LAS VEGAS – No. 5 Demetrius Romero and No. 31 Evan Bockman earned podium spots at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Bockman finishes the weekend 6-2 and a fourth-place finish at 197. No. 5 Demetrius Romero placed sixth in the tournament after going 3-0 yesterday and being pulled from matches today as he is still working from his back from last year's injury.
 
No. 31 Evan Bockman picked up a victory in the consolation bracket defeating No. 24 Jake Koser (Navy). Bockman jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first period using a takedown and a pair of two-point near falls to take control in his first match of the day to win by a 7-4 decision. Bockman advanced to the third-place match after (HM) Andy Smith (Virginia Tech) took a medical forfeit.
 
In the third-place match, Bockman met Big 12 foe No. 11 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State). Sloan entered as the top seed in the tournament at 197. The two tussled to a 0-0 tie heading to the second period. Sloan scored first with an escape from the bottom position to go up 1-0. In the third period, Sloan recorded a two-point near fall taking a 3-0 advantage. Bockman responded with under 30 seconds left with an escape, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Bockman, with under ten seconds left in the final period, scored a two-point takedown with two seconds left in the period to tie the match at 3-3. Sloan accrued over one minute of riding time, giving him one point at the end of the match for a 4-3 victory.
 
Utah Valley finishes 15^th in the team score with 36.5 points in the 33-team field. Nebraska won the tournament for the second consecutive year.
 
Utah Valley will next compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18 before heading east to have duals with Purdue, Campbell, and Drexel on Dec. 20. The home opening dual will take place on Jan. 13 at 6:00 p.m. MT against No. 17 Northern Iowa.
 
Today's results
197      No. 31 Evan Bockman (UVU)             Over                No. 24 Jake Koser (Navy)       DEC 7-4
197      No. 31 Evan Bockman (UVU)             Over                (HM) Andy Smith (VT)             MFF
197      No. 11 Tanner Sloan (SDSU)              Over                No. 31 Evan Bockman (UVU) DEC 4-3