“My mindset was that we needed to wrestle our best to win,†UW head coach Mark Branch said. “As much as we may have been struggling this year, I think we all felt a little better as the dual went on. It was huge for Gunnar (Woodburn) to come out right away against a solid competitor and set the tone. The first couple of wins were important for how the rest of the team did and the consistency of doing things better showed tonight.â€
The Pokes were bolstered by wins in nine of the ten matches, starting with senior Gunnar Woodburn's 8-3 decision at 133 to open the dual. Woodburn lead the entire match and ultimately used a four-point near fall in the final period to help secure the win. Junior All-American Bryce Meredith earned a 5-2 decision over Colton Schilling to give UW a 6-0 lead after two matches.
Senior Cole Mendenhall wasted no time in earning a pin (1:44) over Josh Cortez. It was the eighth fall for Mendenhall this season. In the feature match of the night, Archie Colgan jumped out to a 6-1 lead after the first period using a takedown and four-point near fall. He ultimately won by a 6-4 decision over No. 20 Colt Shorts for what was his third win against a ranked opponent this year.
Branson Ashworth recorded his seventh major decision on Friday night. With the help of a quick start, Ashworth won 12-1 over Luke Wilson to further strengthen UW's lead halfway through the dual. UW held strong 19-0 after the first five matches.
Kyle Pope picked up the sixth-straight win for Wyoming to open the dual with an 8-4 decision over Xavier Johnson. Although down early in the match, Pope used three total takedowns to earn the victory for the Brown and Gold. Senior Nate Shaw recorded his first dual victory of the season with an 8-4 win of J.T. Goodwin. Shaw also scored three takedowns in addition to a couple escapes during the match.
Senior Brandon Tribble held on for a 6-4 decision over Spencer Empey. He used two takedowns in the final period to secure the win. To close out the dual, senior Drew Templeman took control of the match early. Templeman recorded a 14-0 major to give UW its ninth win of the dual.
“We know we have to continue to improve,†Branch added. “Among the others, Brandon (Tribble) and Nate (Shaw) each were solid for us tonight, which was great to see. It is always a better feeling to leave with a win, but the hard work and positive habits need to continue. We can't let our guard down as the season goes on.â€
Wyoming will return to the mat on Jan. 28 at Utah Valley. The dual is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. MT.
Results:
133: Gunnar Woodburn dec. Yoshito Funakoshi, 8-3, UW 3, Cal Poly 0
141: #8 Bryce Meredith dec Colton Schilling, 5-2, UW 6, Cal Poly 0
149: Cole Mendenhall fall Josh Cortez (1:44), UW 12, Cal Poly 0
157: #19 Archie Colgan dec. #20 Colt Shorts, 6-4, UW 15, Cal Poly 0
165: #16 Ashworth maj. dec. Luke Wilson, 12-1, UW 19, Cal Poly 0
174: Kyle Pope dec. Xavier Johnson, 8-4, UW 22, Cal Poly 0
184: Mitch Woods dec. Lucas Lovvorn, 3-1, UW 22, Cal Poly 3
197: Nate Shaw dec. J.T. Goodwin, 8-4, UW 25, Cal Poly 3
285: Tribble dec. Spencer Empey, 6-4, UW 28, Cal Poly 3
125: #14 Drew Templeman maj. dec. Isaac Blackburn, 14-0, UW 32, Cal Poly 3
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