Operation 2009 just may be ahead of schedule.

Utah Valley State wrestling coach Greg Williams has his eyes focused on the year 2009 when the school will be eligible to compete in the NCAA tournament.

But just because Williams is building for the future doesn•t mean the Wolverines can•t win now.

Improvement doesn•t have to be goal for the future.

"Everything we•re doing is geared to two years from new when we can compete at nationals," Williams said. "I'm pretty pleased. I think we•re a lot further ahead than we were a year ago. We have a very young team, but we•re improving. I'm confident that we can keep it up."

Over the weekend, UVSC went 3-1 in the John Hancock Duals and had six wrestlers place at the Northern Colorado Open.

Last year, none of UVSC's wrestlers made the finals.

"We feel very good about how the tournament went," said assistant coach KC Rock. "This was the best a UV wrestling team has done a tournament in the program's history."

With the wrestling season just two weeks old, here•s a closer look at how the Wolverines stack up for the upcoming season by weight class.

Benjamin Kjar 125 Fr. (Viewmont)

Without question Kjar has been Williams• biggest recruiting coup. He is the cornerstone of the program. Kjar redshirted last year and is now ready to show why he was one of the top wrestling recruits in the country.

After going 4-0 at the Jack Hancock Duals on Saturday, Kjar finished second going 3-1 at the Northern Colorado Open.

Flint Ray (133) Fr. (Roy)

A two-time state champion at Roy High School. Ray redshirted at Boise State in 2004-05, served a church mission and then returned to UVSC. Ray went 7-1 over the weekend at the North Colorado tournament and has a 10-2 record for the season. After Ray lost his opening round match by a 12-11 score, he responded with seven consecutive victories. Ray capped off his performance by beating the wrestler who edged him in the opening round.

Jeffrey Newby 141 Soph. (Box Elder)

After posting an 11-16 record at Boise State, Newby opted to transfer to Utah Valley. The four-time state champion from Box Elder High School is now one of the building blocks for the Wolverines. Justin Morrill, who wrestled at 141 last year for UVSC, is redshirting this year. Nate Gardner, a freshman from Illinois could also be a factor at 141. Gardner wrestled up two weight classes at 157 over the weekend and went 2-2.

Sam Allen (149) Sr. (Davis)

A team captain and one of just three seniors on the team. Allen wrestled at Western Wyoming where he was ranked as high as third in the nation before transferring to the University of Wyoming. He's now found a home at UVSC and is paying immediate dividends. He finished sixth at the Northern Colorado tournament with a 5-1 record after having to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury. He also went 4-0 at the John Hancock Duals.

Nate Kearsley 157 Sr. Aloha, OR (Century HS)

A transfer from Lindewood University, an NAIA school in Missouri that finished second in the nation in 2003. The Oregon native

Gehrhart Vuksinick (165) Fr. (Pleasant Grove)

After redshirting last year, the former Pleasant Grove High School star Vuksinick, who had a 32-2 record as a senior at Pleasant Grove, made it to the semifinals and finished in sixth place at the Northern Colorado Open. He posted a 3-3 record at the tournament.

Mark Fenwick (174) Sr. (Viewmont)

A remarkable example of persistence and a love for the sport, Fenwick had given up wrestling and was on the path to become a coach when he revived his career at Utah Valley and is now leading by example.

Fenwick finished third at the Northern Colorado Open with a 4-1 record and his loss was to the eventual champion in the 174-pound weight division.

Mark Dennis (184) Soph. (Northrdige)

Last year Dennis went 2-5 last year in dual meets. He looks like he will be challenged by Casen Eldredge with the winner staying at 184 and the loser moving up to 197. Eldredge went 6-2 wrestling between the two meets and when he wrestled up at 197, went 2-1.

Zach Williams 197 Fr. Las Vegas, Nevada (Las Vegas)

He was a two-state state runner up in Nevada at 187 and finished with a 33-4 mark during his senior season. Williams won his only match over the weekend.

Billy Green Heavyweight Soph. (Fremont)

Green is back on the mat after serving an church mission and redshirting. He's now ready to pick up on where he left off in high school where he was a three-time state champion at Fremont and completed a 40-0 record his senior year. He won both of his matches over the weekend before having to withdraw from the tournament due to an illness.

In addition to those mentioned previously, Ramsey Nijem, a freshman from Washington, went 2-2 last weekend wrestling at 184 pounds. The Wolverines also stashed former Spanish Fork star Jeb Clark away this year. He's redshirting. UVSC's program also got a boost when it signed Josh Wilson (currently on an LDS mission). He will join UVSC for the 2008-09 season. Wilson is a two-time state champion from Morgan High school.