LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming sends three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Kansas City this week. Jore Volk (125 lbs), Gabe Willochell (149), and Joey Novak (197) battle for collegiate wrestling’s top honors from Thursday through Saturday at the T-Mobile Center.
“We just need to build on the improvements they have made,” head coach Mark Branch said. “There are still a few details that we can improve on and some positions where we need to be better, so our week leading up is business as usual.”
Volk, a sophomore, headlines the trio. He secured his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships after winning the Big 12 Tournament.
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Volk clinched a conference title with an impressive performance in Tulsa, where he was seeded fifth but finished atop the podium. He defeated the No. 1, 2, and 4 seeds on his way to victory.
“I feel confident that Jore learned more about himself in Tulsa,” Branch said. “He was able to tap into something special that he hasn’t really experienced before.”
Branch and Volk hope this experience will benefit him at the NCAAs. Last year, Volk, seeded 21st, went 1-2 at the Championships.
This year, Volk, boasting a 22-6 overall record with 10 ranked victories, enters as the No. 5 seed after being ranked No. 6 in the final Coaches’ Poll and No. 3 in the RPI. His tournament starts Thursday against Harvard’s Diego Sotelo, seeded No. 28 and ranked No. 32.
“If he can carry what he learned at the Big 12 Tournament into Kansas City, it will be a great tournament for him,” Branch said. “He’s 100 percent capable of beating every guy in the bracket. He just needs to keep it simple, take it one match at a time, and have fun wrestling.”
Willochell embarks on his second NCAA Championships journey. He qualified for the 2022 edition while at Edinboro.
Competing at 141 pounds in 2022, Willochell, seeded 23rd, went 0-2.
This time around, Willochell, seeded 22nd at 149 pounds, secured an automatic bid to the Championships by finishing fourth at the Big 12 Tournament. He is 18-10 this season with two ranked wins and a 2-6 record against his NCAA bracket. His 2024 Championships start with a match against Rider’s Quinn Kinner, seeded 11th and ranked 22nd.
Novak makes his debut at the NCAA Championships. The freshman earned his bid with a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Tournament, despite being seeded sixth.
Novak, seeded 17th, went 22-12 this season, defeating seven ranked opponents. He was ranked No. 18 in the Coaches’ Poll and No. 16 in the RPI. Novak’s tournament begins against Princeton’s Luke Sout, seeded 16th and ranked 13th. He holds a 7-11 record against the bracket.
The NCAA Championships commence Thursday with Session 1 at 10 a.m. Each day features two sessions, with the first starting at 10 a.m. and the second at 5 p.m.
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast the entire event, with broad-based coverage on ESPNU and ESPN, while individual mat coverage is available on ESPN-Plus.
