Photo by Mykah Heaton
The UVU wrestling team has officially announced its 2017-18 schedule. The upcoming slate will pit the Wolverines against eight Big 12 opponents and includes 14 dual meets and five tournaments.
The team kicks off the season on Nov. 3 in Clarion, Penn. at the Clarion Duals where it will face fellow Big 12 team West Virginia, Kent State and host school Clarion University in dual meets. The Wolverines will also take part in the Clarion Open on Nov. 5.
Following the Clarion Open, the team will head to Raleigh, NC, where it will participate in the Wolfpack Duals and the Wolfpack Open on Nov. 17 and 19. The team will then take a two week break from competition before heading to Las Vegas to take part in the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which traditionally showcases some of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country. Last year, UVU placed 19th out of 35 teams in the Invitational, with Kimball Bastian, Will Sumner and Tanner Orndorff each reaching the quarter-finals in their respective weight classes.
The season will be over a month old before Wolverine fans will get to see their team in a home meet. The home opener will be on Dec. 15 when they welcome conference foe North Dakota State to the Lockhart Arena in dual meet action. The Bison will be looking to avenge last season’s loss to the Wolverines, a meet that saw UVU defeat then-No. 23 NDSU on its home floor in one of the biggest wins of the season for the Wolverines. The team will then travel to Reno, NV for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 17, which will be its last competition before Christmas break.
At the conclusion of the holidays, UVU will begin the calendar year with a home visit from South Dakota State in conference dual meet action on Jan. 12. The team will then prepare to host the UVU Open on Jan. 13 in the Lockhart Arena. Historically, the Wolverines have had great success at the UVU Open. For two consecutive years, six UVU wrestlers have taken titles at the event, and last year eight Wolverines placed.
After the UVU Open, the team will travel to California to take on the newest Big 12 member Fresno State on Jan. 19. This meet will have some extra meaning for the Bulldogs, it being their first-ever home meet in the Big 12. UVU will then go on to Bakersfield to face CSU Bakersfield the following day in a nonconference dual meet.
The Wolverines will then finish the remainder of their schedule with four conference dual meets. The team will return home to play host to perennial wrestling power Oklahoma before facing Wyoming and Air Force on the road. UVU will then host Northern Colorado in its final dual meet of the season.
The 2018 Big 12 Championships will take place March 3 and 4 at the Bok Center in Tulsa, Okla., and the NCAA Championships will be held at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio and will run from March 15-17.
