Novak Claims a Title as Wrestling Places Third at Soldier Salute
- University of Wyoming Athletics Press Release
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
CORALVILLE, Iowa (1/4/26) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team wrapped up competition at the Soldier Salute Tournament on Sunday inside Xtreme Arena. The Cowboys placed third as a team with 126.5 points, and No. 4 Joey Novak (197) punctuated the tournament with an individual championship.
"Certainly, I don't think Joey wrestled up to his capabilities, but he found a way to win tough matches," head coach Mark Branch said. "It was important that he came out of here healthy and getting your hand raised in your last match and winning a title was nice to see."
Novak's title occurred over No. 11 Evan Bates (Missouri). A 1-1 draw was broken late in the third period when Novak locked up a cradle and pinned Bates. Novak finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.
No. 8 Christian Carroll (HWT) and No. 27 Gabe Willochell (149) each placed third in their respective brackets. Carroll earned his top-three finish with a medical forfeit victory in his final bout, while Willochell defeated Kael Voinovich (Iowa) via decision, 11-7.
"Gabe looked back to his old self, so to speak," Branch said. "He looked a lot more like the wrestler that he's capable of being. We saw a lot of positives things from him this weekend."
No. 16 Luke Willochell (133) and Lane Foard (174) both took fourth after dropping their third-place matches. Antonio Avila (149) won his fifth-place match, a 4-2 decision over Patrick Jordon (VMI).
"Lane had a really solid tournament," Branch said. "He lost to a really good kid on the front side, and then his inexperience caught up with him there in the last match. He just got tricked by somebody that has a little more mat time than him. But he definitely wrestled with a lot of heart. He had the fire that we were looking for everybody to have. We just didn't have that fire, at all, with all of our guys."
No. 18 Jared Hill (157) and Sefton Douglass (125) each reeled in a sixth-place finish following a loss in the fifth-place match. Gunner Henry (197) and Cole Brooks (149) rounded out the top-eight finishers for Wyoming, as Henry took seventh and Brooks eighth.
In all, 16 Cowboys participated in the tournament. They went a combined, 47-31.
Wyoming now enters a stretch of duals. The first of which is Saturday at Utah Valley at 7 p.m. inside Lockhart Arena.
125: Sefton Douglass (3-3) – 6th
Second Round: Keyan Hernandez (Iowa) tiebreaker-1 Douglass, 9-6
Consolation Third Round: Douglass decision Abdi Unie (Nebraska), 6-3
Consolation Fourth Round: Douglass fall Joe Calvin (Bellarmine), 3:42
Consolation Quarterfinals: Douglass decision Joey Cruz (Iowa), 5-4
Consolation Semifinals: Sebastian Degennaro (Oklahoma) technical fall Douglass, 15-0
Fifth-Place Match: Bowen Downey (Northern Iowa) sudden victory Douglass, 7-4
125: Isaiah Harrison (0-2)
First Round: Daniel Guanajuato (South Dakota State) decision Harrison, 4-1
Consolation Second Round: Logan Graf (South Dakota State) decision Harrison, 4-3
133: No. 16 Luke Willochell (5-2) – 4th
First Round: Willochell fall Shay Korhorn (Bellarmine), 1:18
Second Round: Willochell technical fall Anthony Lavezzolla (Iowa), 15-0
Quarterfinals: Gage Walker (Missouri) decision Willochell, 8-4
Consolation Fourth Round: Willochell major decision Kenton Cooke (South Dakota State), 15-4
Consolation Quarterfinals: Willochell fall Carter Pearson (Iowa State), 4:46
Consolation Semifinals: Willochell decision Osmany Diversent (Iowa State), 7-2
Third-Place Match: Matthew Botello (North Carolina) fall Willochell, 1:13
133: Tucker Bowen (0-2)
Second Round: Isaak Arevalo (Army Prep) decision Bowen, 5-2
Consolation Third Round: Garrett Rinken (Northern Iowa) decision Bowen, 2-0
141: John Alden (1-2)
Second Round: Kale Petersen (Iowa) decision Alden, 8-2
Consolation Second Round: Alden decision Logan Swensen (South Dakota State), 4-0
Consolation Third Round: Dyson Dunham (VMI) decision Alden, 10-4
141: David Saenz (2-2)
Second Round: No. 7 Nasir Bailey (Iowa) technical fall Saenz, 18-3
Consolation Second Round: Saenz decision Jace Rhodes (Iowa), 9-7
Consolation Third Round: Saenz decision Peyton Moore (North Dakota State), 9-3
