Seven Wrestlers Place at Iowa Tournament

Photo courtesy UVU Athletics

AMES, Iowa–After splitting a pair of matches Friday afternoon, the Utah Valley University wrestling team stayed in Iowa to participate in the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open on Sunday, Nov. 14 on the campus of Iowa State University. The tournament featured several prominent programs and multiple ranked wrestlers.

Utah Valley’s Dustin Dennison displayed a standout performance for the Wolverines, as he finished the day with an unblemished 5-0 showing, including three pinned opponents. In the 285-pound first-place match Dennison pinned 12th-ranked Collin Jensen out of the University of Nebraska en route to a first-place finish.

At the end of the day, seven Wolverines ended up placing at the tournament. Heavyweight Jordan Karst, 147-pounder Grant LaMont and 157-pounder Raider Lofthouse all ended with third-place finishes. Additionally, 174-pounder Kimball Bastian, 197-pounder Tanner Orndorff and unattached freshman 125-pounder Taylor LaMont all concluded the tournament with fourth-place finishes.

“The guys wrestled very tough today. We had several guys that just outworked their opponents to earn wins,” head UVU coach Greg Williams said in a statement to WolverineGreen.com. “Our staff is excited about how hard the guys are wrestling and their willingness to try the things we are teaching them in the room.”

With their home opener still over a month away, the Wolverines will continue their string of road matches when they participate in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 2-3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. At the conclusion of that tournament, the Wolverines will turn their sights to Boise State, who they face on Dec. 10 in Boise, Idaho.