Team Black Tops Green in UVU Intrasquad Dual

OREM, Utah — The Utah Valley University wrestling team debuted it 2021-22 roster for the first time on Friday night with the annual Green & Black Intrasquad Dual and Team Black went on to defeat Team Green by a score of 41-20.

Returning NCAA qualifier Ty Smith (141 pounds), junior 149-pounder Isaiah Delgado and second-year freshman Kase Mauger (125) led the way by all winning two matches apiece. Two-time Big 12 champion and 2021-22 All-American Demetrius Romero also recorded a win on the night, while a handful of other returning starters also picked up wins for the Wolverines.

"It was our first look of the season at what the guys are doing outside of the practice room. So, it was good to watch them go out and compete as well as see where they are at right now," head UVU coach Greg Williams said. "We had our note cards out and we'll start working on Monday on some of the specific things that we want each of them to individually improve on.

"Overall, it was a fun night to watch, and you can tell that we have a number of competitive kids. We are at that point where we are trying to have at least two tough wrestlers at each weight and we're getting closer to that. We feel good about where we are at as well as the direction that we are headed in."

Team Black got off to a strong start on the night by winning five straight bouts to jump out to a 20-0 advantage. Freshman transfer and 27th-ranked Haiden Drury (133), freshman Yusief Lillie (125), 32nd-ranked Smith, freshman Tyson Humpherys (141) and freshman Jaxon Garoutte (149) all recorded wins during the spurt. The junior Delgado finally put a stop to it by winning the first of two matches on the night with a 9-3 decision over Alex Emmer at 149 pounds.

Up a weight class this year, redshirt freshman Kekana Fouret then followed with an 8-1 victory for Team Green, before the eighth-ranked senior Romero picked up a hard fought 6-3 decision over second-year freshman Danny Snediker at 165 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Armstrong then followed with a 12-4 major decision over freshman Jack Forbes at 184/197 for Team Black but transfer Evan Bockman (197) then responded with a 4-1 decision over Ashton Seely.

Sophomore Cameron Haddock (157), Mauger (125), sophomore transfer Kobe Nelms (133), second-year freshman Tanner Lofthouse (165), freshman Mahonri Rushton (197), redshirt sophomore heavyweight Chase Trussell, redshirt freshman James Emmer (149), Smith (133), Delgado (149), freshman Alex Emmer (141), Mauger (125) and redshirt junior Ashton Seely (197) then all followed with victories to cap the night.

With a pair of wins on the night, the freshman 125-pounder Mauger was the lone Wolverine to record two bonus-point victories, as he pinned Will Edelblute (4:38) and also defeated Lille by technical fall (15-0). The 133-pound transfer Drury was the lone other Wolverine to win a bout by fall, as he pinned Kainalu Estrella in the first match of the evening.

The sixth-ranked returning All-American Taylor LaMont (125) missed the night as he's currently traveling to Serbia to compete at the 2021 U23 World Championships next week. He along with fellow 2021-22 NCAA qualifier Cameron Hunsaker (149) and redshirt sophomore transfer Hunter Cruz (184) were the lone Wolverines to miss Friday's intrasquad scrimmage.

The Wolverines will officially open their 2021-22 season by taking part at the UNC Duals on Sunday, Nov. 7 in Greeley, Colorado. UVU will face a trio of non-Division I foes in Doane (9:30 a.m.), North Idaho (11 a.m.) and Northwest Kansas Tech (2 p.m.) before closing the day with a Big 12 dual against the host Northern Colorado Bears (4 p.m.).

FINAL RESULTS

Mat 1

• 125: Yusief Lillie (BLK) DEC Will Edelblute (GRN), 4-2 (SV-1)
• 141: #32 Ty Smith (BLK) MD James Emmer (GRN), 12-3
• 149: Jaxon Garoutte (BLK) MD Sam Edelblute (GRN), 11-3
• 157/165: #8 Demetrius Romero (BLK) DEC Danny Snediker (GRN), 6-3
• 197: Evan Bockman (GRN) DEC Ashton Seely (BLK), 4-1
• ^157: Cameron Haddock (BLK) DEC Brigg Hoopes (BLK), 8-2
• 133: Kobe Nelms (BLK) DEC Kainalu Estrella (GRN), 5-4
• 285: Chase Trussell (BLK) DEC Jayden Woodruff (GRN), 4-1
• ^141: #32 Ty Smith (BLK) DEC Tyson Humpherys (BLK), 9-2
• 149: Isaiah Delgado (GRN) DEC Jaxon Garoutte (BLK), 3-2
• ^125: Kase Mauger (GRN) FALL Will Edelblute (GRN), 4:38

Mat 2

• 133: #27 Haiden Drury (BLK) FALL Kainalu Estrella (GRN), 4:38
• 141: Tyson Humpherys (BLK) DEC Stockton O'Brien (GRN), 5-4
• 149: Isaiah Delgado (GRN) DEC Alex Emmer (BLK), 9-3
• 174: Kekana Fouret (GRN) DEC Hunter Morse (BLK), 8-1
• 184/197: Jacob Armstrong (BLK) MD Jack Forbes (GRN), 12-4
• 125: Kase Mauger (GRN) TF Yusief Lillie (BLK), 15-0 (6:28)
• ^165/174: Tanner Lofthouse (GRN) MD Merrell Morley (GRN), 8-0
• 197: Mahonri Rushton (GRN) DEC Levi Kovacs (BLK), 8-4
• ^141: James Emmer (GRN) DEC Stockton O'Brien (GRN), 7-5
• 149: Alex Emmer (BLK) MD Sam Edelblute (GRN), 8-0
• 197: Ashton Seely (BLK) MD Jack Forbes (GRN), 9-1

Officials Chas DeWitt, Steve Gottlieb
Attendance: 454