Pokes Take One-Match-At-A-Time Approach at NCAA Tournament

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mark Branch knows what its like to stroll into this tournament as an underdog.

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Back in 1994, the then freshman at Oklahoma State struggled through a true freshman campaign that saw the 167-pounder cap his first year with a winning percentage of just 59. That equated to 13 wins and nine losses.

Five of those victories came during a still-hard-to-believe run through the NCAA Tournament in Chapel Hill.

Branch, who received an at-large bid, steamrolled through the field, upsetting No. 2 seed Chad Renner of Oregon State, 12-2. Then came the 8-5 win over Duquesne's Jim Brasco and an 8-3 triumph against Chris Studer of Boston University, who was the 7th seed in North Carolina. Rival Jason Leonard of Oklahoma (No. 6) was the next to fall. That was a 9-2 decision that clinched a berth in the finals.

There, Branch squared off with another unseeded wrestler, Laszlo Molnar of Cal State-Fullerton.

This is what happened:

Branch pulled off the 4-2 stunner and OSU claimed a team title, its first since 1990 and 30th in program history. Wyoming's head coach went on to become a four-time All-American in Stillwater and claimed his second individual and team crown as a senior.

So, what is Branch's advice for this current crop of Cowboys as they prepare for their chance to shock the college wrestling world this weekend in Cleveland? Trust your preparation.

"At this time of the year, everything you want is set right out in front of you and you have to earn it. You look at the brackets and it's the best of the best in the country," Branch told gowyo.com. "I told our guys yesterday that the way they’re prepared and the way they’re capable of competing, nobody is going to want to see them first round.

"We just have to focus on those first-round matchups and walk into the tournament feeling like this guy has a bad draw having to compete against me to start the tournament off.”

Six Pokes qualified for NCAAs this season, the most since the 2020-21 season. No. 5-seeded Joey Novak (197) leads the way followed by No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (184), No. 18 Christian Carroll (HWT), No. 21 Gabe Willochell (149), No. 29 Luke Willochell (133) and No. 30 Riley Davis (174).

The tournament runs from Thursday through Saturday inside Rocket Arena. The Championships can be seen on the ESPN family of networks.

Luke Willochell drew No. 4 Aaron Siedel (Virginia Tech); Gabe Willochell squares off with No. 12 Carter Young (Maryland); Davis takes on No. 3 Christoper Minto (Nebraska); Neitenbach faces off with No. 27 Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State); Novak battles No. 28 Kael Wisler (Michigan State) and Carroll will go up against No. 15 Brady Colbert (Army).

Wyoming is fresh off an eighth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships a couple weekends ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Novak and Neitenbach each took runner-up in their respective brackets. Gabe Willochell placed fifth, Davis took sixth, while Luke Willochell and Carroll each did not place.

Four of the six aforementioned Pokes finished at or above their seed line. However, none of them captured a trophy, and it’s a hunger bred from that disappointment that Branch expects to be on display inside Rocket Arena.

“They’re all feeling motivated to climb a little higher and get another chance to get out there and compete,” Branch said. “They step out on that mat wanting to win every time. Even though they may have wrestled well in Tulsa, there’s a little bit left. Those guys want to come back out more prepared and wiser.

“The most important thing is to be excited about the privilege to compete at this level.”

The Cowboys placed 22nd as a team at last year’s NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of that was credited to Novak who bonus-pointed his way to a fifth-place finish and All-American status. Four of his six wins inside the Wells Fargo Center were bonus-point victories, and that was the most in a single NCAA run in program history.

The 2025-26 trip to NCAAs will mark Novak’s third, and he’s a combined 8-4 on the big stage. Gabe Willochell is making his fourth trip – third with Wyoming following a qualification whilst at Edinboro – and he’s 2-6 with all his victories occurring in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2023-24.

Neitenbach – a sophomore and northeast Ohio native from Valley City – now has two NCAA trips to his name, going 2-2 last season. Luke Willochell, Davis and Carroll will all be making their first-career appearance at the NCAA Championships. In fact, Willochell represents the fourth straight true freshman Cowboy to punch a ticket to NCAAs. Only No. 1, and four-time defending national champion, Penn State, lays claim to that same streak.

Session 1 on Thursday commences at 10 a.m. Session 2 begins Thursday at 5 p.m. Friday encompasses Sessions 3 and 4 at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. Session 5 on Saturday kicks off at 9 a.m., and the Championship Session is at 4:30 p.m.

Branch, back in 2017 penned the following on Twitter: "Nothing given, everything earned. Everyone walks in 0-0. Only 10 leave undefeated."

* A UW press release contributed to this report

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