OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University's returning starters shined in the annual Green and Black Wrestle-Offs on Friday night at Lockhart Arena. Both squads recorded a pair of bonus-point wins, but the black team took five of the nine contested bouts to claim the dual, 19-15.

Five returning starters from last season saw action; Haiden Drury, Mark Takara, Caleb Uhlenhopp, Kael Bennie and Jack Forbes all earned wins, with three picking up bonus points. Also getting wins were No. 20/23 David Evans, Tanner Lofthouse, and a pair of true freshmen in Geronimo Rivera and Zyon Trujillo. The 125-pound weight class was not contested.

"I'm so excited for the season to be back! Tonight was an opportunity to give our great crowd a preview of the squad who will be taking on a top-12 team in Stanford next weekend," said head coach Adam Hall. "Like last year, this team will rely on a mix of seasoned veterans and hungry newcomers."

Rivera and Jake Castagneto opened the night with a thriller at 133 pounds, with each Wolverine scoring an escape point to send the match to overtime. After two more scoreless minutes, Rivera secured a reversal to take a 3-1 lead in the first tiebreaker and held on for a 3-2 win.

Drury, ranked No. 25 by FloWrestling at 141 pounds, defeated Smokey McClure 8-2. Drury led 3-1 after an opening-period takedown, then added an escape and another takedown in the third period to seal the win. Evans impressed in his first match in Utah Valley singlet in front of the home crowd. The senior transfer from Penn State pinned Kayd Craig in the opening period (1:55) to give the black squad a 9-3 advantage.

Takara survived a test from true freshman Ian Fritz, winning 4-1 in sudden victory at 157 pounds. Takara, who started at 174 pounds last season, broke a 1-1 tie with an inside trip less than a minute into overtime to end the bout. A pair of true freshmen met at 165 pounds, where Trujillo picked up a narrow decision over Keegan Goeas 2-0. Trujillo rode Goeas for the entire second period that led to riding time and added an escape in the third for the final margin.

"Dave looked great and is someone who is going to surprise people this year and Haiden is getting back into top form. Mark is down two weight classes and ready to have a breakout season, and Geronimo is a talented true freshman who is ready to compete against the best nationally," said Hall. "Wolverine Nation should be excited about our team this year. We will see everyone in UCCU next Saturday!"

Lofthouse and Hudson Rogers battled at 174 pounds, with Lofthouse earning a 4-2 win. Lofthouse scored a first-period takedown and held off Rogers after an escape in the third closed the gap.

The final three matches all went to returning starters, each earning bonus points. Uhlenhopp led 3-2 after two periods before pulling away in the third, using three takedowns to secure a 14-4 major decision over Christian Smoot at 184. Bennie blanked Christian Slack 8-0 at 197, recording takedowns in the first two periods and adding an escape and riding-time point to complete the major decision.

In the final bout, Forbes won by technical fall, 19-4, in 5:41 over Levi Kovacs. Forbes built a 9-2 lead behind three first-period takedowns, added two more in the second and finished the match midway through the third.

The Wolverines open the 2025-26 season Saturday, Nov. 1, at the UCCU Center against No. 12 Stanford. Season tickets, including premium and matside seating, are available at GoUVU.com/tickets.
 
Results
125 — No match
133 — Geronimo Rivera (Black) def. Jake Castagneto (Green), TB-1, 3-2 (Black leads 3-0)
141 — Haiden Drury (Green) def. Smokey McClure (Black), Dec., 8-2 (Tied 3-3)
149 — David Evans (Black) def. Kayd Craig (Green), Fall, 1:55 (Black leads 9-3)
157 — Mark Takara (Green) def. Ian Fritz (Black), SV-1, 4-1 (Black leads 9-6)
165 — Zyon Trujillo (Black) def. Keegan Goeas (Green), Dec., 2-0 (Black leads 12-6)
174 — Tanner Lofthouse (Black) def. Hudson Rogers (Green), Dec., 4-2 (Black leads 15-6)
184 — Caleb Uhlenhopp (Black) def. Christian Smoot (Green), MD, 14-4 (Black leads 19-6)
197 — Kael Bennie (Green) def. Christian Slack (Black), MD, 8-0 (Black leads 19-10)
285 — Jack Forbes (Green) def. Levi Kovacs (Black), TF, 19-4 (5:41) (Final: Black 19, Green 15)

Officials: Chas DeWitt, Don Christensen
Attendance: 1,433