WOLVERINES RETURN HOME TO HOST COWBOYS, UVU OPEN
After over two months without a home competition, Utah Valley University wrestling returns to Orem this weekend to host Wyoming on Saturday night at 7 p.m. MST inside Lockhart Arena. The dual will air live on YouTube and FloWrestling. On Sunday, the UVU Rockwell Open makes its return and will begin at 9 a.m. in the UCCU Center. Admission to the open tournament is free.  Tickets for Saturday's dual are available by visiting GoUVU.com/tickets.

Saturday's match up with the Cowboys is the first of four home Big 12 dates and is the first conference dual since the Wolverines' 26-9 win at California Baptist in November. Wyoming (2-3. 1-0 Big 12) and Utah Valley (3-3, 1-0 Big 12) are both just outside the NWCA Top 25 with both receiving votes, with the Cowboys No. 6 and the Wolverines No. 10 in the first NWCA Mid-Major Top 20 poll of the year.  The dual also has three potential ranked match ups among the listed probables, at 133, 149, and 197 pounds.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines had four placers at last week's Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga. Haiden Drury advanced to the semfinals before he was forced to medically forfeit out of the tournament prior to Sunday's action. Drury finished sixth at 141, while Hudson Rogers won five matches over the weekend and also placed sixth. Kael Bennie had a pair of ranked wins including over No. 19 Payton Thomas of Navy in the seventh-place match, and Caleb Uhlenhopp finished eighth. Utah Valley tied for 10th out of 28 teams at the Scuffle.

RANKINGS UPDATE
Bennie found himself ranked by FloWrestling for the first time after his two ranked wins put him at No. 30. He's 28th and among five Wolverines ranked by the College Wrestling Report, including Geronimo Rivera, who is 31st at 133. David Evans is ranked as high as 10th, by both Open Mat and Flo at 149 pounds, while Drury is 18th by Win Magazine. Bridger Ricks' highest spot is 27th in FloWrestling's 125-pound rankings

ABOUT THE COWBOYS
Wyoming has seven ranked wrestlers listed among Saturday's probables, including a pair of top 10 wrestlers in No. 4 Joey Novak (197) and No. 9 Christian Carroll (285). Novak is coming off of a first place finish at the Soldier Salute, where the Cowboys finished third, while Carroll and Gabe Willochell (149) both took third in their weight classes. Potential ranked match ups in Saturday's dual include No. 31 Geronimo Rivera vs. No. 27 Luke Willochell, No. 10 David Evans vs No. 26 Gabe Willochell, and No. 28 Kael Bennie against Novak. The Cowboys own a 19-1 all-time dual record against UVU and have won 18 straight. The Wolverines' only win in the series came on Jan. 21, 2006 in Laramie.

UP NEXT
Utah Valley will host two ranked teams in Big 12 action next weekend. No. 8 South Dakota State will be in Lockhart Arena on Friday, Jan. 16 with No. 19 Missouri in town the following night. Both duals will begin at 7 p.m. MST.