Shortly after Christmas, on Dec. 29-30, UVU’s wrestling team left for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to compete in the South Beach Duals, a tournament that included facing three opponents that were ranked in the top 15 in the country.
On the opening day of the tournament, the Wolverines first faced the 13th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Junior Grant LaMont was among the victors. Wrestling at 157 pounds, he topped No. 9 Griffin Parriott 6-0 to help propel UVU to the upset win. Isaiah Delgado (133), Matt Findlay (141), Demetrius Romero (165), Kimball Bastian (174), Will Sumner (184), and Tate Orndorff (285) also won matches at their respective weight classes. The final score for the team was 28-11.
Their next match was against the University of Virginia Cavaliers, but this one the Wolverines did not fare as well. Despite many close matches, UVU eventually fell 26-19. Findlay, Romero, Bastain, Sumner, and Orndorff were the only ones to finish the first day with a perfect record.
The following day, on Dec. 30, UVU faced two more opponents, both ranked in the top 10. First, facing the No. 7 NC State Wolfpack, the Wolverines fell 23-11. Findlay, Romero, and Bastian continued their win streak, and Tanner Orndorff, who was wrestling at 197 pounds, registered his first win of the tournament with a victory over Malik McDonald 12-10.
The final match of the Duals was against the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Worn down from their previous matches, the Wolverines fell 36-6. Tanner Orndorff and Romero were the lone victors in this bout. Romero finished as the only member of the team with a perfect 4-0 record for the tournament, and currently sits at No. 8 in the individual rankings for the nation.
UVU will head to Palo Alto, Calif. on Jan. 12 to face Harvard and Stanford.
Photo courtesy of: UVU Athletics
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