Feb. 16, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
OREM, Utah - Utah Valley University's wrestling team will conclude its regular season Wednesday night on the road at conference foe Northern Colorado. There the Wolverines (9-3, 3-1) will be trying to reach double figures in the win column for the second consecutive season and also match their Western Wrestling Conference record from a year ago at 4-1.
The dual against the Bears (3-13, 2-3) will begin at 7 p.m. MT Wednesday and live video can be found by visiting b2tv.com for a nominal fee or by CLICKING HERE.
UVU has won four of its last six duals and on Wednesday will be looking to gain some more momentum heading into the NCAA West Regional/WWC Championships that will be held in Brookings, S.D. on March 6. This season will mark the first time in school history that the Wolverines will be eligible to compete in the postseason after successfully transitioning from a junior college program directly to NCAA Div. I.
Junior 125-pounder Benjamin Kjar, who is ranked No. 11 in the country by InterMat, leads the Wolverines. Kjar has put up a record of 26-7 (10-2 duals) and has been named the WWC Wrestler of the Week three times already this year. Historically, the matches between Kjar and UNC's Tony Mustari, a three-time NCAA National Qualifier, have kept the crowd on the edges of their seats. A year ago, Kjar won the only meeting between the two, while two years ago Mustari won all three meetings by one point or in overtime.
Flint Ray (133), Justin Morrill (149), Jeb Clark (165), and Brad Darrington (174) are all having exceptional seasons as well for UVU. The four grapplers have put up season records of 19-8, 17-10, 10-2, and 19-8 respectively. Kjar, Ray, Morrill, and Darrington were all recently named to the second of three NCAA wrestling coaches' panel rankings and the first Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 season. Kjar was ranked 11th in the coaches panel and 12th in the RPI; Ray comes in at No. 31 and No. 26 respectively; while Morrill is No. 29 in RPI and Darrington is 31st and 20th.
The Bears have won two duals in a row as they defeated both Air Force and South Dakota State at home last weekend. UNC's Justin Gaethje (157 pounds) won a pair of technical falls and senior Kenny Hashimoto (141) upset 15th-ranked Cole VonOhlen from Air Force. Brett Bahe (133), Justin Gonzales (149), Kevin O'Brien (165) and senior Justin Tuell (285) also won both bouts over the weekend.
Northern Colorado holds the all-time series advantage at 6-3. Last time out, UVU defeated UNC in Orem, 23-16, on Jan. 31, 2009.
