Bison wrestlers have no problem in first WWC match
The Utah Valley State College wrestling squad came into Fargo looking for their first Western Wrestling Conference match win.
They left Fargo with an 0-2 conference record and a severe bruise to their ego.
The Bison, competing in their first conference match in nearly three years, defeated Utah Valley State 46-0 in Western Wrestling Conference action Friday at the Bison Sports Arena.
From pins to forfeits to an overtime victory, the Bison found ways to win every match on Friday night.
“We were real confident coming into this match,” said senior Matt Hermann. “They are a young team, and we came off a great weekend where we wrestled real well.”
The excitement in this match came from Hermann and his opponent Mark Fenwick.
With a minute left in the last period, Fenwick had a 10-8 lead and was looking to hold off Hermann for the remaining time.
Hermann, needing a two-point take down to tie the match, did just that.
Hermann then held Fenwick down for the rest of the period.
“After taking him down I was just trying to not let him back up, so I could take him in overtime,” Herman said.
Hermann rode the emotion of his dramatic comeback and went to overtime to earn three more team points for the Bison.
NDSU’s Matt Wetterling, who was named WWC’s Wrestler of the Week earlier in the week, continued his success with a pin in 1:57 in the 184-pound match.
He has won has won his last five matches, and had a pin in the last four.
Also earning a pin on the night was heavyweight Justin LaGosh in just 0:57.
One thing that hurt Utah Valley State in this match was the fact that they forfeited their first two matches of the night.
Before Gabe Mooney and Justin Morrill’s 141-pound match, the Bison already had a 12-0 lead.
“I don’t know why they forfeited the matches, but it was big for us,” Hermann said.
The win gives the Bison a 4-2 overall record and a 1-0 conference record.
NDSU now has two nationally ranked Division I wrestlers, according to wrestingreport.com.
Eric Hoffman, a transfer from Iowa Central Community College where he was the NJCAA national champion at 125 pounds in 2005, is ranked 28th at 125 pounds and Matt Wetterling is 26th in the 184 pound weight class.
The Bison hit the road for their next two matches at Wyoming and Air Force, both are WWC opponents.