Jore Volk’s Title Headlines Reno Tournament of Champions

* University of Wyoming press release

RENO, Nev., -- The University of Wyoming wrestling team took part in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday inside the Reno Events Center. No. 11 Jore Volk led the charge, as he claimed a title in the 125-pound bracket.

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Volk seized his championship in upset fashion. He rallied to defeat No. 1 Richard Figueroa from Arizona State, 6-4, in the title bout.

“He certainly put together a really good day,” head coach Mark Branch said. “He started exploring some of his offense, which is what we wanted to see, so that was encouraging. We feel very confident that he can go toe to toe with anybody in the country. What we want to change is where he feels confident that on any day, not just any given day, he can beat everybody.”

No. 15 Joey Novak (197) also competed in the finals. He dropped an 11-4 decision to No. 2 Stephen Buchanan of Oklahoma to take second.

Even though Novak didn’t earn the title he was hoping, he continued to build on his impressive resume. He scored his fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season, downing No. 30 Justin Rademacher of Oregon State in the semifinals.

A couple other upsets occurred on Sunday, as well. Sloan Swan (157), in his first action of the season, took third at the RTOC after scoring a technical fall of No. 28 John Wiley of Oklahoma.

Both Cooper Birdwell (133) and Garrett Ricks (133) beat No. 27 Jace Koezler of Oklahoma during their tournament runs. Ricks’ resulted in a fourth-place finish, while Birdwell took fifth.

No. 18 Gabe Willochell (149) and Stockton O’Brien (141) boasted third-place finishes. Quayin Short (184) took fourth, while Cooper Voorhees (157) and Kevin Zimmer (HWT) rounded out the top-five finishes with a pair of fifth-place awards.

“In a tournament, you’re going to have positives and disappointments, and that’s every tournament,” Branch said. “It’s a good experience when you get to wrestle in a tournament and get that many matches. We learned a lot as a team. We definitely have a lot of room to get better.”

The Pokes have a quick turnaround, as they return to dual action Tuesday. Wyoming hosts No. 9 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. inside the UniWyo Sports Complex.

125 | No. 11 Jore Volk, 1st (5-0)

Round of 32: No. 2 Volk tech. fall Landon Smith (Embry-Riddle), 21-5

Round of 16: No. 2 Volk tech. fall G. Gray (Unattached), 16-0

Quarterfinals: No. 2 Volk dec. No. 7 Aden Reeves (Grand View), 3-1

Semifinals: No. 2 Volk dec. No. 3 K. Laurisden (Unattached), 9-4

Finals: No. 2 Volk dec. No. 1 Richard Figueroa (Arizona State), 6-4

125 | Dylan Catlin (1-2)

Round of 32: Allan Hendricks (Embry-Riddle) major dec. Catlin, 15-2

Consolation of 16 #1: Catlin major dec. B. Boyd (Corban), 13-1

Consolation of 16 #2: G. Gray (Unattached) dec. Catlin, 4-0

133 | Garrett Ricks, 4th (3-2)

Round of 32: Ricks tech. fall Romeo McNeal (CSU-Bakersfield), 17-1

Round of 16: Ricks major dec. No. 8 Jackson Cockrell (Grand View), 17-7

Quarterfinals: Ricks dec. No. 1 Jace Koezler (Oklahoma), 4-2

Semifinals: No. 4 K. Larkin (Unattached) major dec. Ricks, 13-3

Third-Place Match: No. 3 Carson Taylor (Grand View) fall Ricks, 1:54

133 | Cooper Birdwell, 5th (4-1)

Round of 32: No. 5 Birdwell fall Rueben Martinez (St. Ambrose), 4:12

Round of 16: No. 5 Birdwell major dec. J. Romero (Utah Valley), 12-1

Quarterfinals: No. 4 K. Larkin (Unattached) dec. No. 5 Birdwell, 16-11

Consolation Round of 8 #2: No. 5 Birdwell medical forfeit No. 2 Cody Phelps (Western Wyoming)

Consolation Round of 4: No. 5 Birdwell major dec. No. 1 Jace Koezler (Oklahoma), 20-6

Fifth-Place Match: No. 5 Birdwell forfeit No. 6 Zach Blankenship (Oklahoma)

133 | David Saenz (2-2)

