AMES, Iowa – Utah Valley 141-pounder Ty Smith finished second in the Last Chance Open on Sunday and finished with a 3-1 record. Smith is now 9-7 on the year and was the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week in Jan. 24 after knocking off South Dakota State's No. 8 Clay Carlson.
 
Smith advanced to the quarterfinals after a pin of Indiana's Cole Rhemrev in the first round. Smith took an early lead in the quarterfinals over Sam Hrabovsky (Iowa State) with a first-period takedown. Hrabovsky scored first in the second period on an escape to make it 2-1. Smith responded with nine straight points with a takedown and a four-point near fall in the second period to go up 8-1. In the third period, Smith scored two on a reversal to go up 10-1 and picked up a riding time point for an 11-1 major decision.
 
The strong performance from Smith continued in the semifinals as Smith jumped out to a 12-1 lead after the first period over Joey Showalter of Indiana. Smith took the commanding lead with two takedowns and two four-point near falls. He secured the tech fall victory in the second period when he added an escape and two takedowns for the 17-2 victory.
 
Smith met Northwestern's Tal Shahar in the 141-pound first-place bout. Smith took an early lead with a takedown to go up 2-0. Shahar scored later in the period on an escape to make it 2-1 in favor of Smith, heading to the second. Shahar tied the match at 2-2 after an escape in the second. Smith chose bottom to start the third period and took a 3-2 lead after an escape. Shahar later responded with a takedown to take his first lead of the bout and hold on for a 4-3 victory.
 
Utah Valley is preparing for the upcoming 2023 Big 12 Championships on March 4-5 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.