On the evening the Wolverines handed Gardner-Webb (0-5) a 37-6 loss and came from behind to defeat UNC Greensboro (0-1) on its home mat, 21-17.
"Tonight was a tough matchup against UNC Greensboro," UVU head coach Greg Williams said. "We have five freshmen starters in our lineup so they are finding themselves in situations where their inexperience is exposed. Our younger wrestlers are working hard, learning and really improving out on the mat. Also Justin (Morrill) and Ben's (Kjar) pins against Greensboro were huge for us as they were the difference makers in the matchup."
In the nightcap against UNC Greensboro, UVU found itself trailing 13-12 after dropping its last two matches with only three matches remaining. Next up for the Wolverines was their No. 11 nationally ranked junior Benjamin Kjar at 125-pounds. Kjar wasted no time giving helping his squad regain the lead as he pinned Greensboro's Eric Chandler 2:15 into the match Kjar's win then put the Wolverines on top with an 18-13 advantage.
It was then the lone seniors turn for UVU as Jeffrey Newby (133-pounds) came from behind to defeat UNCG's Angel Garcia by decision, 5-4. Newby's hard fought victory was his second on the evening and it couldn't have came at a better time as it helped seal the win for the Wolverines as they went up 21-13 over the Spartans with only one match remaining.
In the final match of the evening the Spartans got a little revenge as Ivan Lopouchanski defeated UVU freshman Marty Carlson (141-pounds) by major decision 11-2. The victory by Lopouchanski came a little too late as the Wolverines had already secured the win, as they won by the final score of 21-17.
All five returning starters for UVU started their 2009-10 dual campaign a perfect 2-0 on the day as Kjar, Newby, junior Justin Morrill (149-pounds), sophomore Brad Darrington (174-pounds), and junior Casen Eldredge (184-pounds) all did.
In the first dual of the evening the Wolverines picked up victories from eight of their 10 starters as they defeated the Bulldogs, 37-6.
After Morrill picked up an 8-2 victory by decision to begin the dual with Gardner-Webb, UVU then found itself all tied up at three apiece as Winger then lost to GWU's Alex Medved. The Wolverines then picked up three victories in a row to take command of the dual as freshman Monte Schmalhaus (165-pounds), Darrington, and Eldredge all won their respective matches. Darrington's 5-2 win over UNCG's Byron Sigmon was a big one as Sigmon is a two-time national qualifier.
The Bulldogs' Travis Porter then picked up the only other win for GWU as he beat Wood by decision cutting the Wolverines lead to 14-6. UVU then took command of the matchup by winning the final four bouts as freshman Dylan Stadel (285-pounds) won by fall, Kjar by forfeit, Newby by fall, and Carlson by technical fall (15-0).
UVU will continue its North Carolina road trip this weekend with another dual matchup at ACC foe NC State in Raleigh Friday at 5 p.m. (MT). The Wolverines will then conclude their weekend by competing at NC State's Wolfpack Open Saturday.
COMPLETE RESULTS:
Utah Valley 37, Gardner-Webb 6
149: Justin Morrill (UVU) Dec., Ryan Medved (GWU), 8-2
157: Alex Medved (GWU) Dec., Richard Winger (UVU), 11-5
165: Monte Schmalhaus (UVU) Dec., David Pelsang (GWU), 6-2
174: Brad Darrington (UVU) Maj. Dec., Blake Salyer (GWU), 12-1
184: Casen Eldredge (UVU) Maj. Dec., Evan Rhodes (GWU), 10-0
197: Travis Porter (GWU) Dec., Josh Wood (UVU), 4-1
285: Dylan Stadel (UVU) Fall, Zach Burke (GWU), 1:45
125: Benjamin Kjar (UVU) Wins by Forfeit
133: Jeffrey Newby (UVU) Fall, Brett Kostern (GWU), 2:45
141: Marty Carlson (UVU) Tech. Fall, Morgan McDaniel 15-0, 5:43
Utah Valley 21, UNC Greensboro 17
149: Justin Morrill (UVU) Fall, Alejandro Soto (UNCG), 4:35
157: Travis Sheehy (UNCG) Dec., Richard Winger (UVU), 10-5
165: Edwin Hojilla (UNCG) Dec., Monte Schmalhaus (UVU), 6-2
174: Brad Darrington (UVU) Dec., Byron Sigmon (UNCG), 5-2
184: Casen Eldredge (UVU) Dec., Andrew Saunders (UNCG), 2-0
197: Jeremy Cannon (UNCG) Dec., Josh Wood (UVU), 4-2
285: Peter Sturgeon (UNCG) Maj. Dec., Dylan Stadel (UVU), 13-5
125: Benjamin Kjar (UVU) Fall, Eric Chandler (UNCG), 2:15
133: Jeffrey Newby (UVU) Dec., Angel Garcia (UNCG), 5-4
141: Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG) Maj. Dec., Marty Carlson (UVU), 11-2
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