany Lions will be the final home match for UVU this season.
The Wolverines' top wrestler, 14th-ranked Josh Wilson, got the home squad off to a nice start to the evening by controlling the bout with the Jackrabbits' Andrew Youngblom from the start. Wilson compiled 3:13 of riding time and picked up a 6-0 decision.
SDSU (4-7, 0-4 WWC) answered in the 157-pound matchup when the Jacks' Nick Flynn pinned Napoleon Aniciete after the two had battled to a 5-5 tie over two periods.
But Ethan Smith (165 pounds) put the Wolverines back in front, 9-6, when he forced a fall of his own, pinning Dillon Reid as the second period wound to a close. The Win was Smith's fourth in a row, three of which had been pins.
Monte Schmalhaus (174) and David Prieto (184) each took care of business in their bouts with a pair of decisions to push UVU ahead 15-6, but SDSU would reel off 12 straight points to quickly overcome the deficit. The Jacks' Nick Mart defeated Brian Chamberlain by decision in the 197-pound match, then Joe Skow got a huge result when he pinned Dustin Dennison (285) just 1:58 into the first period. Finally, Aaron Pickrel, SDSU's top wrestler held on for a 7-2 decision over Colby Christensen in the 125 pound match to cap the comeback late into the dual.
Desperately needing points, UVU's Blake Mangum (133) and Nick Chavez ground to a 1-1 tie late into the third period. But Mangum secured a takedown with just 33 seconds remaining and held on for a gritty 3-1 decision to tie the dual at 18-18 with one match left.
Avery Garner, who was ranked 28th in the latest RPI list for UVU, faced off with another of SDSU's top wrestlers, Dustin Walraven in the winner-take-all bout. Walraven took a 3-1 lead just moments into the second period after an escape, but Garner quickly responded with a takedown to level the score. Another Walraven escape put him ahead 4-3, but Garner quickly grabbed the visitor and slammed him on his back, winning a takedown and a three-point near fall to claim an 8-4 advantage heading into the third frame. Garner stayed on the offensive in the final period, adding two more points after a reversal and he would hold on from there, picking up a 10-6 decision and securing a 21-18 dual victory for the Wolverines.
UVU seemed poised to pick up where it left off against SDSU when Wilson (149) opened the dual and swiftly put the Wolverines in front with a first period pin of NDSU's Mark Erickson. Wilson wasted no time, earning a takedown just a minute into the period and finishing it off just moments later to put UVU ahead 6-0 after one bout.
But the Bison (6-7, 3-1 WWC) would respond with a pin of their own when Steven Monk, ranked 13th nationally at 157 pounds, forced a fall of Aniciete early in the second period to tie the dual score at 6-6.
NDSU would win the next three matches to shoot ahead 17-6 after Smith (165) dropped a 13-3 major decision to Tyler Johnson, Joe Garner picked up an 8-4 decision over UVU's Schmalhaus (174), and Mac Stoll won another major decision against Prieto (184).
Chamberlain (197) got UVU back on the board when he won a tightly contested 8-6 decision over John Gusewelle, but Dennison (285) came up just short against Evan Knutson in a 4-0 decision.
Facing a big 20-9 deficit, Christensen (125) battled No. 19 Trent Sprenkel but Sprenkle ended up securing an 11-2 major decision, which clinched the win for the Bison with two bouts remaining,
Mangum (133) went on to defeat Justin Solberg by decision, 7-5, and Garner (141) won by forfeit, but it was NDSU who stole the nightcap, winning 24-18.
Utah Valley 21, South Dakota State 18
149 - #14 Josh Wilson (UVU) Dec. Andrew Youngbloom (SDSU), 6-0
157 - Nick Flynn (SDSU) Fall Napoleon Aniciete (UVU), 6:19
165 - Ethan Smith (UVU) Fall Dillon Reid (SDSU), 4:46
174 - Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) Dec. Joe Rasmussen (SDSU), 7-1
184 - David Prieto (UVU) Dec. Tony Lisek (SDSU), 5-3
197 - Nick Mart (SDSU) Dec. Brian Chamberlain (UVU), 5-3
285 - Joe Skow (SDSU) Fall Dustin Dennison (UVU), 1:58
125 - Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) Dec. Colby Christensen (UVU), 7-2
133 - Blake Mangum (UVU) Dec. Nick Chavez (SDSU), 3-1
141 - Avery Garner (UVU) Dec. Dustin Walraven (SDSU), 10-6
North Dakota State 24, Utah Valley 18
149 - #14 Josh Wilson (UVU) Fall Mark Erickson (NDSU), 1:59
157 - #13 Steven Monk (NDSU) Fall Napoleon Aniciete (UVU), 3:51
165 - Tyler Johnson (NDSU) Maj. Dec. Ethan Smith (UVU), 13-3
174 - Joe Garner (NDSU) Dec. Monte Schmalhaus (UVU), 9-4
184 - Mac Stoll (NDSU) Maj. Dec. David Prieto (UVU), 11-0
197 - Brian Chamberlain (UVU) Dec. John Gusewelle (NDSU), 8-6
285 - Evan Knutson (NDSU) Dec. Dustin Dennison (UVU), 4-0
125 - #19 Trent Sprenkle (NDSU) Maj. Dec. Colby Christensen (UVU), 14-2
133 - Blake Mangum (UVU) Dec. Justin Solberg (NDSU), 8-5
141 - Avery Garner (UVU) won by forfeit
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