Bryce Meredith (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)RENO, Nev. -- Thanks to five top-three finishes, the University of Wyoming wrestling program took second place at the 2017 Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday.
"We started off aggressive this morning and picked up bonus points," head coach Mark Branch said. "At that point, I was happy with the way things were going and the direction we were headed. From then on I thought we stayed consistent and our guys fed of each other."
Senior Bryce Meredith (141 pounds), junior Branson Ashworth (165 pounds) and redshirt freshman Montorie Bridges (133 pounds) led the Pokes with first-place finishes at their respective weights, while seniors Archie Colgan (157 pounds) and Chaz Polson (184 pounds) took third for the Brown and Gold. UW racked up 140 points to finish behind No. 6 North Carolina State (192 points) in the team standings. Of Wyoming's 19 wrestlers that competed on Sunday, 14 recorded a bonus-point victory in their opening round match.
"To have that many guys competing that late in the day in the semifinals was great," Branch added. "Montorie (Bridges), Bryce (Meredith) and Branson (Ashworth) had outstanding tournaments. They each had big wins that will help with seeding in the tournaments later in the season. Overall, we did well and I hope we can continue with that momentum as the season progresses."
Bridges posted a perfect 5-0 mark at the tournament to capture his crown. He flew past the competition early with bonus-points in his first three bouts. Bridges would ultimately earn a solid 10-4 decision over Tariq Wilson of NC State in the finals.
Meredith ran through the competition to earn his title at 141 pounds. Meredith's first three wins came via pins to push him to the semifinals. He then earned a 3-2 decision over No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (Missouri) before upsetting former teammate and No. 2 Kevin Jack (NC State) in the finals.
As expected, Ashworth went 5-0 and finished first at 165 pounds with a 6-1 decision over Conner Flynn of Missouri. He appeared ahead of the game with up two impressive pins in his first two matches of the day, and then followed with a tech fall in the quarterfinals.
Colgan had a standout afternoon for the Pokes. He went 4-1 with two bonus-point victories to finish third at 157 pounds. Colgan, who currently has 96 career victories, moved into 20th all-time in wins at Wyoming. Polson was 4-1 to finish third at 184 pounds for the Brown and Gold. He claimed third-place with an 11-6 decision of Bob Coleman on Sunday night. Pope, who had three bonus-points victories to take fourth with a 3-2 record in Reno. Pope tried to match Polson and Colgan with a third-place finish, but fell to Danial Bullard (NC State) to end the day.
Freshman Hayden Hastings was one of five Pokes to wrestle unattached on Sunday. He led the way with a sixth-place finish at 165 pounds. Hastings picked up four wins at the tournament, three of those bonus-points. His first loss came to teammate Ashworth in the quarterfinals and then dropped a decision to Brian Hamann (NC State) in the fifth-place bout.
The Pokes will be back in action on Tuesday as they meet No. 3 Oklahoma State in Cheyenne for a 7 p.m. dual at Storey Gym.
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