Great pickup for Coach Branch & the Pokes!! Thank you state of Nebraska. When I see young men like this signining on, it makes me hope that Cox will stick around and help coach the lighter weights.
Re: 2014-2015 Poke Wrestling
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 11:52 am
by American Horse
I posted about this guy earlier making a verbal commit. He will be looking for a fourth state title this season. He is also a very good student and should fit in nicely at UW. It's also nice to steal one right out of UNLs backyard!
Re: 2014-2015 Poke Wrestling
Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 1:55 pm
by POKE FAN
Branch: "We'll continue to recruit in the spring as there are some more needs that we'll be trying to address," he said. "But when the dust settles, this signing class will be one of the best in the history of the program." https://twitter.com/Branch9497/status/5 ... 8249012224Branch and UW Wrestling Add Five Prep Standouts
Class includes signees from five states
LARAMIE, Wyo. - The University of Wyoming wrestling team will receive an infusion of young talent as head coach Mark Branch announced Friday the addition of five prep student-athletes to next year's lineup.
Doyle Trout, Drake Foster, Cameron Loving, Cody Vigoren and Danny Gordon will begin their UW academic and athletic careers in the fall of 2015-16. These five hail from a wide geographical swath, including Nebraska, Idaho, Oklahoma, Washington and New Mexico.
"The main focus on this year's class was not only looking at great wrestlers but great students in the classroom," Branch said. "When we are recruiting, we are looking at students who have academics as a priority. Paying special attention to the character of kid we're bringing into the program was important, as well. I couldn't be happier with these five individuals. They possess all the qualities that it takes to be successful at the Division I level and they have a wealth of experience and success on the national level."
In wrestling, there's no substitute for the real thing. An injured grappler can ride a stationary bike or run as many laps as he wants to, but his conditioning will inevitably suffer without the preparation only a mat and a training partner can provide.
In the last two years, Wyoming junior heavyweight Tanner Harms has been the unfortunate victim of significant hamstring and elbow injuries that have limited his participation.
RENO, Nev. - For only the second time in program history, the University of Wyoming wrestling program won the team title in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday.
Thanks to seven place-winners, Wyoming racked up 134 points to outdistance Stanford and Oregon State, each of which tallied 102.5 points. UW's other team title in the event came in 2010.
"I told the guys in a tournament, every coach evaluates it the same way - you look at the good and bad," UW head coach Mark Branch said. "I will say I was surprised at our margin of victory. I thought we were competing enough to be in it, but after seeing the final scores, you just see how tough of a tournament it was.
Good job, Pokes. The last time we won Reno was the best team of the Branch era. This team does not have the high-end talent, but is deeper in my opinion. Very excited to see how we do at the Scuffle.
Impressive win by the Pokes on Sunday. Can't wait to see where the Pokes end up when the dust settles at the Southern Scuffle. It should give us a good idea what to expect at the NCAAs.
Re: 2014-2015 Poke Wrestling
Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 3:36 pm
by American Horse
Great job Pokes! It's been said before but I'll say it again, wrestling is the most successful sport UW has right now. It will be fun to see how things go at the Scuffle but nice to go into it with a little momentum. It appears we may not have the individuals that have a real legitimate shot at a NC, but the possibility of numerous AAs is certainly there. If that can be accomplished a Top 15 or even Top 10 finish is a definite possibility. Lots of year left but sure fun and exciting right now!
Re: 2014-2015 Poke Wrestling
Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:59 pm
by AlphaPoke
Landerpoke - If I remember right, the last time we won the Reno TOC there was a major weather event that caused a few teams to No Show, and Branch basically sicked the dogs on all competition.
American Horse - Every year my hope is a top 15 or 20 finish at the NCAAs. The year LaBlanc didn't make weight on the last day still makes me sick!!
GO POKES!!!
Re: 2014-2015 Poke Wrestling
Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2014 8:08 am
by LanderPoke
AlphaPoke wrote:Landerpoke - If I remember right, the last time we won the Reno TOC there was a major weather event that caused a few teams to No Show, and Branch basically sicked the dogs on all competition.
American Horse - Every year my hope is a top 15 or 20 finish at the NCAAs. The year LaBlanc didn't make weight on the last day still makes me sick!!
GO POKES!!!
Ah that's right. If I'm not mistaken we also won Vegas that year,the same year that Joe didn't make weight and Onufer was AA.
"This is the toughest tournament in the country and we wanted to be a part of it," Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said. "Our philosophy this year is to go the distance to see the best competition, so that's why we have traveled to places like New York and Tennessee. We need to continue with our philosophy and just focus on wrestling our best, no matter who steps on the mat across from us.