TULSA, Okla. – 2021 All-American Demetrius Romero advanced to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament after beating Big 12 foe and No. 18 seed Tate Picklo. Two other Wolverines will wrestle in the wrestleback rounds during Thursday's evening session.
 
"We knew all three opponents were going to be tough matches this first round. Isaiah and Evan will gather themselves and be ready to go this next session. Demetrius made some great adjustments from last week to dominate his match today," said UVU head coach Greg Williams.
 
Romero won a rematch of the Big 12 quarterfinal with a 9-1 major decision over Picklo to move into this evening's second round. A pair of first-period takedowns allowed him to jump out a 4-1 first-period lead before pulling away with an escape and takedown to take a commanding 7-1 lead in the second period. A stalling point extended the lead to an 8-1 before a riding time point was awarded for the 9-1 win.
 
At 197, Yonger Bastida bested Evan Bockman by a 5-2 decision in their fourth match of the season. In the first period, the No. 3 seed took a 4-1 advantage on a pair of takedowns. On the comeback trail, he came scored on an escape to cut the lead to 4-2. He was not able to further mount a comeback. In the evening session, he will face Trey Rogers from Hofstra.
 
Isaiah Delgado fell into the consolation bracket after losing in the pigtail rounds to returning All-American Cal Poly's Dom Demas by tech fall 18-3. In the opening period, Delgado trailed at the end of the first period 6-2 after three takedowns and could not recover. He scored on two first-period escapes and added a third in the second period. He will be in an elimination match against Dylan Martinez (Air Force) during the evening session.
 
Tonight's Schedule
149 -    No. 32 Isaiah Delgado (UVU) vs. No. 30 Dylan Martinez (Air Force)             
174 -    No. 15 Demetrius Romero (UVU) vs. No. 2 seeded Mikey Labriola (Nebraska)
197 -    No. 20 Evan Bockman (UVU) vs. No. 29 Trey Rogers (Hofstra)
 
Tonight's session can be seen on ESPN, with individual mats available with a subscription to ESPN+.