Dec. 18, 2000

LARAMIE, Wyo. -

A Look Ahead: The Cowboy wrestling team will be off until Dec. 27-28 when it competes at the Midlands Tournament in Chicago, Ill. The next dual for the Pokes will be on Jan. 6 at the Lone Star Duals, where they will face Oklahoma, Brown and Navy.

Pokes Fall to Boise State 29-3: Wyoming lost to Boise State 29-3 on Saturday in Laramie. The nationally ranked Broncos won nine of the ten matches on their way to the victory. Steven Schenk won the first match of the afternoon 5-3 over Pat Owens to give the Cowboys a 3-0 lead. But Boise State, ranked number eleven in the country, went on to win the remaining matches. Schenk, a senior from Anderson, Calif., entered the match ranked 16th in the 174 pound weight class. With the victory Schenk has an overall record of 11-6. In the second match Wyoming freshman Kevin Kessner lost a close decision to Cash Edwards 6-4. Edwards, ranked 7th in the country at 184, scored a takedown with 20 seconds left in the match for the win. Wyoming also lost close matches at 133, 149 and 165. Kelly McConville lost to Charlie Griggs in the 133 pound match 5-3, Mark Hamrick fell to Collin Robertson 8-5 at 149 and junior Justin Christenson lost to Luke Crockett 3-2 in the final match of the dual.

Complete dual results:

174 - Steven Schenk (W) defeated Pat Owens (B) 5-3
184  - Cash Edwards (B) defeated Kevin Kessner (W) 6-4
197 - Rusty Cook (B) defeated Craig Rumsey (W) 19-3
HWT - Bart Johnson (B) defeated Brad Steele (W) 11-8
125 - Ben Vombauer (B) defeated John Faczak (W) 6-0
133 - Charlie Griggs (B) defeated Kelly McConville (W) 5-3
141 - Jesse Brock (B) defeated Paul Turco (W) 9-5
149 - Collin Robertson (B) defeated Mark Hamrick (W) 8-5
157 - Kirk White (B) defeated Levi Prevost (W) 11-4
165 - Luke Crockett (B) defeated Justin Christenson (W) 3-2
Attendance: 237

Suder's Word: The following are quotes from University of Wyoming head wrestling coach Steven Suder after the Cowboys' 29-3 loss to Boise State: "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I had visions of a much closer match. There were some technical things that jumped out to me that need to be addressed. For our guys, this can make them bitter or this can make them better. Hopefully, they'll choose the latter."

Schenk and Steele Nationally Ranked: Amateur Wrestling News released its latest individual rankings on Dec. 12, and two Cowboys were nationally ranked. Steven Schenk was ranked #11 in the 174 pound class and Brad Steele was #16 in the heavyweight class. Intermat released its latest rankings on Dec. 13, and both Cowboys were ranked there as well. Schenk was #16 in the Intermat poll while Steele was #18. Schenk has an overall record of 11-6 and Steele is 13-7. As a team Wyoming didn't receive any votes for either poll after getting votes in the previous polls.

Wyoming to Qualify at West Regional: When UW joined the Mountain West Conference, that changed the way the Cowboys will qualify for the NCAA Championships. With only two MWC teams with wresting programs, the conference doesn't sponsor the sport. Wyoming will qualify wrestlers for the national tournament by competing in the West Regional, which will be held March 3 in Laramie, Wyo. Also competing in the West Regional along with Wyoming will be Air Force, Fresno State, Eastern Illinois, Marquette and Northern Iowa. There will be a total of 20 qualifiers in the tournament.

Cowboys to Host West Regional: The University of Wyoming and Laramie will serve as host to the West Regional on March 3, 2001. Wyoming will be hosting five other schools as they all compete for 20 spots to the NCAA Wrestling Championships. The tournament will take place at the Arena-Auditorium.

Home Slate Set: The next home competition for Wyoming is on Jan. 26, when the Cal State-Fullerton Titans come to Laramie for a dual scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Cowboys will also host duals with Portland State and Fresno State throughout the year. Fresno State is currently ranked 20th in the country while Northern Iowa, who will be in Laramie for the West Regional, is ranked 24th.