Jan. 22, 2011

Final Results  |  Play-by-Play 

Watch the 125 and 133 lb. Matches

OREM, Utah -- A pair of matches pitting nationally ranked wrestlers went in favor of Utah Valley, but the Wolverines fell short of an upset, dropping a 23-15 dual to No. 25 Wyoming on Saturday night in front of 1,067 fans.

No. 13 Flint Ray (133) scored a fall (3:53) over No. 18 Tyler Cox at 133 lbs. and No. 14 Benjamin Kjar held off No. 18 Michael Martinez at 125 lbs. to pick up nine of the 15 team points for UVU in the night's marquee match-ups.

"I was proud of the guys, I thought they wrestled hard," said UVU coach Greg Williams. "We can take a lot of positives out of this match. Ben and Flint's matches are going to always be huge for us. They're both exciting to watch and get the crowd going no matter who they're wrestling."

The Cowboys, who feature five starters ranked in the top-20 in their individual weight class, raced out to a 6-0 lead with decisions at 157 and 165 lbs.

At 174, Brad Darrington's takedown in the final 10 seconds of the match gave him a 5-4 decision over Patrick Martinez. The bout was tied at 3-3 entering the final period and Martinez took the lead after an early escape before Darrington took control late to get Utah Valley on the board.

The Cowboys stretched the team lead to 20-3 with wins at the next three weight classes including a fall by No. 5 Joe LeBlanc (5:27) at 184.

At 125, Kjar used a pair of takedowns in the opening period and eventually led 5-3 after five minutes of action before holding off Martinez in the final period.

Ray's win over Cox gave Utah Valley some life in the fight for the dual win. Cox led 5-4 after one period and chose down to start the second before Ray came up with the bonus points UVU needed, pinning Cox 57 seconds into the period to make the team score 20-12.

Justin Morrill's 5-4 win over Chase Smith at 141 allowed the outcome to come down to the final match but Josh Wilson fell in a narrow 4-2 decision to No. 19 Cole Dallaserra and 149.

It won't get any easier for Wolverines, who will be off until they travel to battle No. 9 Boise State on Feb. 4 in Boise. The final home dual for Utah Valley will take place Fri., Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. against Air Force.

FINAL RESULTS
125: No. 18 Michael Martinez lost to No. 14 Benjamin Kjar in a 5-4 decision.
133: No. 18 Tyler Cox lost to No. 13 Flint Ray with a pin at 3:53.
141: Chase Smith lost to Justin Morrill in a 5-4 decision.
149: No. 19 Cole Dallaserra defeated Josh Wilson with a 4-2 decision.
157: Jimmy Belleville defeated Richard Winger in a 12-6 decision.
165: No. 6 Shane Onufer defeated Jeb Clark in an 8-2 decision.
174: Patrick Martinez lost to Brad Darrington in a 5-4 decision.
184: No. 5 Joe LeBlanc defeated Casen Eldredge at 5:27.
197: L.J. Helbig defeated Trevor Rupp in a 12-4 major decision.
Heavyweight: Matthew McLaughlin defeated Christian Denny in a 9-1 major decision.