August 13, 2025 • 17 mins
UVU Wrestling's Adam Hall joins Brice and Bianucci!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
All right back at it, Bryce and b and Ushue
one O three, nine and ninety eighty three ESPN The
Fan nine twenty seven this morning to give your heads
up the BMW Championship coming up your way this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
PGA Tour Leaderboard update.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
They're gonna get underway seven to twenty one am Mountain Time,
with j JT posting on the opening t this weekend
to lead off the BMW Championship. He'll be playing alongside
Xander Schoffle, Michael Kim, and a couple of other guys,
so that'll be fun to watch as they t off.
Coming up tomorrow for this weekend's BMW Championship. Look at
(00:42):
the PGA Tour Leaderboard has always brought to you by
our friends over at Premo Golf Apparel Premo golf Apparel
dot com. Make sure you check them out, whether it's blade, polos,
quarter zips, joggers, whatever you need to get you at
right out on the golf course. We're here at Sleepy
Ridge Golf Course for the Golf Invitational thirty first annual.
For you've you've athletics here at Sleepy Ridge. If you
(01:02):
want to get right for your next tournament. You can
head over to Premo Golf Apparel dot com use a
coupon code ESPN nine to sixty for fifteen percent off
your first purchase at Premo Golf Apparel and Premo Golf
Apparel dot com. Well, joining us now is the wrestling
coach for Utah Valley University. Right here on Brice and
Bia Nucci. A little bit of a surprise guest stepping
(01:24):
in right now. It's Adam Hall.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
How are we doing, Adam great, appreciate you having on
me on and honestly like being here for UV athletics.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, it's always a fun event. Love being out here,
hanging out everybody here with Utah Valley University. Let's start
out with your team the upcoming season in the winter.
Obviously you've had a really good run in recruiting. Started
with Terrell Barrokleff got him from Penn State last year.
Walk us through what he meant for your squad a
(01:57):
season ago and what he's up to now.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, it was a big deal convincing Terrell and his
parents to come back home. I don't think it was
a huge sell because I think he wanted to come
back home, But at the same time, he was being
recruited by Lehigh, NC State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, some
of these programs that that have a little bit more
tradition and history than we do. And he decided to
(02:20):
come back home and really cement his place in history
with us and became an All American in our program
and has really put us on the map this year
and really excited for his future. He wants to continue
competing and right now, he actually just last week finished
his NBA did it one years. He's an exceptional human being,
(02:41):
and so kind of letting him, letting him calm down
right now and and enjoy a little bit the rest
of his summer. And he's been doing a lot of
camps and clinics as he should be, you know, just
reaping the benefits of his success.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
But he is. He's going to be with us a
part of a big part of our program.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
And in terms of recruiting, we actually picked up one
of his former teammates from Penn State as well, David Evans,
and he's already making an impact in our program. And
I would say of the top five guys in the
state of Utah and the twenty twenty five class, we
picked up three of them, you know. So in terms
of where we're at recruiting wise, we're actively recruiting twenty
(03:20):
twenty six and twenty twenty seven now and we're on
some pretty good guys.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
But you mentioned bringing in David Evans. You've kind of
started a Penn State pipeline to Utah Valley University. What
is that like when these guys hit the transfer portal
and what's the pitch to come to Utah Valley University
coming from these big ten schools that are fantastic and
phenomenal at wrestling.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yeah, it was more like does it fit? You know,
did it fit for Terrell? Did it fit for David?
And I'm saying it fits for everyone, And we're pretty
selected when it comes to the portal. We're not just
crazy all over the portal. We're actively recruiting high school
guys and building relationships with them and building a few
and a foundation with those guys that we see with
(04:02):
a four or five year career. But with that being said,
everybody's situation is different, and I think with Dave and
with Terrell, they just wanted an opportunity to be the
guy somewhere and they were stuck behind some all Americans
and national champions at Penn State, as you can imagine,
and for them it was just a different.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Situation, So it was pretty easy. How much is a poll?
How much of it is a poll to wrestle in
the Big Twelve? And where does the Big Twelve stack
up to the rest of the country, Because I think
there's a lot of people here in the state of
Utah they don't realize Utah Valley University Wrestles is an
affiliate member of the Big Twelve conference. So where does
the Big twelve stack up against the Big Ten and
some of these other conferences.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah, I would say in terms of depth, we're probably
the second best conference in the country behind the Big Ten.