Round of 32: No. 3 Carson Taylor (Grand View) major dec. Saenz, 11-0

Consolation Round of 16 #1: Saenz fall Landon Bertsch (Marian), 2:47

Consolation Round of 16 #2: Saenz major dec. Braden Carson (Eastern Oregon), 13-0

Consolation Round of 8 #1: No. 6 Zach Blankenship (Oklahoma State) dec. Saenz, 6-0

133 | Josh Kyle (2-2)

Round of 32: Kyle dec. Spencer Von Savouye (Cal Baptist), 7-2

Round of 16: No. 7 Alexander Pena (Wayland Baptist) fall Kyle, 6:59

Consolation Round of 16 #2: Kyle dec. Romeo McNeal (CSU-Bakersfield), 3-0

Consolation Round of 8 #1: No. 2 Cody Phelps (Western Wyoming) major dec. Kyle, 12-1

141 | Stockton O’Brien, 3rd (4-1)

Round of 32: No. 4 O’Brien major dec. Joshua Collins (Eastern Oregon), 19-5

Round of 16: No. 4 O’Brien major dec. D. Gillett (Oregon State), 11-1

Quarterfinals: No. 4 O’Brien dec. Andrew Bloemhof (Oklahoma State), 3-0

Semifinals: No. 1 Haiden Drury (Grand View) dec. No. 4 O’Brien, 6-4

Third-place Match: No. 4 O’Brien major dec. No. 2 Logan Wagner (Marian), 19-6

149 | No. 18 Gabe Willochell, 3rd (5-1)

Round of 64: No. 1 Willochell tech. fall Jonah Chew (Embry-Riddle), 16-1

Round of 32: No. 1 Willochell fall L. Prinz (Unattached), 2:36

Round of 16: No. 1 Willochell major dec. Brock Rogers (CSU-Bakersfield), 14-5

Quarterfinals: No. 1 Willochell fall S. Alvarez (Oklahoma), 4:25

Semifinals: No. 5 Blake Gonzalez (Grand View) dec. No. Willochell, 13-10

Third-Place Match: No. 1 Willochell fall Lawrence Saenz (San Francisco State), 6:18

149 | Aidan Noonan (2-2)

Round of 32: No. 6 Cutter Sheets (Oklahoma State) dec. Noonan, 8-2

Consolation Round of 32 #1: Noonan dec. M. Buck (Cal Baptist), 3-0

Consolation Round of 16 #1: Noonan tech. fall Peyton Proper (Embry-Riddle), 15-0

Consolation Round of 16 #2: Brock Rogers (CSU-Bakersfield) tech. fall, 18-1

149 | Warren Carr (1-2)

Round of 64: Travis Thorpe (Southern Oregon) dec. Carr, 13-10

Consolation Round of 32 #2: Carr tech. fall Zach Wilson (Marian), 17-1

Consolation Round of 16 #1: Abel Gaitan (Grand View) dec. Carr, 9-7

157 | Sloan Swan, 3rd (4-1)

Round of 32: Swan major dec. No. 6 A. Alli (Unattached), 8-0

Round of 16: Swan dec. Varrius Scanlan (Umpqua), 5-0

Quarterfinals: Swan tech. fall Justin Windauer (Montana State-Northern), 16-0

Semifinals: No. 2 Jared Hill (Oklahoma) dec. Swan, 6-1

Third-Place Match: Swan tech. fall No. 5 John Wiley (Oklahoma), 16-1

157 | Cooper Voorhees, 5th (3-1)

Round of 32: Voorhees major dec. C. White (Oregon State), 16-6

Round of 16: Voorhees fall Tyler Jones (Utah Valley), 4:55

Quarterfinals: No. 2 Jared Hill (Oklahoma) dec. Voorhees, 8-3

Consolation Round of 4: Voorhees major dec. Paolo Salminen (Wyoming), 15-1

Fifth-Place Match: Voorhees forfeit A. Ramirez (Mt. San Jacinto)

157 | Paolo Salminen (4-2)

Round of 32: Salminen fall Kydyn Lima (San Francisco State), 2:30

Round of 16: No. 5 John Wiley (Oklahoma) tech. fall Salminen, 20-5

Consolation Round of 16 #2: Salminen dec. Michael Fox (Eastern Oregon), 7-0

Consolation Round of 8 #1: Salminen dec. K. Craig (Utah Valley), 3-0

Consolation Round of 8 #2: Salminen major dec. Justin Windauer (Montana State-Northern), 14-5

