Wyoming Looks to Stay Hot at Home Saturday against the Beavers

LARAMIE -- The University of Wyoming wrestling team has treated its fans inside the UniWyo Sports Complex to a bunch of winning over the last couple of years. The Pokes will look to continue that Saturday against Oregon State at 3 p.m.

The dual will be broadcast on Flo Wrestling and the Mountain West Sports Network.

Get our free mobile app

The No. 23 Cowboys – who are 4-4 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 action – have not lost in their traditional home arena in almost two full years. They’ve won six in a row, and ironically enough, their last loss in the UniWyo occurred against Oregon State during the 2023-24 season.

“They have a really solid dual team from top to bottom,” head coach Mark Branch said. “Similar to these last couple of duals, it’s going to come down to matchups. There’s going to be a handful of matchups that could go either way. We need to use our home mat advantage. That’s something that can factor into some of those matchups.”

Oregon State – which is 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the PAC 12 – presents six ranked wrestlers, according to the Coaches’ Ranking that was released Thursday. Wyoming counters with seven ranked grapplers.

Referring back to the matchups, four on Saturday could feature ranked versus ranked. That grouping is headlined by No. 6 Joey Novak (197) taking on No. 4 Justin Rademacher. Those two have only squared off once back in 2023 at the Reno Tournament of Champions where Novak won via decision, 7-2.

No. 9 Eddie Neitenbach (184) and No. 30 TJ McDonnell are set to face off. Those two are quite familiar with one another, going up against each other three times in just over a year. Neitenbach has defeated McDonnell all three times, twice by decision and once by pin.

No. 27 Gabe Willochell (149) is slated to battle No. 29 Noah Tolentino. That would be a rematch from the 2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite where Tolentino pinned Willochell.

The final ranked matchup pits No. 31 Riley Davis (174) against No. 22 Daschle Lamer. Wyoming’s other ranked wrestlers include No. 8 Christian Carroll (HWT), No. 25 Luke Willochell (133) and No. 30 Jared Hill (157). Oregon State’s other ranked guys are No. 9 Maximo Renteria (125) and No. 29 Nash Singleton (141).

The Beavers lead the Cowboys in the all-time series, 24-13. The Pokes rallied for a 19-17 victory last year in Corvallis.

Following the Oregon State dual, Wyoming remains home for a pair of contests next week. The Cowboys host Air Force on Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. before battling North Dakota State on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.

Seven Cowboys Appear in First Wrestling Coaches’ Ranking

The University of Wyoming wrestling team was littered all over the first Coaches’ Ranking. Seven Cowboys held a top 33 spot with three of them holding a top 10 ranking.

No. 6 Joey Novak (197) spearheads the Pokes and boasts the highest ranking. He’s 11-2 on the season with five ranked wins.

No. 8 Christian Carroll (HWT) has been a consistent force all season. He’s 14-4 overall and possesses six ranked wins.

No. 9 Eddie Neitenbach (184) rounds out the top 10 Cowboys. He’s 12-5 and half of his wins are against ranked foes.

No. 25 Luke Willochell (133) is enjoying a tremendous freshman campaign. He’s 10-7 with a pair of ranked wins.

No. 27 Gabe Willochell (149) isn’t far behind his younger brother. He’s 11-5 with two ranked victories of his own.

No. 30 Jared Hill (157) and No. 31 Riley Davis (174) round out the ranked Cowboys. Hill is 8-7 with a top 20 win and Davis lays claim to a record of 5-6 with a pair of ranked wins this season.

The Coaches’ Ranking is one of many tools the selection committee will use for NCAA Championship inclusion and seeding. The other areas they look at include head-to-head competition, quality wins, RPI, conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.

There will be two more editions of the Coaches’ Ranking. In addition to those, an RPI ranking will be released beginning Feb. 12.