Like everybody understands just the depth of the Big Ten,
But in terms of the Big Twelve, it's getting better
and better every year. And I would say a lot
of the affiliate programs like Utah Valley, like Northern Colorado,
like Wyoming, we're pushing to break into the top twenty five.
(04:57):
And I think it's a big deal for the conference
as it in general, but also when you're trying to
compare it in recruiting recruits understand that the Big Twelve
is a big deal. And the interesting thing is we
I've actually had a number of BYU fans and athletes
kind of scoff at like is this a joke? Like
why do you have a Big twelve symbol? And you're sure,
(05:18):
And the reality is we actually joined the Big twelve
before BYU did long before. So I don't throw that
in people's face, but I want people to understand that
like we are, we are in the Big twelve. So
it's a big deal in recruiting, it's a big deal
for our athletic.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Department, just having that national visibility and a big conference.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Speaking of which it's it's actually pretty funny because a
lot of people outside of the state of Utah know it.
I've gone on Oklahoma radio to talk football with them
and they say, oh you do Utah Valley tell us
about the wrestling team, and so Oklahoma State and those teams.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Let's talk about that match last.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Year with Oklahoma State bringing into the UCCU Center, tons
of people show up for it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
What was the atmosphere like and what was that like
for you as the coach?
Speaker 4 (05:57):
It was unbelievable, our first first home match and we
set in the ten record, had over five thousand people there,
and I credit our administration and especially Cameron Deering, who
pushed really hard to promote the duel and did some
cool things like had a shirt giveaway, and honestly, the
day of the crew in the UCCU they were scrambling
to put pull out more stands because all of a sudden,
(06:19):
ticket sales were jumping, And honestly, I want to have
at least one big marquee duel at the beginning of
the year that's.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Before the high school season that draws.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
I think we had over one thousand high school students
at the duel last year, and so this year is
some kind of like I know you're probably getting to
this question, but some sneak peek early look at our schedule.
We're actually hosting Stanford in the UCCU Center. They're going
to be a top fifteen team to start the year Saturday,
November first, and then we end the regular season hosting
(06:49):
Nebraska and their ranked number two or number three in
the country right now February twenty first.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Wow, that's yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I mean, you look at the wrestling schedule every single year,
ranked team after ranked team, whether it's here in Orum
or on the road as well, and that's one thing
that's so great about UVU wrestling is that it's top notch.
Tell me what it's like in the state of you
taught the high school level in terms of how much
talent is here for wrestling at the high school level
and what there is to recruit from.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
It's really good.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
And we're fortunate enough to be the only Division one
program in the state and so in terms of the
highest level recruiting where we're not fighting against a Utah
or a BYU or a Weaver State and that's great,
But our biggest opponents when it comes to recruiting is
the Nebraska's, the Ohio States, the Penn States, and just.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Kids leaving the state.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
And we've changed the narrative, i'd say, with a lot
of the best recruits in the state and that you
can come to Utah Valley and win.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
And Terrell was a big part of that.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
And I think just the momentum we have with the
program and people are starting to see that and get
really excited about it.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And yeah, I would say a.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Number of these programs coming in and plucking kids out
of the state and it's just a testament to the
high school coaches and also the club coaches in the state.
Kyler Sanderson has his own club that's Kale's brother up north,
and the Lamont brothers and Craig Lamont and Ethan Lofthouse.
