OREM, Utah – The Utah Valley University wrestling team will host its 2019-20 home finale on Friday night (Feb. 14) against Big 12 foe Northern Colorado. The conference dual meet will be contested at UVU's Lockhart Arena and will begin at 7 p.m. MT. 
 
Friday's home finale will mark Senior Night for Utah Valley, as the Wolverines will honor seniors Kimball Bastian, Grant LaMont, Tanner Orndorff, and redshirt junior Landon Knutzen prior to the match.
 
The contest will be streamed on both the WAC Digital Network (for free) as well as FloWrestling (for a fee). Live results will also be available by visiting TrackWrestling.com.
 
The Wolverines will enter the dual with a 1-10 overall record and an 0-7 clip in Big 12 Conference competition after dropping a tightly contested match to North Dakota State at home on Feb. 3. UVU and NDSU split the contest at five bouts apiece, but bonus points proved to be the difference as the Bison went on to claim the conference dual by a score of 20-15.
 
Junior 133-pounder Taylor LaMont knocked off his second top-10 ranked opponent in his last three matches against NDSU by pulling out a 2-1 decision over three-time NCAA qualifier and seventh-ranked Cam Sykora. With the contest tied at 1-1 with an escape apiece, LaMont was the aggressor in the third period on his way to being awarded a decisive stalling point to record the upset. 
 
Brothers Tanner Orndorff (197 pounds) and Tate Orndorff (heavyweight) both also defeated fellow ranked opponents against the Bison, while Bastian (174) and freshman 149-pounder Cameron Husaker too pulled out wins by decision. The senior Tanner Orndorff first recorded a 7-4 win over No. 33 Cordell Eaton, while the sophomore Tate Orndorff followed with a 5-3 overtime victory over No. 20 Brandon Metz. 
 
NATIONALLY RANKED WOLVERINES
As a team, UVU will enter the contest ranked 25th nationally by both TrackWrestling and WIN Magazine. The Wolverines also have four grapplers nationally ranked in No. 4 Tate Orndorff, No. 9 Bastian, No. 11 Taylor LaMont, and No. 22 Tanner Orndorff. The heavyweight Tate Orndorff leads UVU on the season with a 14-2 overall record, while LaMont is 11-5, Bastian is 11-6, and three-time NCAA qualifier Tanner Orndorff is 10-8. 
 
ABOUT NORTHERN COLORADO
The Bears will come to town with a 2-6 overall record and a 1-4 Big 12 Conference mark. Northern Colorado last defeated Cal Poly in non-conference action last weekend, 25-18, but prior to that had dropped six straight duals. UNC holds it lone Big 12 Conference victory on the season over West Virginia (31-10 at home on Nov. 16). 
 
Northern Colorado is currently ranked 37th by TrackWrestling and 41st by WIN Magazine, and has a total of six grapplers individually ranked. Andrew Alirez leads the way by being ranked 10th at 149 pounds, while Dalton Robertson is 11th at heavyweight, Mosha Schwartz is 18th at 133, Jacob Seely is 20th at 197, Alan Clothier is 23rd at 184, and Austin Matthews is 31st at 165. Alirez paces the Bears with a 17-2 season record, while Clothier is 19-6, Schwartz is 19-7, Robertson is 16-5, and Seely is 14-7. Seely and Chris Sandoval (141) are both returning NCAA qualifiers for the Bears.
 
Friday's match will mark the 20th all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Bears. UNC will enter the contest holding to an 11-8 series lead, but UVU managed to pull out a 22-17 victory in Greeley last season. Utah Valley is also 4-6 against Northern Colorado all-time in Orem.
 
OUT FOR THE SEASON
Returning NCAA qualifiers Matt Findlay (149) and Demetrius Romero (165) will both be sidelined for UVU in 2019-20 with injuries. Both Findlay and Romero advanced to the Round of 12 at the 2019 NCAA Championships en route to each finishing just one-win shy of becoming All-Americans. Findlay went 17-4 in 2018-19, while Romero went 28-5. Romero also became UVU's first Big 12 Conference champion in program history a season ago, while Findlay earned the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award after holding the highest GPA of any competing student-athlete at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships. 
 
ON DECK FOR UVU
The Wolverines will close their 2019-20 regular season next week with a pair of duals on the road. UVU will first take on Ohio University in non-conference action on Friday, Feb. 21, before capping the trip with a Big 12 contest at West Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 23. 
 
FRIDAY'S PROBABLE LINEUPS
Utah Valley (1-10, 0-7 Big 12)
125: Will Edelblute, RFr. (7-11 overall, 1-5 duals) OR Josiah Nava, RFr. (1-11, 0-5)
133: #11 Taylor LaMont, RJr. (11-5, 7-2)
141: Kainalu Estrella, RFr. (2-4, 0-0) OR James Emmer, Fr. (8-5, 0-0)
149: Cameron Hunsaker, Fr. (7-12, 3-8)
157: Jerry Rubio, RFr. (5-14, 0-6) OR Spencer Heywood, RSo. (2-5, 0-1) OR Jed Loveless, RSo. (3-4, 2-2)
165: Koy Wilkinson, RJr. (6-13, 0-7)
174: #9 Kimball Bastian, RSr. (11-6, 7-1)
184: Ashton Seely, RSo. (2-10, 0-4)
197: #22 Tanner Orndorff, RSr. (10-8, 7-4) OR Jayden Woodruff, RFr. (8-5, 1-1)
285: #4 Tate Orndorff, RSo. (14-2, 7-1) OR Chase Trussell, RFr. (8-3, 1-2)
 
Northern Colorado (2-6, 1-4 Big 12)
125: Jace Koelzer, RFr. (12-7, 4-3)
133: #18 Mosha Schwartz, Fr. (19-7, 5-3)
141: Chris Sandoval, RSo. (10-8, 0-5) OR Brody Lamb, RFr. (14-8, 2-1)
149: #10 Andrew Alirez, RFr. (17-2, 3-1)
157: Jordan Robison, RSo. (8-7, 0-1) OR Jimmy Fate, RJr. (8-8, 0-4)
165: #31 Austin Matthews, RSr. (9-8, 0-5)
174: Billy Higgins, RFr. (9-8, 3-3)
184: #23 Alan Clothier, RJr. (19-6, 6-2) OR Xavier Vasquez, RFr. (8-7, 0-1)
197: #20 Jacob Seely, RJr. (14-7, 1-2)
285: #11 Dalton Robertson, RJr. (16-5, 3-0) and Robert Winters, RJr. (9-12, 1-4)
 
*Individual rankings listed are the highest ranking taken from the latest InterMat, Flo, Track, The Open Mat, and WIN Magazine polls.