"They beat us good but we've made so much progress," said Utah Valley head coach Cody Sanderson. "Our guys are disappointed but they're closing ground fast. We've come a long long way since last year."
The Wolverines picked up two other victories in addition to Norton as Ivan Bigney beat Jonathon Gapinski 4-3 and Erkin Tadzhimetov knocked off Jesse Sundell 5-2.
In the heavyweight match, Norton trailed 4-3 with :40 seconds to go in the 2nd period before picking up two points on a reversal and holding on in the third.
"It was quite a match to be opening with because of the atmosphere and the situation," said Sanderson. "Dallin just wrestled very sound. He was a little conservative but now that he has that match behind him I think he's just gonna open it up from there."
The 133 lb. Tadzhimetov, who returns after redshirting 2004-05, never trailed Sundell but found himself up by just one point with seconds to go before he picked up a takedown with 13 seconds left in the match. Sanderson has high expectations for the Uzbekistan native and was pleased with the seniors first performance of the year.
"For someone who hasn't really been on the mat for a year and a half, Erkin was pretty good," said Sanderson. "He was a little rusty but I know how good he is and more than anything I'm pleased for him to get this match under his belt."
Utah Valley State trailed 11-0 before the 184 lb. Bigney got them on the board with his win over Gapinski. The senior from Wallsburg, Utah trailed 1-0 before a takedown with :27 second to go in the second period gave him the lead for good.
As for the rest of the Wolverines, gaining the experience of facing some of the nation's elite could prove to be invaluable as the season wears on.
At 165 lbs., freshman Mark South went up against #6 ranked Travis Paulson and was pinned 4:30 into the match, while freshman Daniel Polkowske battled 2nd ranked Nate Gallick at 141 lbs. Gallick picked up a win by tech fall, scoring a near fall at the final buzzer to take a 23-6 advantage. Tanner Cowan fought with #4 Trent Paulson at 157 lbs. Paulson beat the Wolverine junior by tech fall, 18-3 scoring on a near fall at the final buzzer as well.
"Those guys are not gonna see anybody better this year," said Sanderson of his two freshmen and Cowan. "The thing I liked was that they didn't hesitate, they went right after them. If they continue to do that they can have a lot of success."
Sanderson returned to Ames where he spent his college career wrestling for the Cyclones and received a warm welcome from both the Iowa State fans.
"It was nice. The people here are very friendly," said Sanderson. "Our team got a nice reception as well. But hopefully next time we come out here the welcome won't be so warm because we've closed the gap even further."
The Wolverines will move on to wrestle in the Cyclone Open tomorrow at Fort Dodge, Iowa. All 12 Wolverines who made the trip will get an opportunity to compete in the open tournament.
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