Ricks, ranked No. 27 by FloWrestling, defeated No. 10 Nicolar Rivera in overtime, 8-5, to open the dual before Rivera knocked off No. 7 Zan Fugitt by a 5-2 decision. Utah Valley was without No. 11 David Evans at 149 pounds for the second straight week.

“Tonight was a battle. Wisconsin has a good team from top to bottom, a top-25 team,” Utah Valley head coach Adam Hall said. “We knew we needed to make up for David being out, and several of our guys stepped up big. Two upset wins to start the dual at 125 and 133 were huge for our momentum. We lost some steam in the middle and it cost us, but we have momentum going into the break before the Southern Scuffle.”

In the opening bout, Ricks scored the first takedown before Rivera countered with a reversal to trail 3-2 after one period. Rivera used an escape and takedown in the second to take a 6-4 lead into the third. Ricks escaped and scored a go-ahead takedown with just under a minute remaining to lead 8-6. Rivera earned an escape and used riding time to force overtime, but Ricks finished a scramble 30 seconds into sudden victory to secure the upset. The win avenged an earlier 5-1 loss to Rivera at the Cyclone Invitational and handed the Badger his first loss of the season.

At 133 pounds, Rivera earned his third straight win and the first ranked victory of his career. He scored a takedown late in the first period and rode Fugitt for more than 90 seconds to open the second. Fugitt scored a reversal to trail 3-2 entering the third. After Fugitt escaped to start the final period, Rivera held off two takedown attempts and added riding time to win 5-2.

Drury gave Utah Valley a 10-0 lead after three matches with an 11-2 major decision over Carson Exferd, scoring takedowns in each of the first two periods in a decisive win.

No. 16 Joseph Zargo started a run of four straight Wisconsin wins with a fall at 3:11 over Kayd Craig at 149 pounds. At 157, Mark Takara was tied 1-1 with No. 28 Luke Mechler before being called for a second stalling violation late, resulting in a 2-1 decision for Mechler. Freshman Zyon Trujillo dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 25 Cody Goebel at 165. Luke Condon followed with a 6-2 decision over Trevor Frank at 174, giving Wisconsin (7-0) a 15-10 lead.

In a rematch from the Cyclone Invitational, Uhlenhopp recorded his second win of the season over Cale Anderson, winning by an 8-0 major decision. After a scoreless first period, Uhlenhopp scored an escape and takedown in the second and sealed the match with another takedown and riding time. The Badgers closed the dual with major decisions from No. 27 Wyatt Ingham, who beat Kael Bennie 10-2, and No. 9 Braxton Amos, who defeated Jack Forbes 12-1.

Utah Valley returns to action at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 3-4 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Wolverines open Big 12 dual competition at home Jan. 10 against Wyoming.

Hladek, Owens earn academic All-American honors

Utah Valley women’s soccer standouts Ruby Hladek and Mia Owens have been named to the 2025 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s Scholar All-America Teams, the organization announced.

Hladek earned Scholar All-America First Team honors, while Owens was selected to the Scholar All-America Third Team, recognizing their excellence both academically and on the field.

Hladek, a senior midfielder majoring in digital marketing, posted a 3.76 GPA while producing one of the most accomplished seasons in program history. The 2025 WAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-WAC selection finished the season with 15 goals and 13 assists, ranking among the national leaders in assists and total points. She concluded her Utah Valley career as the program’s all-time leader in assists and played a central role in the Wolverines’ fourth straight WAC regular-season championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Earlier this postseason, Hladek earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region honors and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region team.

Owens, a junior defender majoring in marketing, earned Scholar All-America Third Team recognition after posting a 3.95 GPA. The 2025 WAC Defensive Player of the Year anchored a Utah Valley back line that recorded seven shutouts on the season, including five in conference play. Owens started all 22 matches, added one goal and two assists, and earned First Team All-WAC and WAC All-Tournament Team honors during Utah Valley’s championship campaign. She also previously earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region honors and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region team.

Emojong picked in second round of MLS SuperDraft

NEW YORK — Utah Valley midfielder Isaac Emojong has been selected by D.C. United with the 31st pick in the 2nd round of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft, becoming the second player in program history to be drafted into the league.

“I’m thrilled for Isaac Emojong on his selection in the MLS SuperDraft. His dynamic attacking play has been instrumental to our success at Utah Valley,” said UVU head coach Michael Chesler. “This is a well-deserved step in his career, and I have no doubt he’ll thrive at the professional level. We’re proud to see another Wolverine selected in the MLS draft!”

A native of Davis, Calif., Emojong led the Wolverines in goals scored in 2025 with six and also added a pair of assists for a team-high 14 points. Emojong was named second team All-Far West Region and second team All-WAC following the conclusion of the season.

Emojong concluded his two-year career at Utah Valley with 10 goals — tied for ninth-most all-time — as well as three assists. Emojong is the first Wolverine to reach 10 career goals before his junior season.

Emojong joins Jojea Kwizera as the only player in program history to be drafted into Major League Soccer. Kwizera was selected 15th overall in the 2022 SuperDraft by CF Montréal, where he spent two seasons.