USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Both teams split the contest at five bouts apiece but bonus points proved to be the difference in Utah Valley University's 25-17 setback to Air Force in Big 12 action on Saturday night at Clune Arena. The contest marked the final dual meet of the 2018-19 season for the Wolverines.
 
The Falcons (6-6, 2-5 Big 12) managed to earn bonus-point victories in all five of their wins on the night, while UVU (10-14, 1-8 Big 12) mustered bonus points in just one of its five victories. 
 
Tenth-ranked Demetrius Romero (165), No. 12 Kimball Bastian (174), No. 27 Will Sumner (184), No. 14 Tanner Orndorff (197) and No. 17 Tate Orndorff (285) all recorded wins on the night for the Wolverines.  
 
With the dual opening at 197 pounds, Utah Valley got off to a strong start thanks to back-to-back decision victories from the Orndorff brothers to make it 6-0 Wolverines. 
 
Two-time NCAA qualifier and 14th-ranked Tanner Orndorff started the evening with a hard fought 3-1 decision over No. 32 Anthony McLaughlin. With McLaughlin holding to a 1-0 advantage entering the third period, the reigning Big 12 Wrestler of the Week Tanner Orndorff (15-9) managed to even the score at 1-1 with an escape of his own and recorded the decisive takedown late in the bout to take the opening contest. His brother Tate Orndorff then followed with a tightly contested 5-4 decision over Kayne Hutchinson at heavyweight to give UVU the six-point advantage. With Hutchison holding to a 3-1 lead at the end of two, Tate Orndorff (21-6) then got things going by with an escape a go-ahead takedown and additional riding time point to hold on late to win by a point. 
 
The Falcons then quickly evened the score at 6-6 with a win by forfeit from No. 27 Sidney Flores at 125 pounds. Air Force then followed with four more consecutive bonus-point victories to take a 25-6 advantage in the team score. John Twomey started the rally with an 11-0 major decision at 133, while Garrett O'Shea followed with a 9-1 major decision at 141, Alec Opsal a 15-0 technical fall at 149 and No. 28 Alex Mossing capped the spurt with a second-period fall to give AFA the large lead. 
 
With just three matches to go, returning UVU NCAA qualifier and 10th-ranked Romero then responded for the Wolverines at 165 pounds with a 24-9 tech fall win over Jacoby Ward to make it 25-11. With Romero holding to a 5-4 lead in the second stanza, the 10th-ranked Wolverine recorded a takedown followed by a nearfall to extend his lead to 11-4. Romero then was dominant with six takedowns in the final period as well as a riding time point on his way to earning the win by technical fall. Romero improved his record to a team-best 22-3 with the victory. 
 
Fellow Utah Valley returning NCAA qualifier and 12th-ranked Bastian then followed with a hard earned 2-0 decision over AFA's Randy Meneweather to make it 25-14. Bastian (16-8) recorded a point in the second period via an escape and managed to ride Meneweather out in the third on his way to picking up an additional riding time point and the victory. The 27th-ranked Sumner then capped the contest with a 9-2 decision over AFA's Jacob Thompson for UVU's third straight victory. Sumner picked up a trio of takedowns, an escape, a penalty point and a riding time point on his way to improving to 17-9 during his senior campaign. 
 
UVU was without the services of 11th-ranked Matt Findlay (141) on the night due to injury. 
 
After recording their 10th victory of the season with a 22-17 win over Northern Colorado on Friday night, the Wolverines reached the 10-win plateau for the first time since the 2009-10 season when the team went 10-3 that season. The 2018-19 Wolverines also spent a total of 10 weeks nationally ranked in the NWCA Top 25 Coaches Poll this season as well as their highest ranking in program history by spending a week at No. 21. 
 
Utah Valley will now prepare for the 2019 Big 12 Championships that will be contested March 9-10 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, UVU will try to qualify as many of its grapplers for the NCAA Championships that will cap the 2018-19 season on March 21-23 in Pittsburgh. A season ago, UVU sent a program-high five wrestlers to the 2018 NCAA Championships in Cleveland.
 
Air Force 25, Utah Valley 17 
197: #14 Tanner Orndorff (UVU) DEC #32 Anthony McLaughlin (AF), 3-1
285: #17 Tate Orndorff (UVU) DEC Kayne Hutchinson (AF), 5-4
125: #27 Sidney Flores (AF) Wins by FORFEIT
133: John Twomey (AF) MD Isaiah Delgado (UVU), 11-0
141: Garrett O`Shea (AF) MD Dylan Gregerson (UVU), 9-1
149: Alec Opsal (AF) TF Landon Knutzen (UVU), 15-0 (6:30)
157: #28 Alex Mossing (AF) FALL Spencer Heywood (UVU), 3:52
165: #10 Demetrius Romero (UVU) TF Jacoby Ward (AF), 24-9
174: #12 Kimball Bastian (UVU) DEC Randy Meneweather (AF), 2-0
184: #27 Will Sumner (UVU) DEC Jacob Thompson (AF), 9-2
 
Clune Arena – USAF Academy, Colo.