PINEDALE — Cody Phelps, one of Wyoming’s most accomplished wrestlers in recent years, is coming home.
The Pinedale native announced on Instagram that he is transferring to the University of Wyoming after spending last season as a redshirt at Michigan State. Before joining the Spartans, Phelps played a key role in Western Wyoming Community College’s back-to-back NJCAA national championship runs — a stretch that established him as one of the premier wrestlers in the junior college ranks.
Phelps will reunite with former Western teammates, including Sefton Douglass, who also committed to Wyoming this month after a national runner-up finish at 125 pounds.
Phelps’ standout career at Western included an NJCAA Division I national title at 133 pounds in 2024, where he capped his campaign with a commanding 17-4 victory over top-seeded Ceasar Avelar of Clackamas. For his efforts, Phelps was awarded the Ernest B. Gould Most Outstanding Wrestler Award — the highest individual honor in NJCAA wrestling. He also earned All-American status in 2023 after a third-place finish.
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His time at Western Wyoming cemented his status as one of the top homegrown talents in Wyoming. Now, after a year developing in the Big Ten, Phelps brings both experience and explosiveness to a Wyoming program on the rise.
The Cowboys compete in the Big 12 under head coach Mark Branch, and Phelps’ addition only strengthens a roster that continues to lean into in-state talent. The move not only brings back one of Wyoming’s best but adds firepower to a lightweight group looking to make noise on the national stage.
