The Utah Valley University wrestling team begins a three-match home stand Saturday against Boise State. The Wolverines and Broncos will meet up for the eighth time in history, and the dual will take place in the PE Building at 7 p.m.
Saturday's dual will mark Utah Valley's (3-6, 0-0 WWC) final non-conference contest of the season, as the Wolverines will begin their Western Wrestling Conference slate next week.
The contest will be televised live locally on UVU TV with Mike Clapier and Sam Allen on the call as well as streamed live online on UVU's website. Live results for the dual meet can also be accessed by visiting TrackWrestling's website.
"It always makes for a fun night when Boise State comes to town," UVU head coach Greg Williams said. "We've won the last two times that they've been here and we're looking forward to another solid performance from our guys."
UVU has been off since Jan. 18, when it dropped a tightly contested dual at Arizona State, 18-16. A forfeit by the Wolverines was the difference as both teams won five bouts but giving up the six points proved to be too much for UVU to overcome.
Prior to the dual against ASU, Utah Valley took care of business in its home opener against Grand Canyon on Jan. 9, 28-9. The Wolverines won eight of the 10 bouts on the night, including a pin from sophomore 133-pounder Chasen Tolbert and a major decision from senior 174-pounder Monte Schmalhaus. The victory helped the Wolverines improve to 16-7 at home over the past six seasons.
Junior 285-pounder Adam Fager leads UVU on the season with a 15-6 overall record and is currently ranked 13th in his weight class by InterMat. Fager was also the lone Wolverine listed on the first NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings that was released last week. The Utah Valley heavyweight also came in at 13th on that poll.
About Boise State
The Broncos, who call the Pac-12 home in wrestling, are 2-6 overall on the season and 2-3 in Pac-12 action. BSU will host Northern Colorado at Taco Bell Arena on Friday evening before traveling to Orem on Saturday. The Broncos will enter the weekend having dropped their last three dual meets, falling to No. 21 North Dakota State, No. 23 Lehigh and Arizona State.
Seniors Jake Swartz (184 pounds) and J.T. Felix (heavyweight) lead Boise State as they are currently ranked seventh and ninth in their respective weight classes. Felix also leads the squad in victories at 18-3, while Swartz holds a 9-1 record. Together the two have tallied five NCAA Championship appearances, as Swartz is a three-time NCAA qualifier and Felix has wrestled in two.
Boise State leads the all-time series, 5-2, over the Wolverines, but UVU has won the last two meetings in Orem, which includes a 22-20 win over BSU in 2010 when the Broncos were ranked eighth in nation at the time.
Up next for the Wolverines
UVU will continue its final home stretch of the season next week when it begins conference action against South Dakota State on Thursday, Feb. 6. The Wolverines will then take on No. 21 North Dakota State the following evening in their regular season home finale.
James Warnick is an assistant sports information director at Utah Valley University. For more information about Wolverine athletics, visit www.WolverineGreen.com.