They have the Champions Club which is further south, closer
to us, and both those guys, both those clubs do
(08:19):
a great job in developing individuals and we're trying to
keep a number of them in state.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Adam Hall is here with US head coach the Utah
Valley Wrestling team on Bryce and ban Utch.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
You want to three nine to ninety eight three ESPN
the Fan.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
We're live here at Sleepy Rich Golf Course golf course
part of the Utah Valley Golf Invitational that's taken on
taking place here today, the thirty first annual golf tournament.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
You good at golf golfed any I can hit the ball,
I can make contact.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Yeah it doesn't always go straight, but I'm athletic enough
to hit the ball.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
That's how it is for all of us. I think,
just have some fun out there. It's like anything though.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
It's like I actually think golf is a lot like wrestling,
where wrestling have you have three different general isitions that
you're working and it's pretty broad.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But it's the same thing in golf.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
You have short game, mid range and driving, you know,
and it takes a while, and it's a very hands
on sport with If you're going to get better, you
got to put in the time.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
No doubt about it. Talking about putting in the time.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
The other day, I saw you post on social media
about nutrition and teaching the guys how to meal prep
and different things like that. How important is that specifically
for the sport of wrestling versus other sports where yeah,
nutrition and keeping your bodies right is good, but we're
talking about making weight here and what went into teaching
those guys that.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
We're really fortunate to have a dietician work directly with
our team, And as I said in my post, she's
pretty ambitious, and she came to me and wanted to
do a like a summer series and it started last.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Year and it's moved into this year and it's.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Really cool where she starts out by teaching our student
athletes in June about macro and micro nutrients, and then
she moves to meal prepping, and then this coming month
or this month when we get back into school, she's
going to teach them about nutrient timing, because the biggest
thing in athletics and sports, an elite level fit and
in sports is what to eat and when to eat it.
(10:04):
Not like generally people know like what's what's healthy, but
they don't know when to eat it, you know, and
what what's the best in terms of providing the best
energy for workouts and recovery.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
You also came over from NC State.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Tell us a little bit about how Utah Valley compares
to NC State and what you've been able to build
it into in your short time.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Here so far.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Yeah, I would say it's a little bit more like
apples to oranges where you're you're at a I wouldn't
say a smaller university, but an athletic department that is
growing and doesn't have as much depth and history.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Sure, but I would say Utah Valleys.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
I describe our university, in our athletic department, in our
program a lot like a startup, Like it's an exciting
place to be in exciting times because it's there's a
lot of new things that are happening in all of
those areas and not saying there there wasn't at NC State,
but it was just a little bit different of an environment,
and you're trying to set the bar and expectations of
(11:03):
what you had at a school like NC State and
the resources that you had there, and continue to push
and and I think it's it's been pretty receptive with
our administration and the support we have, and I mean,
it's a tech. You see it at our duel meets,
with our presidents showing up to the dual meets and
and our athletic directors there, and I think that it
just shows the amount of support and that they want
(11:25):
to see this program win.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
For new fans that might be listening that are like, Okay,
I know a little bit about wrestling, but I don't
know a lot about it. What's the easiest way to
get into watching wrestling and understanding what's actually happening out
there on the mat.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Well, interesting that you say that that was the biggest
question market is how do we draw casual fans? And
we created a video that we play every before every
duel meet that basically describes what scoring is and what
the rules are, so we encourage people like, hey, come
out check it out. It's it's actually a really fun environment,
especially if it's in the UCC like, yeah, we're pushing
(12:01):
really hard to get people out for November. First, it's
before the high school season. It's like right when, you know,
before the holidays, and just hoping that we can get
people out. It's on a Saturday, and so it's you know,
hoping that we draw a big crowd. And playing that
video I think helps a lot so people understand, Oh,
I understand now what I'm watching, and for them it
becomes a little bit more like once you It's like
(12:21):
the first time I watched cricket, I didn't really know
like what was going on, and it made it hard
for me to watch. But as soon as I understood
stood the rules and the scoring, I enjoyed the strategy
of it all.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Right, before we let you go here, tell us where
your lineup's at for this upcoming season and who we
can expect to be big playmakers for you this upcoming season.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, I just running down weight classes.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
You know, we return a starter in Bridger ricks at
one twenty five, and he's gonna be pushed by a
guy that red shirted this last year. Tellnek thirty three, we're.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Gonna have a few guys in the mix. A couple freshmen.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Geronimo Rivera, who's in in state, taught one in twenty five,
one of the top recruits coming in, as well as
Jake Cassinetto, and we have a local guy, Casey Curtis.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
We have a few guys there.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
One forty one, we have a stalwart Hayden Drew, he's
a senior. We have a few guys in the mix,
including Dave Evans at one forty nine, one fifty seven,
sixty one seventy four. Probably the biggest question marks that
we have because we have some guys changing weight classes
and our starter last year, Riker Former will likely be
moving up. Our starter at one seventy four, Mark Takara
(13:28):
will likely be moving down to a better fit for
his weight and with Terrell Beharkoff leaving him being a senior,
you know, it leaves a little bit of a hole.
