Northern Colorado @ Utah Valley

Northern Colorado edged Utah Valley 22-21 in a one-point dual at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Feb. 14, 2025. The final was decided by a handful of bonus-point outcomes on both sides, turning what looked like a tight team score into a shootout of tech falls and a pin.

Utah Valley’s Bridger Ricks and Caleb Uhlenhopp delivered explosive bonus performances, each scoring technical falls — Ricks winning 18-3 at 125 for five team points and Uhlenhopp winning 16-1 at 184 for five more. Those results kept UVU firmly in contention and were matched by Northern Colorado’s own bonus bursts. Vinny Zerban’s 18-3 technical fall at 157 earned five team points for Northern Colorado, and Andrew Donahue’s fall at 197 produced the biggest single swing, a six-point boost.

That pin by Donahue proved decisive. With both teams trading majors and techs throughout the lineup, the heavyweight fall provided the margin Northern Colorado needed to finish ahead by one. The dual ultimately came down to those handfuls of bonus points rather than a string of narrow decisions, with Northern Colorado converting one more fight-ending opportunity to take the 22-21 victory.