Final Results  |  Photo Gallery

OREM, Utah - After surrendering the night's first three matches, Utah Valley University won seven straight bouts to notch a 25-13 win over the Air Force Academy in Friday's Western Wrestling Conference dual.

The night was highlighted by a fall just 27 seconds in by Chasen Tolbert at 125 pounds. His third win by fall this season, Tolbert pinned Evan Ulinski to give the Wolverines (2-4, 1-1 WWC) an 18-13 advantage in the dual. It was the fastest pin for Utah Valley since Adam Fager recorded both a 23-second and 26-second falls during the 2012-13 season.

"We had a good effort and wrestled well in those last seven matches," said Utah Valley head coach Greg Williams. "Early on we weren't pushing the pace but we responded well. Air Force is always very disciplined, works hard and is in
good shape and I feel like we were able to push the pace in the third period. We finished matches strong and were able to score points late."

The first three matches that went Air Force's (4-4, 0-2 WWC) favor included two by bonus points; at 157 Samuel Kreimeir pinned Logan Addis (3:43) and No. 18 Jesse Stafford picked up a major decision over Dalton Harmon (13-2) at 165. The Falcons led 13-0 at that point.

The next four matches were all wins by decision for Utah Valley starting with a sudden victory by Ethan Smith in overtime over Michael Billingsley at 174. Entering the extra period at 1-1, Smith fought off an attempt to score by Billingsley for a takedown of his own to end the match and get UVU on the board. Ross Taylor then defeated Zen Ikehara (5-2) at 184, Derek Thomas topped Jack Carda (8-2) at 197 and Adam Fager scored a 6-2 win over Marcus Malecek at 285 pounds. The four decisions got UVU within a point in the dual, 13-12.

After Tolbert made quick work of Ulinksi, Jade Rauser got his sixth win in his last seven matches with a 10-4 decision against Anthony McHugh. For Rauser it was his team-high 16th victory of the season and also clinched the dual
win for Utah Valley.

Matthew Ontiveros closed out the night with a major decision over Conor O'Hara (14-5). The match was tied 4-4 in the second period before Ontiveros scored on an escape and last-second takedown to take a 7-4 lead. He outscored O'Hara 6-1 in the final period with a pair of takedowns and a two-point nearfall and added riding time for the final 14-5 win.

The Wolverines host a pair of duals next weekend with Pac-12 Oregon State and Stanford coming to Orem. The 20th-ranked Beavers will be in town next Friday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. MT with the Cardinal and Wolverines squaring off on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 3:30 p.m.

Final Results: Utah Valley 25, Air Force 13
149: Gerald McGinty (AF) over Trevor Willson (UVU), Dec. 6-3
157: Samuel Kreimier (AF) over Logan Addis (UVU), Fall 3:43
165: #18 Jesse Stafford (AF) over Dalton Harmon (UVU), MD 13-2
174: Ethan Smith (UVU) over Michael Billingsley (AF), SV-1 3-1
184: Ross Taylor (UVU) over Zen Ikehara (AF), Dec 5-2
197: Derek Thomas (UVU) over Jack Carda (AF), Dec 8-2
285: Adam Fager (UVU) over Marcus Malecek (AF), Dec 6-2
125: Chasen Tolbert (UVU) over Evan Ulinski (AF), Fall 0:27
133: Jade Rauser (UVU) over Anthony McHugh (AF), Dec 10-4
141: Matthew Ontiveros (UVU) over Conor O`Hara (AF), MD 14-5