So we're kind of figuring out those weight classes. We
have some some newcomers coming in at one seventy four,
one eighty four, Caleb ulen Hop returns with a couple
extra guys in the mix, and one ninety seven Kale
Bending returns and and same thing at heavyweight Jack Jack Forbes,
(13:50):
and you know the We didn't honestly lose very many
guys this last year. We only lost a few guys
and we added you know, eight eight freshman slash transfers,
and so it's going to be an exciting year where
we actually got a whole year of development with with
our guys and to build relationships, and it's going to
be exciting. And people ask me, like, how's the team
(14:12):
going to be this year? The only only thing I
say is we're going to be better. We spent the
entire summer training in developing and they're gonna people are gonna.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
See it this year.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
In terms of expectations for your squad, A lot of
fans understand expectations for basketball, make the dan Cuba Tournament,
maybe win a game or two. Same thing for baseball
with with Nate Rasmussen, they make the regional win a
game against Oregon. For wrestling, is it more of an
individual type of expectation where this individual guy is going
(14:42):
to go to NCAA Nationals or is there an expectation
that your team as a whole is going to be
a team that can wrestle at Nationals?
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And what's that? What should that expectation be for your
squad this year.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Yeah, I think Greg Williams did a great job setting
a bar where he had two All Americans in one
year finished in the top twenty five. I had five
national qualifiers half his lineup one year, and so he
kind of he set that bar, and it's an expectation
for us to have five national qualifiers. Are better to
have an All American every single year and to be
(15:12):
in the top twenty five at the national tournament. I mean,
we finished thirty fifth last year and with Terrell making
the podium, and like we finished ahead of Oklahoma and Rutgers,
you know, a Big twelve and a Big ten team.
So for us, with the resources we have, like those
are expectations. It's not just like, well, we hope to
finish in front of these teams that we expect to
be in the top twenty five because we expect a
lot out of ourselves.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Yeah, we were just talking with Todd Phillips about the
change to the Big West. Does that affect wrestling at
all when they move over to the Big West. Obviously
you're in the Big twelve. Is there any shifts anything
that changes within your program because of that?
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Not necessarily, I think in terms of the visibility of
our school and our university. When I talked to the
other coaches in the department, they're excited, they're happy. Like
talking to Nate Rasmus and he's like, yeah, they're generally
a team or two teams that make out of the
Big West to the NCAA Regionals every year.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
It's so it's going to be a step up for them,
and it's just gonna be better for everybody at the
end of the day. When when we grow through the
Big West and we're winning in the Big West, it
winning begets other winning. We're just excited that one team
is winning. We want that same success.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Absolutely, all right.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Has conference re alignment hit the Big twelve and wrestling
at all the last couple of years.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Not yet, but there's there is realignment that's happening. But
as far as I'm concerned, we're in the Big twelve. Yeah,
I'm not really thinking about it because I only.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Can control what I'm controlling.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
And there's a lot of people out there like, why
aren't you, you know, moving to the Pac twelve it
makes more sense or whatever, you know, and it's it's like, well,
we're in the Big twelve and for the time being,
especially Jared has openly said us, said to said to
me like now we're in the big twelve, you know,
and until things drastically changed, like nothing, nothing's really going
to change for us.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
All right, final, final one for you. We'll let you
go after this.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Where can fans pick up one of those sweet polos
that that thing's nice?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
But I'm gonna need one of these, I know, I
gotta get you one.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Yeah, we're uh, we're rolling out our all of our
new gear this this coming year and we're hoping before
the holidays to have a gear.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Shop open up. Okay, all right, there you go.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Adam Hall, the head coach of the Utah Valley University
wrestling team. Appreciate your time, Bryce, thank you, good luck
this upcoming season.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
We'll take a quick break.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
We'll wrap everything up coming up next right year on
Bryce and bing Ucci one of three, nine ninety eight
three ESP
All right back at it, Bryce and b and Ushue
one O three, nine and ninety eighty three ESPN The
Fan nine twenty seven this morning to give your heads
up the BMW Championship coming up your way this weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
PGA Tour Leaderboard update.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
They're gonna get underway seven to twenty one am Mountain Time,
with j JT posting on the opening t this weekend
to lead off the BMW Championship. He'll be playing alongside
Xander Schoffle, Michael Kim, and a couple of other guys,
so that'll be fun to watch as they t off.
