Jan. 13, 2011
OREM, Utah - The Utah Valley wrestling team will travel to Arlington, Texas to compete at Saturday's 14th annual Lone Star Duals. At the duals, UVU will square off against No. 16 Nebraska at 7 a.m., The Citadel at 5 p.m. and Appalachian State at 7 p.m. (all times are listed in MT).
The Wolverines are 1-0 on the year and 1-0 in Western Wrestling Conference action after defeating Northern Colorado 25-13 last Friday in Orem. Each team won four head-to-head bouts but UVU was able to secure the victory due to two UNC forfeits in the dual.
Seniors Benjamin Kjar (125 lbs.), Jeb Clark (165), Casen Eldredge (184) and sophomore Josh Wilson (157) all picked up wins for the Wolverines in the dual, while senior Justin Morrill (141) and junior Brad Darrington (174) won their bouts via forfeit.
UVU is led on the mat by Kjar and fellow senior Flint Ray (133), as the duo is both ranked 14th in the nation by InterMat. Kjar is 15-4 on the year, while Ray is 12-1.
Last year at the Lone Star Duals, the Wolverines went 2-1 picking up wins over Ivy Leaguers Brown and Harvard but fell to the top 25 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils.
This year UVU will have a tough task ahead of them if they want to go 3-0 at the duals, as they will face some solid competition.
Nebraska of the Big 12 will enter Saturday with a 6-2 overall record. The Huskers two losses on the year came by the hands of No. 4 Minnesota and No. 20 Pitt. The Citadel of the Southern Conference (SoCon) is 4-5 on the season and will enter Saturday on a three-match win streak. Appalachian State too wrestles in the SoCon and will come to Arlington with a 4-6 overall record.
UVU has never previously wrestled any of the three opponents.
Following the duals, UVU will return home for a WWC dual with the No. 24 Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday, Jan. 22. The dual will be televised locally on UVU-TV.
Utah Valley's Probable Dual Lineup:
125: Sr., No. 14 - Benjamin Kjar (15-4)
133: Sr., No. 14 - Flint Ray (12-1)
141: Sr., Justin Morrill (13-7)
149: So., Josh Wilson (13-6) or RFr., Avery Garner (17-13)
157: So., Richard Winger (1-2)
165: Sr., Jeb Clark (14-7)
174: Jr., Brad Darrington (4-1)
184: Sr., Casen Eldredge (1-4)
197: Fr., Trevor Rupp (5-5)
285: Fr., Christian Denny (0-3)
