OREM, Utah – Despite trailing Boise State 12-8 after six matches, the Utah Valley University wrestling team managed to win the final four bouts of the dual to defeat the Pac-12 Broncos by a score of 22-12 in UVU's 2015-16 home opener on Saturday in front of 1,789 fans.
 
Senior Ross Taylor started the late rally for the Wolverines (3-3, 0-0 Big 12) with a 3-2 decision at 174 pounds. Redshirt freshman Will Sumner then followed with a 6-2 victory at 184, while nineteenth-rankedDerek Thomas (197) picked up a 16-0 technical fall and redshirt sophomore Dustin Dennison(heavyweight) capped the contest with an 8-4 decision.
 
"I was pleased with the outcome today. I liked what I saw and felt like our guys came out fighting in every match," head coach Greg Williams said. "There are a couple of little things that some of the guys need to work on to win their individual matches, however, and that will continue to help the team outcome." 
 
The eighth-ranked senior Chasen Tolbert (6-0) got the Wolverines off to a strong start with a 14-0 major decision victory over Rami Haddadin (6-2) in the opening match of the contest at 125 pounds. Tolbert controlled the bout from start to finish, including an eight-point opening period and 3:33 of riding time at the end of the contest, en route to the victory.
 
Fellow senior Jade Rauser (3-2), who is just outside the InterMat rankings and currently rated 16th at 133 pounds by FloWrestling, then followed Tolbert's major decision with a major decision of his own by defeating Boise State's Josh Newberg (7-6) by a score of 14-1. Up 7-1 entering the final stanza, the Utah Valley three-time NCAA qualifier made his move with a takedown, a four-point nearfall and an additional riding time point to take the bout by major decision.
 
Boise State (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12) then bounced back with four straight wins in four tightly contested matches to take a 12-8 lead of its own in the contest. During the BSU winning streak, Wolverine sophomoreMatthew Ontiveros nearly managed to upset No. 18 Geo Martinez in the 149-pound contest but the nationally ranked Martinez managed to escape with a 6-5 victory thanks to a last-second escape. 
 
Utah Valley's Taylor (4-2) then put an end to the streak with his hard fought 3-2 decision victory at 174 pounds. With the match all knotted up at 2-2 entering the final frame, Taylor managed to ride out Boise State's Austin Dewey (7-6) to pickup an additional riding time point and seal the bout.
 
Sumner (2-4) then followed Taylor's win with 6-2 decision of his own to give the Wolverines a 14-12 advantage in the team score. The newly nationally ranked Thomas (6-0) then managed to remain undefeated on the season with a decisive 16-0 tech fall over BSU's Zack Coffman. Thomas recorded a pair of four-point nearfalls as well as a two-point nearfall on his way to the five-minute and four-second (5:04) technical fall victory.
 
With the dual all sealed up thanks to a 19-12 advantage heading into the heavyweight contest, Dennison (3-3) didn't let down in the final match for the Wolverines as he recorded three takedowns en route to his 8-4 win.
 
"All three captains (Chasen Tolbert, Jade Rauser and Derek Thomas) came out and did what they needed to do to just dominate their matches," Williams added. "I seriously was pleased with the effort from every single one of our guys today. I feel like they believe in themselves and the work that they are doing in the room is paying off." 
 
In all, UVU won six of the 10 matches on the evening including three by bonus points to pickup its fourth all-time win over the Broncos.
 
The contest not only marked UVU's first home match as a member of the Big 12 Conference but also its first while receiving votes for the top-25 poll, as it is currently picked up two votes for this week's USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. 
 
The Wolverines will now step out of dual action for the first time of the season to compete at a pair of tournaments in the month of December. UVU will first head to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational next weekend (Dec. 4-5) before closing the month at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec 20.
 
Utah Valley (RV) 22, Boise State 12
125: #8 Chasen Tolbert (UVU) over Rami Haddadin (BSU), MD 14-0
133: Jade Rauser (UVU) over Josh Newburg (BSU), MD 14-1
141: Jake Velarde (BSU) over Jarod Maynes (UVU), Dec. 3-2
149: #18 Geo Martinez (BSU) over Matthew Ontiveros (UVU), Dec. 6-5
157: Chris Castillo (BSU) over Raider Lofthouse (UVU), Dec 7-5
165:  Taylor West (BSU) over Kieffer Taylor (UVU), Dec. 6-4
174: Ross Taylor (UVU) over Austin Dewey (BSU), Dec. 3-2
184: Will Sumner (UVU) over Keavon Buckley (BSU), Dec. 6-2
197: #19 Derek Thomas (UVU) over Zack Coffman (BSU), TF 16-0 (5:04)
285: Dustin Dennison (UVU) over Harley DiLulo (BSU), Dec. 8-4