Coming up tomorrow for this weekend's BMW Championship. Look at
(00:42):
the PGA Tour Leaderboard has always brought to you by
our friends over at Premo Golf Apparel Premo golf Apparel
dot com. Make sure you check them out, whether it's blade, polos,
quarter zips, joggers, whatever you need to get you at
right out on the golf course. We're here at Sleepy
Ridge Golf Course for the Golf Invitational thirty first annual.
For you've you've athletics here at Sleepy Ridge. If you
(01:02):
want to get right for your next tournament. You can
head over to Premo Golf Apparel dot com use a
coupon code ESPN nine to sixty for fifteen percent off
your first purchase at Premo Golf Apparel and Premo Golf
Apparel dot com. Well, joining us now is the wrestling
coach for Utah Valley University. Right here on Brice and
Bia Nucci. A little bit of a surprise guest stepping
(01:24):
in right now. It's Adam Hall.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
How are we doing, Adam great, appreciate you having on
me on and honestly like being here for UV athletics.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, it's always a fun event. Love being out here,
hanging out everybody here with Utah Valley University. Let's start
out with your team the upcoming season in the winter.
Obviously you've had a really good run in recruiting. Started
with Terrell Barrokleff got him from Penn State last year.
Walk us through what he meant for your squad a
(01:57):
season ago and what he's up to now.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, it was a big deal convincing Terrell and his
parents to come back home. I don't think it was
a huge sell because I think he wanted to come
back home, But at the same time, he was being
recruited by Lehigh, NC State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, some
of these programs that that have a little bit more
tradition and history than we do. And he decided to
(02:20):
come back home and really cement his place in history
with us and became an All American in our program
and has really put us on the map this year
and really excited for his future. He wants to continue
competing and right now, he actually just last week finished
his NBA did it one years. He's an exceptional human being,
(02:41):
and so kind of letting him, letting him calm down
right now and and enjoy a little bit the rest
of his summer. And he's been doing a lot of
camps and clinics as he should be, you know, just
reaping the benefits of his success.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
But he is. He's going to be with us a
part of a big part of our program.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
And in terms of recruiting, we actually picked up one
of his former teammates from Penn State as well, David Evans,
and he's already making an impact in our program. And
I would say of the top five guys in the
state of Utah and the twenty twenty five class, we
picked up three of them, you know. So in terms
of where we're at recruiting wise, we're actively recruiting twenty
(03:20):
twenty six and twenty twenty seven now and we're on
some pretty good guys.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
But you mentioned bringing in David Evans. You've kind of
started a Penn State pipeline to Utah Valley University. What
is that like when these guys hit the transfer portal
and what's the pitch to come to Utah Valley University
coming from these big ten schools that are fantastic and
phenomenal at wrestling.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Yeah, it was more like does it fit? You know,
did it fit for Terrell? Did it fit for David?
And I'm saying it fits for everyone, And we're pretty
selected when it comes to the portal. We're not just
crazy all over the portal. We're actively recruiting high school
guys and building relationships with them and building a few
and a foundation with those guys that we see with
(04:02):
a four or five year career. But with that being said,
everybody's situation is different, and I think with Dave and
with Terrell, they just wanted an opportunity to be the
guy somewhere and they were stuck behind some all Americans
and national champions at Penn State, as you can imagine,
and for them it was just a different.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Situation, So it was pretty easy. How much is a poll?
How much of it is a poll to wrestle in
the Big Twelve? And where does the Big Twelve stack
up to the rest of the country, Because I think
there's a lot of people here in the state of
Utah they don't realize Utah Valley University Wrestles is an
affiliate member of the Big Twelve conference. So where does
the Big twelve stack up against the Big Ten and
some of these other conferences.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah, I would say in terms of depth, we're probably
the second best conference in the country behind the Big Ten.
Like everybody understands just the depth of the Big Ten,
But in terms of the Big Twelve, it's getting better
and better every year. And I would say a lot
of the affiliate programs like Utah Valley, like Northern Colorado,
like Wyoming, we're pushing to break into the top twenty five.
