Nov. 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
AMES, Iowa - Utah Valley University's wrestling team travels to Iowa this week to take on No. 2 Iowa State Thursday at 6 pm (MT). On Saturday UVU will also compete in the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open in Ames.
Thursday evening's showdown against Iowa State will mark both squads first dual match of the season. UVU enters the season coming off of a 9-11 overall record last year and also returns four starters from a year ago. Sophomore Benjamin Kjar (125) is ranked 18th nationally and went 39-9 in 2007-08, sophomore Flint Ray (133) went 16-11, junior Jeffrey Newby (141) went 20-13, and sophomore Casen Eldredge (184) went 18-12.
Iowa State is ranked No. 2/3 in the national polls and always has one of the best teams in the country. Almost every Wolverine wrestler will be outranked by his Iowa State competitor, which will lead to some tough tasks ahead for Utah Valley but Wolverine head wrestling coach Greg Williams wouldn't have it any other way.
"Taking on Iowa State is a great opportunity for us," Coach Williams said. "Almost every guy that we will face is ranked in the top-ten nationally. This allows us to wrestle the competition that we need to see to be prepared for nationals."
Utah Valley is not new to Iowa State. ISU leads the all-time series between the two schools 2-0. The Cyclones last defeated the Wolverines 33-9 in the Hilton Coliseum Nov. 11, 2005. ISU also came to Orem and beat UVU 35-9 in their other victory Nov. 20, 2004.
The Cyclones are coached by world-renowned wrestling phenom and former Wasatch High School star (Heber City, Utah) Cael Sanderson. Also former Utah Valley head wrestling coach Cody Sanderson is now Iowa State's current associate head coach. Cody Sanderson posted a 22-26-1 record over three seasons at the helm of the Wolverine wrestlers.
Last season Iowa State went 16-4 overall and was 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones are also back-to-back Big 12 wrestling champions. ISU returns six grapplers who earned All-America honors at last year's NCAA Championships: Nick Fanthorpe (133), Nick Gallick (141), Cyler Sanderson (157), Jon Reader (165), Jake Varner (184) and David Zabriskie (HWT).
For more detailed information on UVU and Iowa State see the attached PDF at the top of this page. Live stats and audio will also be available at www.cyclones.com or by clicking here: www.cyclones.com
