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March 6, 2004

Results

Laramie, Wyo. - Senior Levi Prevost won his second consecutive West Regional crown in the 165 pound weight class to highlight a very productive day for the Wyoming Cowboy wrestling team Saturday at the 2004 NCAA West Regional Tournament in Colorado Springs. The Cowboys finished second behind Northern Iowa in the final team standings with 80 team points. Six UW wrestlers qualified to compete at the 2004 NCAA Wrestling Championships, the most Wyoming has sent to the NCAA's since 1996. Four Pokes earned their ticket to the NCAA's with 1st place finishes and two with wild card nominations.

Prevost, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, defeated Blaine Brown of Air Force with a 9-3 decision in his first match and then took care of 11th ranked Hesston Johnson of Northern Iowa in the championship bout by a score of 2-1. Prevost, who is currently ranked 13th in the nation, was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament and qualifies for the NCAA Championships for the fourth straight season.

UW's Andrew Shuler took the top spot in the 157 pound division. Shuler, ranked 13th, won his first match against Shane Seibert of Fresno State by a 8-1 decision. In the championship bout, Shuler defeated Nick Baima of Northern Iowa by a 4-1 decision. The two victories extends his match winning streak to 15 and marks his second trip to the NCAA's.

No. 13 ranked Dusty Hoffschneider earned his first trip to the NCAA Championships by taking the tournament title in the heavyweight division. Hoffschneider defeated Peter Ziminski of Eastern Illinois in his first match 3-1 and then upset No. 7 ranked Clint Walbeck of Fresno State by a 3-1 decision. His outstanding performance earned him the Newcomer of the Year award. The Denver, Colo. native heads to the NCAA's with a 12-4 record.

Sophomore Sam Wendland was Wyoming's fourth tournament champion on Saturday. Wendland defeated Luke Lefever of Air Force in his opening match by a score of 9-4. Wendland won the final bout due to a medical forfeit by Greg Gifford of Fresno State. Wendland's title earns him a trip to the NCAA's for the first time in his career.

Wyoming's Blake Gunter earned a wild-card nomination to his first NCAA Championships Saturday. Gunter defeated Shannon Slack of Fresno State in the first round by 12-2 major decision. He was then defeated by Dylan Long of Northern Iowa in the championship bout 9-2. Gunter has the second best record on the squad at 24-8 and has recorded five victories by major decision.

In the 197 pound division, Wyoming's Kevin Kessner battled to a third place finish. The weight class featured three wrestlers ranked in the Top 20 in the nation; No. 4 Sean Stender of Northern Iowa, No. 13 Kessner and No. 14 Marci Botelho of Fresno State. Botehlo defeated Kessner in the opening round by a 3-1 decision. The Rock Springs, Wyo. native fought back and defeated Jason Sherko of Eastern Illiniois and Brendan McLean of Air Force to finish third and earn his second trip to the NCAA's with a wild card nomination.

Another Cowboy notable was Barrett Duell placing third in the 125 pound weight class. Duell replaced injured Bryce Leonhardt in the Wyoming lineup and defeated Kevin McNicholas of Eastern Illinois in his opening match by pin at 2:27. He then upset No. 1 seeded Heath McKim of Air Force in sudden victory 5-3. He was defeated by Chris Helgeson of UNI 8-2 in the championship bout.

For his efforts, Wyoming head coach Steven Suder was named 2004 West Regional Coach of the Year. Suder has guided the program to back to back ten win seasons in for the first time in school history with dual marks of 10-5 this season and 10-7 in 2003. The honors marks the sixth time in his career that Suder has been named Coach of the Year. He received the award at the 2001 West Regional and he was also named WAC Coach of the Year four times.

"I thought our guys did what they had prepared to do," said Suder. "They wrestled their tails off today and I am very pleased with that. Levi won his second title, he had to come over some adversity this season and it is good to see him on top. Our four champions performed very well and they are all deserving of the title."

The NCAA Wrestling Championships are slated for March 18-20 in Savvis Center in St. Louis, Mo.