(04:57):
And I think it's a big deal for the conference
as it in general, but also when you're trying to
compare it in recruiting recruits understand that the Big Twelve
is a big deal. And the interesting thing is we
I've actually had a number of BYU fans and athletes
kind of scoff at like is this a joke? Like
why do you have a Big twelve symbol? And you're sure,
(05:18):
And the reality is we actually joined the Big twelve
before BYU did long before. So I don't throw that
in people's face, but I want people to understand that
like we are, we are in the Big twelve. So
it's a big deal in recruiting, it's a big deal
for our athletic.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Department, just having that national visibility and a big conference.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Speaking of which it's it's actually pretty funny because a
lot of people outside of the state of Utah know it.
I've gone on Oklahoma radio to talk football with them
and they say, oh you do Utah Valley tell us
about the wrestling team, and so Oklahoma State and those teams.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Let's talk about that match last.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Year with Oklahoma State bringing into the UCCU Center, tons
of people show up for it.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
What was the atmosphere like and what was that like
for you as the coach?
Speaker 4 (05:57):
It was unbelievable, our first first home match and we
set in the ten record, had over five thousand people there,
and I credit our administration and especially Cameron Deering, who
pushed really hard to promote the duel and did some
cool things like had a shirt giveaway, and honestly, the
day of the crew in the UCCU they were scrambling
to put pull out more stands because all of a sudden,
(06:19):
ticket sales were jumping, And honestly, I want to have
at least one big marquee duel at the beginning of
the year that's.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Before the high school season that draws.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
I think we had over one thousand high school students
at the duel last year, and so this year is
some kind of like I know you're probably getting to
this question, but some sneak peek early look at our schedule.
We're actually hosting Stanford in the UCCU Center. They're going
to be a top fifteen team to start the year Saturday,
November first, and then we end the regular season hosting
(06:49):
Nebraska and their ranked number two or number three in
the country right now February twenty first.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Wow, that's yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I mean, you look at the wrestling schedule every single year,
ranked team after ranked team, whether it's here in Orum
or on the road as well, and that's one thing
that's so great about UVU wrestling is that it's top notch.
Tell me what it's like in the state of you
taught the high school level in terms of how much
talent is here for wrestling at the high school level
and what there is to recruit from.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
It's really good.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
And we're fortunate enough to be the only Division one
program in the state and so in terms of the
highest level recruiting where we're not fighting against a Utah
or a BYU or a Weaver State and that's great,
But our biggest opponents when it comes to recruiting is
the Nebraska's, the Ohio States, the Penn States, and just.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Kids leaving the state.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
And we've changed the narrative, i'd say, with a lot
of the best recruits in the state and that you
can come to Utah Valley and win.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
And Terrell was a big part of that.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
And I think just the momentum we have with the
program and people are starting to see that and get
really excited about it.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
And yeah, I would say a.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Number of these programs coming in and plucking kids out
of the state and it's just a testament to the
high school coaches and also the club coaches in the state.
Kyler Sanderson has his own club that's Kale's brother up north,
and the Lamont brothers and Craig Lamont and Ethan Lofthouse.
They have the Champions Club which is further south, closer
to us, and both those guys, both those clubs do
(08:19):
a great job in developing individuals and we're trying to
keep a number of them in state.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Adam Hall is here with US head coach the Utah
Valley Wrestling team on Bryce and ban Utch.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
You want to three nine to ninety eight three ESPN
the Fan.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
We're live here at Sleepy Rich Golf Course golf course
part of the Utah Valley Golf Invitational that's taken on
taking place here today, the thirty first annual golf tournament.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
You good at golf golfed any I can hit the ball,
I can make contact.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Yeah it doesn't always go straight, but I'm athletic enough
to hit the ball.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
That's how it is for all of us. I think,
just have some fun out there. It's like anything though.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
It's like I actually think golf is a lot like wrestling,
where wrestling have you have three different general isitions that
you're working and it's pretty broad.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But it's the same thing in golf.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
You have short game, mid range and driving, you know,
and it takes a while, and it's a very hands
on sport with If you're going to get better, you
got to put in the time.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
No doubt about it. Talking about putting in the time.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
The other day, I saw you post on social media
about nutrition and teaching the guys how to meal prep
and different things like that. How important is that specifically
for the sport of wrestling versus other sports where yeah,
nutrition and keeping your bodies right is good, but we're
talking about making weight here and what went into teaching
those guys that.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
We're really fortunate to have a dietician work directly with
our team, And as I said in my post, she's
pretty ambitious, and she came to me and wanted to
do a like a summer series and it started last.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Year and it's moved into this year and it's.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Really cool where she starts out by teaching our student
athletes in June about macro and micro nutrients, and then
she moves to meal prepping, and then this coming month
or this month when we get back into school, she's
going to teach them about nutrient timing, because the biggest
thing in athletics and sports, an elite level fit and
in sports is what to eat and when to eat it.