Consolation Fourth Round: Kale Petersen (Iowa) major decision Saenz, 13-2
149: No. 27 Gabe Willochell (5-1) – 3rd
First Round: Willochell major decision Anthony Dicks (Tarleton State), 13-4
Second Round: Willochell fall Wyatt DeChateau (Minnesota), 3:21
Quarterfinals: Willochell decision Logan Paradice (Northern Iowa), 6-4
Semifinals: Seth Mendoza (Missouri) technical fall Willochell, 17-2
Consolation Semifinals: Willochell decision Antonio Avila (Wyoming), 5-1
Third-Place Match: Willochell decision Kael Voinovich (Iowa), 11-7
149: Antonio Avila (5-2) – 5th
First Round: Nikade Zinkin (Nebraska) tiebreaker-1 Avila, 6-3
Consolation Second Round: Avile decision Jager Eisch (Minnesota), 4-2
Consolation Third Round: Avila decision Scott Robertson (Nebraska), 4-1
Consolation Fourth Round: Avila decision James Latona (Navy), 5-2
Consolation Quarterfinals: Avila major decision Easton Broxterman (Army Prep), 14-4
Consolation Semifinals: No. 27 Gabe Willochell (Wyoming) decision Avila, 5-1
Fifth-Place Match: Avila decision Patrick Jordon (VMI), 4-2
149: Cole Brooks (2-3) – 8th
Second Round: James Latona (Navy) decision Brooks, 7-3
Consolation Third Round: Brooks fall Charles Vanier (Unattached), 1:20
Consolation Fourth Round: Brooks decision Colin Dupill (South Dakota State), 8-7
Consolation Quarterfinals: Kael Voinovich (Iowa) sudden victory Brooks, 13-10
Seventh-Place Match: Easton Broxterman (Army Prep) decision Brooks, 11-6
157: No. 18 Jared Hill (4-3) – 6th
First Round: Joey Showalter (North Carolina) major decision Hill, 12-3
Consolation Second Round: Hill decision Charlie Evans (Navy), 8-2
Consolation Third Round: Hill major decision Peyton Park (Unattached), 12-1
Consolation Fourth Round: Hill decision Cael Rahnavardi (Northern Iowa), 12-6
Consolation Quarterfinals: Hill fall Steven Villalobos (Bellarmine), 1:21
Consolation Semifinals: Laird Root (North Carolina) fall Hill, 2:11
Fifth-Place Match: Victor Voinovich (Iowa) medical forfeit Hill
165: Sloan Swan (4-3) – 6th
First Round: Swan decision Bryce Burkett (Oklahoma), 4-1
Second Round: Swan decision Charlie Darracott (North Carolina), 7-3
Quarterfinals: Jack Thomsen (Northern Iowa) decision Swan, 4-1
Consolation Fourth Round: Swan fall Kyler Knaak (Northern Iowa), 5:45
Consolation Quarterfinals: Swan major decision Finn Shepard (Tarleton State), 13-1
Consolation Semifinals: Jacob Herm (South Dakota State) technical fall, 18-3
Fifth-Place Match: Dominic Bambinelli (Missouri) fall Swan, 4:02
174: Lane Foard (4-2) – 4th
Second Round: Foard fall Cade Tenold (North Carolina), :55
Quarterfinals: Gabe Arnold (Iowa) decision Foard, 5-1
Consolation Fourth Round: Foard decision Leister Bowling (Iowa), 4-1
Consolation Quarterfinals: Foard decision Clayton Whiting (Minnesota), 4-2
Consolation Semifinals: Foard medical forfeit Tyler Eise (Nebraska)
Third-Place Match: Izzy Moreno (Northern Iowa) decision Foard, 2-0
184: No. 12 Eddie Neitenbach (1-1)
Second Round: Neitenbach technical fall Connor Gaynor (South Dakota State), 19-3
Quarterfinals: Logan Cole (Missouri) medical forfeit Neitenbach
Consolation Fourth Round: Jarrett Wadsen (Unattached) medical forfeit Neitenbach
197: No. 4 Joey Novak (4-0) – Champion
Second Round: Novak fall Rowan Udell (Iowa State), 2:24
Quarterfinals: Novak decision Mikey Calcagno (North Carolina), 7-2
Semifinals: Novak decision Harvey Ludington (Iowa), 6-1
Championship: Novak fall No. 11 Evan Bates (Missouri), 6:46
197: Gunner Henry (3-2) – 7th
Second Round: Henry decision Silas Dailey (Minnesota), 3-2
Quarterfinals: No. 11 Evan Bates (Missouri) technical fall Henry, 19-3
Consolation Fourth Round: Henry decision Adam Cherne (North Dakota State), 2-1
Consolation Quarterfinals: No. 32 Robert Platt (North Carolina) major decision Henry, 14-3
Seventh-Place Match: Henry medical default Toby Schoffstall (VMI), 1:37
HWT: No. 8 Christian Carroll (4-1) – 3rd
Second Round: Carroll decision Grant Stromberg (Northern Iowa), 6-3
Quarterfinals: Carroll tiebreaker-1 Coby Merrill (Unattached), 2-1
Semifinals: No. 10 Koye Hopke (Minnesota) decision Carroll, 6-1
Consolation Semifinals: Carroll decision Bradley Miller (Oklahoma), 7-2
Third-Place Match: Carroll medical forfeit No. 15 Spencer Lanosga (Navy)
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