Cowboys Open Season with 39-7 Victory at Western Wyoming
ROCK SPRINGS – The University of Wyoming wrestling team started strong and ended even stronger in a dual at Western Wyoming Community College on Saturday.
The No. 25 Pokes defeated the No. 1 Mustangs – who compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association – by a final score of, 39-7.
“We had some guys compete well, and then we had some workmanlike performances but not really energetic and not inspiring,” head coach Mark Branch said. “I want to see more consistency and more energy throughout the match and see our guys separate themselves from their opponent. I felt like we could have done more.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Wyoming’s Sefton Douglass (125) to begin the dual. He competed as a Mustang for three seasons, and in the familiar surroundings of Rushmore Gym, he shined. Douglass pinned No. 6 Stockton Allen, needing just 3:54 to do so.
“Sefton put the time in on top and wore that kid out,” Branch said. “That kid just broke in the middle of the match. Sefton sustained the flurry and a bit of the wildness of that match and kept it under control and finished strong.”
Douglass’ pin commenced five straight wins, four that were bonus-point victories. David Saenz (133) defeated No. 3 Zach Marrero via major decision, 16-5. John Alden (141) pinned No. 3 Dmitri Alarcon in 4:27. Antonio Avila (149) won by decision over No. 1 Tommy Dalton, 9-4, and No. 17 Jared Hill (157) beat Ryker Gibson via major decision, 17-3.
Riley Davis (174) got Wyoming back on track with a pin in 6:54 of No. 3 Francisco Ayala. Eddie Neitenbach (197) bumped up a weight class – with Joey Novak competing in the NWCA All-Star Classi – and stuck Ian Dickinson in 2:25. Christian Carroll (HWT) punctuated the dual with a technical fall of No. 7 Kort Wilkinson in just 2:25.
“Both Eddie and Christian were super aggressive and dominant and brought a lot of energy,” Branch said. “That was a great way to finish off the dual.”
The Cowboys are back in action at the National Duals. That takes place inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., from Nov. 15-16.
No. 25 Wyoming 39 | No. 1 Western Wyoming 7
*Rankings are the highest among Flo/InterMat/Open Mat
125: Sefton Douglass (Wyoming) fall No. 6 Stockton Allen (Western Wyoming), 3:54
133: David Saenz (Wyoming) major decision No. 3 Zach Marrero (Western Wyoming), 16-5
141: John Alden (Wyoming) fall No. 3 Dmitri Alarcon (Wester Wyoming), 4:27
149: Antonio Avila (Wyoming) decision No. 1 Tommy Dalton (Western Wyoming), 9-4
157: No. 17 Jared Hill (Wyoming) major decision Ryker Gibson (Western Wyoming), 17-3
165: No. 1 Banks Norby (Western Wyoming) major decision Brett McIntosh (Wyoming), 8-3
174: Riley Davis (Wyoming) fall No. 3 Francisco Ayala (Western Wyoming), 6:54
184: No. 1 Banks Love (Western Wyoming) major decision Seamus Casey (Wyoming), 13-1
197: No. 10 Eddie Neitenbach technical fall Ian Dicksinson (Western Wyoming), 16-0 (2:25)
HWT: No. 26 Chrisitan Carroll (Wyoming) technical fall No. 7 Kort Wilkinson (Western Wyoming), 19-4 (1:17)
Extra Matches
125: Isaiah Harrison (Wyoming) decision Nathan Fish (Western Wyoming), 11-4
133: Cody Phelps (Wyoming) technical fall Luke Schroeder (Western Wyoming), 15-0 (7:00)
165: Sloan Swan (Wyoming) fall Sam May (Western Wyoming), 3:42
174: Lane Foard (Wyoming) fall Maclaine Percivel (Western Wyoming), 1:46
HWT: Winston McBride (Wyoming) fall Austin McNaughton (Western Wyoming), 1:58
Joey Novak Drops 2-1 Decision to Little Rock's Stephen Little at NWCA All-Star Classic
PISCATAWAY, N.J., – The University of Wyoming wrestling team had representation at the 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic. No. 3 Joey Novak (197) fell to Little Rock’s No. 4 Stephen Little, 2-1, in sudden victory inside Jersey Mike’s Arena on the campus of Rutgers University.
Novak and Little didn’t showcase much offense, neither could. Both were tremendous defensively and two escapes – Little in the second period and Novak in the third period – were the only points scored in regulation.
Novak scrambled to what appeared to be a potential bout-clinching win near the end of overtime. But upon further review, the official deemed that Novak utilized an illegal headlock and awarded Little one point and the victory.
The rest of Novak’s teammates were at Western Wyoming. The Cowboys won that season-opening dual, 39-7.
The Pokes are back in action at National Duals. That takes place inside the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Nov. 15-16.
POKES: The Seven Best Games In The History Of The Wyoming-CSU Border War Rivalry (Naturally, they were all Wyoming wins)
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