WASHINGTON, D.C. — Utah Valley University opened the 2023-24 dual schedule with a 25-12 win over American University on Friday night in the nation's capital. The Wolverines won seven of the 10 bouts with three of those coming as bonus point wins.
 
"We are happy with the win and that our guys came out and competed well," said UVU head coach Greg Williams. "We saw some things we really liked that they have been working on. We talked about that after the match as well as some areas we can keep developing."
 
The dual began at 174 pounds with Mark Takara, who picked up a 10-2 major decision over Lucas White. Takara took a lead in the first with a takedown and just before time expired in the second, recorded his second takedown to lead 6-2 heading into the third. He got takedown No. 3 in the third and rode White the rest of the match to secure the riding time and earn the first bonus point of the night.
 
Jacob Armstrong made his season debut and got off to a quick start, taking a 7-0 lead in the first with a takedown before tilting Connor Bourne for a 4-point near fall and coasting to the 8-1 win, pushing the team score to 7-0.
 
12th-ranked Evan Bockman took quick control of his match at 197 against Liam Volk-Klos, scoring a trio of takedowns and a 4-point near fall in the opening period to take a commanding 13-2 lead. He extended it to 16-3 in the third with another takedown and then finished off Volk-Klos with a takedown with 50 seconds to go, ending the match with a 19-4 tech fall. That pushed the team score to 12-0 after three matches.
 
American got its first takedown and team points of the day at 285 pounds. #31 Will Jarrell earned a fall (4:08) over an undersized Jack Forbes, who was at a significant weight disadvantage and wrestling up from his regular spot at 197.
 
Yusuf Lillie was game against No. 16 Jack Maida at 125 pounds, allowing only a second-period escape to keep it close entering the third. Maida got a takedown with under a minute to go and then, after a Lillie escape, was able to get a late takedown for a 7-1 win. That brought the team score to 12-9 midway through the dual.
 
No. 25 Haiden Drury faced Maximilian Leete at 133 in a match that pushed the Wolverine a bit out of his comfort zone. Leete is a sight-impaired athlete, meaning both wrestlers needed to maintain physical contact throughout the match. Drury trailed 4-2 after one period but a takedown late in the second pushed it to 6-4 entering the final frame. Leete took injury time with just over a minute to go, allowing Drury to take bottom on the restart, where he earned an escape to go up 7-5, before holding off Leete's attempt to steal the match late. 
 
At 141 pounds, James Emmer earned the first takedown after a scramble on the edge of the mat against Cael McIntyre midway through the opening period. Emmer rode out McIntyre over the final 1:32 of the first, then extended the advantage to 5-0 with a reversal early in the second. Again, he rode McIntyre for the rest of the period to secure the riding time point on his way to the 6-0 shutout victory.
 
Ty Smith met freshman Gage Owen at 149 pounds, using a pair of takedowns to take a 6-3 lead after the first. Owen scored his points on an escape and a reversal. Smith carried a 7-3 lead into the third when Owen got another reversal before an escape made it 8-5. Smith was hit with a stall call but fought off a takedown attempt from Owen with just over a minute left and then held on for the 8-6 decision.
 
In the 157-pound match between Kyler Lake and Jack Nies, the only scoring over the first five-plus minutes was an escape from both wrestlers. Nies recorded the first takedown with 1:32 on the clock, before an escape and takedown from Lake gave the Wolverine a 5-4 lead with just 25 seconds to go. Nies responded and was able to earn the win on a reversal with under 10 seconds left. That put the team score at 21-12 but also secured the dual win for the Wolverines.
 
In the final match of the night, Jaxon Garoutte used a pair of takedowns in the first period en route to earning a commanding 14-3 major decision over Breon Phifer.
 
The Wolverines will stay on the East Coast and head to Philadelphia for the Penn Keystone Open on Sunday. Utah Valley will also have a contingent of wrestlers competing at the Spokane Open in Washington on Sunday.
  
 

Weight	Match Result	Team Score
174	Mark Takara (UVU) over Lucas White (AU) by major decision, 10-2	4-0
184	Jacob Armstrong (UVU) over Connor Bourne (AU) by decision, 8-1	7-0
197	#12 Evan Bockman (UVU) over Liam Volk-Klos (AU) by technical fall, 19-4 (6:10)	12-0
285	Will Jarrell (AU) over Jack Forbes (UVU) by fall (4:08)	12-6
125	#16 Jack Maida (AU) over Yusuf Lillie (UVU) by decision, 7-1	12-9
133	Haiden Drury (UVU) over Maximilian Leete (AU) by decision, 7-5	15-9
141	James Emmer (UVU) over Cael McIntyre (AU) by decision, 6-0	18-9
149	Ty Smith (UVU) over Gage Owen (AU) by decision, 8-5	21-9
157	Jack Nies (AU) over Kyler Lake (UVU) by decision, 6-5	21-12
165	Jaxon Garoutte (UVU) Breon Phifer (AU) by major decision, 14-3	25-12