OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University wrestling team will return to action with a pair of dual meets this weekend. UVU will first step out of conference action to host No. 22 Stanford of the Pac-12 Conference on Friday evening (Jan. 24), before heading to Wyoming to face the Wyoming Cowboys on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 26).
 
Friday's non-conference contest will begin at 7 p.m. at UVU's Lockhart Arena and will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network as well as FloWrestling. Sunday's Big 12 Conference dual will begin at 2 p.m. and will be held at Green River High School in Green River, Wyoming. Sunday's matinee will also be streamed live on FloWrestling. Live results will be available for both matches by visiting TrackWrestling.com.
 
UVU will enter the weekend with a 1-6 overall record and an 0-4 Big 12 Conference clip. The Wolverines are currently ranked 24th by TrackWrestling and 25th by WIN Magazine. 
 
Utah Valley will enter Friday's contest on the heels of a 45-0 loss to Big 12 Conference core member and 11th-ranked Iowa State on Jan. 9 at home. The Cyclones won all 10 matches in the contest, including five by fall, en route to shutting out the Wolverines. Despite dropping all 10 bouts, Taylor LaMont (133 pounds), Koy Wilkinson (165) Grant LaMont (174), Jacob Armstrong (184), and Chase Trussell (heavyweight) all wrestled tough in their respective matches and dropped tightly contested contests. 
 
UVU will enter Friday's dual with four grapplers currently nationally ranked. Sophomore heavyweight Tate Orndorff leads the way by being ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation in the latest national polls, while senior 174-pounder Kimball Bastian is ninth, and both junior Taylor LaMont (133) and senior Tanner Orndorff (197) are both 19th. Tate Orndorff paces the team with a 12-2 overall season record, while Tanner Orndorff is 8-6, Taylor LaMont is 7-5 and Bastian is 7-6. All four grapplers are former NCAA qualifiers for the Wolverines and Tanner Orndorff fronts the group by being a three-time national qualifier. 
 
ABOUT #22 STANFORD
The 22nd-ranked Cardinal will come to town with a 7-1 overall record and a 1-0 clip in Pac-12 action. Stanford is currently ranked 22nd in the latest NWCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, as well as 13th by TrackWrestling, 17th by InterMat and WIN Magazine, and 21st by FloWrestling. The Cardinal finished third at the Southern Scuffle after crowning a trio of champions in early January, and most recently went a perfect 3-0 in duals last week with road wins over Cal Poly, California Baptist, and Life Pacific. 
 
Stanford, who won its first Pac-12 Championship in program history a season ago, currently has six grapplers nationally ranked led by Real Woods (141) and Shane Griffith (165) who are each ranked third. Nathan Traxler is ranked fifth at 197, while Requir van der Merwe is 19th at 149, Gabriel Townsell is 20th at 125, and Haydn Maley is 21st at heavyweight. Townsell, van der Merwe, Traxler and Maley are all returning NCAA qualifiers for the Cardinal.
 
Friday's dual will mark the eighth all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Cardinal. Stanford will enter the contest holding to a 5-2 series advantage after having won each of the last five meetings. UVU's last win came on Feb. 1, 2013 when the Wolverines defeated Stanford, 18-15, in Orem.
 
ABOUT WYOMING
The Cowboys will enter the weekend with a 4-7 overall record and a 2-1 Big 12 Conference clip. Wyoming is currently ranked 24th by WIN Magazine and 27th by TrackWrestling. After going 1-2 at the West Point Duals in early January with a win over American and losses to No. 17 North Carolina and No. 21 Army, the Pokes recently split a Big 12 road trip with a 34-6 win at North Dakota State and a tightly contested 17-16 setback at South Dakota State. UW also holds wins on the season over Air Force (Big 12) and Old Dominion.
 
Wyoming, who will first host CSU Bakersfield on Friday before taking on the Wolverines on Sunday, currently has seven wrestlers nationally ranked. Montorie Bridges leads the way by being ranked sixth in the nation at 133 pounds, while Hayden Hastings is 10th at 174, Brian Andrews is 18th at heavyweight, Jaron Jensen is 20th at 149, Stephan Buchanan is 25th at 197, Tate Samuelson is 30th at 184, and Dewey Krueger is 32nd at 157. The Pokes welcome back five NCAA qualifiers this season and Bridges leads the group as he earned All-American honors as a freshman in 2018. 
 
Sunday's contest will mark the 16th all-time meeting between UVU and UW. Wyoming will enter the contest holding to a 14-1 series advantage and having won 13 straight matches. Utah Valley's lone win was a 26-19 victory on Jan. 21, 2006 in Laramie. 
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
Following this week's matches, UVU will return home to open a three-match homestand against Air Force on Thursday, Jan. 30. The Wolverines will also host North Dakota State (Feb. 3) and Northern Colorado (Feb. 14) during the homestand. 
 
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Utah Valley (1-6, 0-4 Big 12)
125: Will Edelblute, RFr. (7-9 overall, 1-3 duals) OR Josiah Nava, RFr. (1-9, 0-3)
133: #19 Taylor LaMont, RJr. (7-5, 3-2) OR Isaiah Delgado, So. (7-4, 2-0)
141: Cameron Hunsaker, Fr. (5-10, 1-6)
149: Landon Knutzen, RJr. (1-6, 1-4)
157: Jerry Rubio, RFr. (5-11, 0-3) OR Spencer Heywood, RSo. (2-4, 0-0)
165: Koy Wilkinson, RJr. (6-11, 0-5)
174: Grant LaMont, RSr. (0-3, 0-3)
184: Jacob Armstrong, RFr. (4-4, 0-2) OR Ashton Seely, RSo. (2-7, 0-1)
197: #19 Tanner Orndorff, RSr. (8-6, 5-2) OR Jayden Woodruff, RFr. (8-5, 1-1)
285: #4 Tate Orndorff, RSo. (12-2, 5-1) OR Chase Trussell, RFr. (7-2, 0-1)
 
#22 Stanford (7-1, 1-0 Pac-12)
125: Jackson DiSario, Fr. (16-5) OR #20 Gabriel Townsell, Sr. (1-2)
133: Brandon Kier, Sr. (8-7)
141: #3 Real Woods, RFr. (12-1)
149: Dawson Sihavong, Fr. (11-10)
157: Tyler Eischens, RFr. (17-6)
165: #3 Shane Griffith, RFr. (20-0)
174: Jared Hill, RJr. (3-3)
184: Nick Addison, Fr. (5-5)
197: #5 Nathan Traxler, RJr. (15-2) OR Seamus O'Malley, Fr. (7-4)
285: #21 Haydn Maley, RSo. (1-0) OR David Showunmi, RSr. (9-7)
 
Wyoming (4-7, 2-1 Big 12)
125: Doyle Trout, Sr. (7-15) OR Jake Svihel, Fr. (10-5) OR Cole Verner, Sr. (3-5)
133: #6 Montorie Bridges, RJr. (23-3)
141: Chase Zollmann, RFr. (10-12) OR Trevor Jeffries, RFr. (16-9)
149: #20 Jaron Jensen, Jr. (16-10)
157: #32 Dewey Krueger, Sr. (14-10)
165: Cole Moody, RFr. (14-12)
174: #10 Hayden Hastings, RSo. (17-4)
184: #30 Tate Samuelson, So. (13-9)
197: #25 Stephen Buchanan, Fr. (19-8)
285: #18 Brian Andrews, Jr. (20-6) OR Weston Mayer, RFr. (2-2)