Wyoming leads Northern Iowa by 15 points after Western Regional semifinals
<< Back to Articles
Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/06/2011
Defending Western Regional champion Wyoming holds a 15 point lead over Northern Iowa after the semifinal round of the Western Regional Championships on Sunday.
Wyoming has seven in the finals, while Northern Iowa has six. Air Force, which has two in the finals, is in third place.
Four of the finals will feature Wyoming against Northern Iowa at 149 pounds, 184 pounds, 197 pounds and 285 pounds.
All six returning champions have qualified for the finals: Michael Martinez of Wyoming at 125, Flint Ray of Utah Valley at 133, Vince Salminen of North Dakota State at 157, Shane Onufer of Wyoming at 165, Joe LeBlanc of Wyoming at 184 and Christian Brantley of Northern Iowa at 285.
Fifteen automatic qualifiers are up for grabs in this event.
Western Regional finals pairings
125 – Michael Martinez (Wyoming) vs. Caleb Flores (Northern Iowa)
133 – Flint Ray (Utah Valley) vs. Casey Cruz (Northern Colorado)
141 – Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) vs. Justin Morrill (Utah Valley)
149 – Brett Robbins (Northern Iowa) vs. Cole Dallaserra (Northern Iowa)
157 – Vince Salminen (North Dakota State) vs. David Bonin (Northern Iowa)
165 – Shane Onufer (Wyoming) vs. Steven Monk (North Dakota State)
174 – Patrick Martinez (Wyoming) vs. Joe Stafford (Air Force)
184 – Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) vs. Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa)
197 – L.J. Helbig (Wyoming) vs. Andy O’Laughlin (Northern Iowa)
285 – Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa) vs. Matthew McLaughlin (Wyoming)
NCAA Western Regionals standings
After semifinal round
1. Wyoming, 79
2. Northern Iowa, 64
3. Air Force, 28.5
4. North Dakota State, 26
5. Utah Valley, 23.5
6. Northern Colorado, 12.5
7. South Dakota State, 8