Record Crowd Shows Out as UW Falls to No. 1 Penn State, 40-7

LARAMIE -- The University of Wyoming wrestling team hosted a very special night Saturday inside the Arena-Auditorium. The Cowboys battled No. 1 Penn State in front of a program-record 4,686 fans and gave the home faithful something to cheer about albeit in a 40-7 loss.

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“That whole dual, no matter the score in any match, the fans were screaming, and they showed out,” Joey Novak said. “That might be the biggest dual I ever wrestle in, and I definitely will not forget that. It was an absolute experience.”

Novak (197) and No. 8 Christian Carroll (HWT) closed the dual with a pair of wins. Novak defeated No. 8 Connor Mirasola via major decision, 10-2, while Carroll capped the day with a 10-4 decision win over No. 9 Cole Mirasola.

Novak moves to 7-2 on the season with four ranked wins. Carroll is now 7-3 with four ranked wins, three of which are top 10 victories.

The rest of the dual didn’t go Wyoming’s way, but it wasn’t without a few fireworks. Brothers Luke Willochell (133) and Gabe Willochell (149) took early leads in their bouts with first period takedowns. However, both would lose via fall, Luke Willochell to No. 5 Marcus Blaze and Gabe Willochell to No. 1 Shayne Van Ness.

John Alden (141) also got the crowd rowdy. He scored a second period takedown to pull within one and make things interesting against Nate Desmond. But Alden ended up losing via decision, 11-4.

The task was a tall one for the Pokes all night. Penn State boasted the top-ranked guy at half of the weight classes and four others were ranked in the top 10.

Wyoming is back in action next weekend. The Cowboys travel to the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 21 inside the Reno Events Center.

No. 1 Penn State 40 | Wyoming 7
125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) technical fall Sefton Douglass (Wyoming), 18-3 (4:27)
133: No. 5 Marcus Blaze (Penn State) fall No. 16 Luke Willochell (Wyoming), 3:39
141: Nate Desmond (Penn State) decision John Adlen (Wyoming), 11-4
149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) fall No. 27 Gabe Willochell (Wyoming), 2:54
157: No. 1 PJ Duke (Penn State) fall No. 19 Jared Hill (Wyoming), 4:08
165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) fall Sloan Swan (Wyoming), 2:00
174: No. 1 Levi Haines (Penn State) technical fall No. 28 Riley Davis (Wyoming), 18-1 (4:53)
184: No. 4 Rocco Welsh (Penn State) decision No. 12 Eddie Neitenbach (Wyoming), 4-1
197: No. 4 Joey Novak (Wyoming) major decision No. 8 Connor Mirasola (Penn State), 10-2
HWT: No. 8 Christian Carroll (Wyoming) decision No. 9 Cole Mirasola (Penn State), 10-4

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

Filed Under: Wyoming wrestling