Wyoming Wrestling Eyes Breakthrough Performances at NCAA Championships
- Jeff Bugher - Report Contributor: UW Athletics
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
LARAMIE, Wyoming – The University of Wyoming wrestling team travels to the NCAA Championships this week in Cleveland, Ohio. The tournament runs from Thursday through Saturday inside Rocket Arena. The Championships can be seen on the ESPN family of networks.
What did head coach Mark Branch have to say?
"I told our guys yesterday that the way they're prepared and the way they're capable of competing, nobody is going to want to see them first round," head coach Mark Branch said. "We just have to focus on those first-round matchups and walk into the tournament feeling like this guy has a bad draw having to compete against me to start the tournament off."
Six Pokes qualified for NCAAs this season, the most since the 2020-21 season.
No. 5-seeded Joey Novak (197)
No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (184)
No. 18 Christian Carroll (HWT)
No. 21 Gabe Willochell (149)
No. 29 Luke Willochell (133)
No. 30 Riley Davis (174)
Speaking of those first-round matchups, they'll take place on Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. (MST). Luke Willochell drew No. 4 Aaron Siedel (Virginia Tech); Gabe Willochell squares off with No. 12 Carter Young (Maryland); Davis takes on No. 3 Christoper Minto (Nebraska); Neitenbach faces off with No. 27 Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State); Novak battles No. 28 Kael Wisler (Michigan State) and Carroll will go up against No. 15 Brady Colbert (Army).
Wyoming is fresh off an eighth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships a couple weekends ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Novak and Neitenbach each took runner-up in their respective brackets. Gabe Willochell placed fifth, Davis took sixth, while Luke Willochell and Carroll each did not place.
Four of the six aforementioned Pokes finished at or above their seed line. However, none of them captured a trophy, and it's a hunger bred from that disappointment that Branch expects to be on display inside Rocket Arena.
"They're all feeling motivated to climb a little higher and get another chance to get out there and compete," Branch said. "They step out on that mat wanting to win every time. Even though they may have wrestled well in Tulsa, there's a little bit left. Those guys want to come back out more prepared and wiser."
"The most important thing is to be excited about the privilege to compete at this level."
The Cowboys placed 22nd as a team at last year's NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of that was credited to Novak who bonus-pointed his way to a fifth-place finish and All-American status. Four of his six wins inside the Wells Fargo Center were bonus-point victories, and that was the most in a single NCAA run in program history.
The 2025-26 trip to NCAAs will mark Novak's third, and he's a combined 8-4 on the big stage. Gabe Willochell is making his fourth trip – third with Wyoming following a qualification whilst at Edinboro – and he's 2-6 with all his victories occurring in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2023-24.
Neitenbach – a sophomore and northeast Ohio native from Valley City – now has two NCAA trips to his name, going 2-2 last season. Luke Willochell, Davis and Carroll will all be making their first-career appearance at the NCAA Championships. In fact, Willochell represents the fourth straight true freshman Cowboy to punch a ticket to NCAAs. Only No. 1, and four-time defending national champion, Penn State, lays claim to that same streak.
The Brackets Are Set
The NCAA released its wrestling championship brackets on Wednesday. All six University of Wyoming student-athletes now know their first-round matchup and path in their respective brackets.
No. 5 Joey Novak (197) led the way. No. 6 Eddie Neitenbach (184), No. 18 Christian Carroll (HWT), No. 21 Gabe Willochell (149), No. 29 Luke Willochell (133) and No. 30 Riley Davis (174) round out the Cowboys’ seeds.
Novak will face off against No. 28 Kael Wisler (Michigan State) in the opening round. Neitenbach will take on No. 27 Aidan Brenot (North Dakota State). Carroll squares off with No. 15 Brady Colbert (Army). Gabe Willochell will face off against No. 12 Carter Young (Maryland). Luke Willochell will take on No. 4 Aaron Siedel (Virginia Tech), and Davis will square off with No. 3 Christopher Minto (Nebraska).
Session 1 on Thursday commences at 10 a.m. Session 2 begins Thursday at 5 p.m. Friday encompasses Sessions 3 and 4 at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. Session 5 on Saturday kicks off at 9 a.m., and the Championship Session is at 4:30 p.m.
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