Sports Brief: Utah Valley’s Ben Kjar named WWC Wrestler of the Week

OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University 125-pounder Benjamin Kjar (Centerville, Utah/Viewmont HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Week by the league on Wednesday after an outstanding performance on the mat last week.

Kjar wrestled his way to a third place finish and an impressive 5-1 record at the Southern Scuffle last week. The UVU senior stayed true to his pre-tournament seed of third as he won his first three bouts to advance to the semifinals. Kjar won his first match by major decision and followed it up with two straight decision victories, including an 8-6 overtime win over the higher-ranked Garrett Frey of Princeton (No. 11) in the quarters.

In the semis, Kjar dropped a hard-fought 2-0 decision to the three-time All-American from Minnesota and sixth-ranked Zachary Sanders. After the defeat, Kjar responded by beating two more ranked foes: 16th-ranked Frank Martellotti from Penn State and 20th ranked Jason Lara of Oregon State, both by decision to truly earn his third place finish. Kjar is currently ranked 12th (by InterMat) and holds a 14-4 record on the season.

The conference honor is Kjar’s first of the season and seventh of his career.

The Western Wrestling Conference, which is in its fifth year of competition, is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming.