Cowboys Wrestlers Host No. 11 South Dakota State Thursday, North Dakota State Sunday

From the desk of Bud Denega, Wyoming Athletics

LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming wrestling team puts its three-match dual win streak on the line Thursday. The Cowboys host No. 11 South Dakota State at 6 p.m. inside the UniWyo Sports Complex.

The Pokes diversified the way in which they won their most recent dual. After taking control of duals early in the weeks prior, Wyoming rallied for a 23-16 victory at Northern Colorado on Friday that pushed their record to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12.

While head coach Mark Branch was pleased with how his team circled the wagons, of sorts, against the Bears, he knows things must be different Thursday. His team will have to get out to a fast start, in more ways than one. 

“SDSU has a very good team,” Branch said. “If we want to make this competitive, we are going to have to wrestle a lot better than we did last Friday. We have got to push for first-period takedowns, and we have to believe in our ability to upset individuals. You want these opportunities at home, and we need to take full advantage of wrestling on our home mat.”

As Branch said, upsets will be necessary to keep the team score close. The Jackrabbits boast a ranked wrestler at every weight, two of which are ranked in the top five.

While Wyoming only owns a quartet of ranked guys, many of the unranked individuals are working with some momentum. Sloan Swan (157) has gone 3-0 during the team’s three-match win streak, while Garrett Ricks (133), Cooper Voorhees (165) and Quayin Short (174) have each gone 2-1 during that stretch.

That means a lot of student-athletes in brown and gold are feeling good about their ability and what they’ve accomplished. Throw in an Ethan Ducca (184) – who made his long-awaited return from injury against the Bears – and the Cowboys feel good even tough nationally they don’t have a number next to their name.

And then there’s the stalwarts. No. 4 Jore Volk (125), No. 14 Gabe Willochell (149), No. 19 Joey Novak (197) and No. 31 Cole Brooks (141) have all proven themselves to the tune of being ranked for nearly the entire season.

South Dakota State counters with No. 3 Cade DeVos (174), No. 5 Tanner Sloan (197), No. 12 Derrick Cardinal (133), No. 12 Bennett Berge (184), No. 14 Tanner Jordan (125), No. 15 Cael Swensen (157), No. 19 Alek Martin (149), No. 27 Clay Carlson (141), No. 27 Luke Rasmussen (HWT) and No. 33 Tanner Cook (165). The Jackrabbits are 9-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12.

South Dakota State dominated last year’s matchup in Brookings, 42-3. Volk represented the only victorious Poke, as he downed Jordan via decision, 7-1.

Wyoming throttled the Jackrabbits the last time the two met in Laramie during the 2018-19 season. The final that day was 32-9.

The Cowboys remain at home and have a somewhat fast turnaround. They host North Dakota State on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside the UniWyo Sports Complex.