Consolation Round of 4: Cooper Voorhees (Wyoming) major dec. Salminen, 15-1

165 | Brett McIntosh (2-2)

Round of 32: No. 5 McIntosh fall Noah Hollendonner (Marian), 6:28

Round of 16: No. 5 McIntosh fall C. McDonald (Clackamas), 1:10

Quarterfinals: No. 4 Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) tech. fall McIntosh, 16-1

Consolation: Jack Ervien (Grand View) dec. No. 5 McIntosh, 4-2

174 | Riley Davis (2-2)

Round of 32: No. 3 Davis major dec. Merrell Morley (Utah Valley), 13-1

Round of 16: No. 3 Davis dec. Jordan Komac (Providence), 7-2

Quarterfinals: Benji Mower (Oklahoma State) fall No. 3 Davis, 5:39

Consolation Round of 8 #2: No. 7 Alex Hernandez (Southern Oregon) DQM No. 3 Davis, 4:22

184 | Quayin Short, 4th (3-2)

Round of 32: No. 3 Short Ethan Miller (Southern Oregon), 19-2

Round of 16: No. 3 Short fall Joseph Devartanian (Vanguard), 0:23

Quarterfinals: No. 3 Short dec. No. 6 Darion Johnson (Western Wyoming), 6-3

Semifinals: No. 2 Isaiah Luellen (Grand View) major dec. No. 3 Short, 15-6

Third-Place Match: No. 5 Giuseppe Hoose (Oklahoma) dec. No. 3 Short, 7-2

184 | Tyce Raddon (3-2)

Round of 32: No. 5 Guiseppe Hoose (Oklahoma) dec. Raddon, 6-2

Consolation Round of 16 #2: Raddon dec. Rylin Burns (Montana State-Northern), 4-2

Consolation Round of 8 #1: Raddon tech. fall Will Stewart (Marian)

Consolation Round of 8 #2: Raddon dec. John White (Southern Oregon), 9-2

Consolation Round of 4: Mahonri Rushton (Utah Valley) dec. Raddon, 2-1

197 | No. 15 Joey Novak, 2nd (4-1)

Round of 32: No. 2 Novak fall Wesley Reeves (Western Wyoming), 5:21

Round of 16: No. 2 Novak tech. fall M. Christiansen (Oregon State), 22-3

Quarterfinals: No. 2 Novak tech. fall Jay Smith (Eastern Oregon), 17-0

Semifinals: No. 2 Novak dec. No. 6 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State), 7-2

Finals: No. 1 Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) dec. No. 2. Novak, 11-4

HWT | Kevin Zimmer, 5th (4-1)

Round of 32: No. 5 Zimmer fall Corbin Hayes (Embry-Riddle), 2:10

Round of 16: No. 5 Zimmer dec. Jack Forbes (Utah Valley), 4-0

Quarterfinals: No. 4 KC Puday (Providence) sudden victory No. 5 Zimmer, 8-5

Consolation Round of 8 #2: No. 5 Zimmer dec. A. Garcia (Unattached), 5-3

Consolation Round of 4: No. 5 Zimmer dec. Dmarian Lopez (Western Wyoming), 6-4

Fifth-Place Match: No. 5 Zimmer medical forfeit No. 6 Chase Trussell (Utah Valley)

HWT | Mason Ding (2-2)

Round of 32: C. Hastrister (Oregon State) dec. Ding, 10-5

Consolation Round of 16 #1: Ding dec. Jeremiah Morris (St. Ambrose), 3-0

Consolation Round of 16 #2: Ding tech. fall S. Lukner (Corban), 19-4

Consolation Round of 8 #1: A. Garcia (Unattached) fall Ding, 4:02

HWT | Winston McBride (1-2)

Round of 32: McBride tech. fall Abdullah Razzak (St. Ambrose), 15-0

Round of 16: No. 2 Josh Heindselman (Oklahoma) tech. fall McBride, 21-6

Consolation Round of 16 #2: A. Garcia (Unattached) tech. fall McBride, 16-1

HWT | Lane Catlin (0-2)

Round of 32: K. Copley (Embry-Riddle) dec. Catlin, 3-0

Consolation Round of 16 #1: Sebastian Echeverria (Southern Oregon) major dec. Catlin, 15-7

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