(10:04):
Not like generally people know like what's what's healthy, but
they don't know when to eat it, you know, and
what what's the best in terms of providing the best
energy for workouts and recovery.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
You also came over from NC State.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Tell us a little bit about how Utah Valley compares
to NC State and what you've been able to build
it into in your short time.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Here so far.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
Yeah, I would say it's a little bit more like
apples to oranges where you're you're at a I wouldn't
say a smaller university, but an athletic department that is
growing and doesn't have as much depth and history.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Sure, but I would say Utah Valleys.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
I describe our university, in our athletic department, in our
program a lot like a startup, Like it's an exciting
place to be in exciting times because it's there's a
lot of new things that are happening in all of
those areas and not saying there there wasn't at NC State,
but it was just a little bit different of an environment,
and you're trying to set the bar and expectations of
(11:03):
what you had at a school like NC State and
the resources that you had there, and continue to push
and and I think it's it's been pretty receptive with
our administration and the support we have, and I mean,
it's a tech. You see it at our duel meets,
with our presidents showing up to the dual meets and
and our athletic directors there, and I think that it
just shows the amount of support and that they want
(11:25):
to see this program win.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
For new fans that might be listening that are like, Okay,
I know a little bit about wrestling, but I don't
know a lot about it. What's the easiest way to
get into watching wrestling and understanding what's actually happening out
there on the mat.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Well, interesting that you say that that was the biggest
question market is how do we draw casual fans? And
we created a video that we play every before every
duel meet that basically describes what scoring is and what
the rules are, so we encourage people like, hey, come
out check it out. It's it's actually a really fun environment,
especially if it's in the UCC like, yeah, we're pushing
(12:01):
really hard to get people out for November. First, it's
before the high school season. It's like right when, you know,
before the holidays, and just hoping that we can get
people out. It's on a Saturday, and so it's you know,
hoping that we draw a big crowd. And playing that
video I think helps a lot so people understand, Oh,
I understand now what I'm watching, and for them it
becomes a little bit more like once you It's like
(12:21):
the first time I watched cricket, I didn't really know
like what was going on, and it made it hard
for me to watch. But as soon as I understood
stood the rules and the scoring, I enjoyed the strategy
of it all.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Right, before we let you go here, tell us where
your lineup's at for this upcoming season and who we
can expect to be big playmakers for you this upcoming season.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, I just running down weight classes.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
You know, we return a starter in Bridger ricks at
one twenty five, and he's gonna be pushed by a
guy that red shirted this last year. Tellnek thirty three, we're.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Gonna have a few guys in the mix. A couple freshmen.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
Geronimo Rivera, who's in in state, taught one in twenty five,
one of the top recruits coming in, as well as
Jake Cassinetto, and we have a local guy, Casey Curtis.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
We have a few guys there.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
One forty one, we have a stalwart Hayden Drew, he's
a senior. We have a few guys in the mix,
including Dave Evans at one forty nine, one fifty seven,
sixty one seventy four. Probably the biggest question marks that
we have because we have some guys changing weight classes
and our starter last year, Riker Former will likely be
moving up. Our starter at one seventy four, Mark Takara
(13:28):
will likely be moving down to a better fit for
his weight and with Terrell Beharkoff leaving him being a senior,
you know, it leaves a little bit of a hole.
So we're kind of figuring out those weight classes. We
have some some newcomers coming in at one seventy four,
one eighty four, Caleb ulen Hop returns with a couple
extra guys in the mix, and one ninety seven Kale
Bending returns and and same thing at heavyweight Jack Jack Forbes,
(13:50):
and you know the We didn't honestly lose very many
guys this last year. We only lost a few guys
and we added you know, eight eight freshman slash transfers,
and so it's going to be an exciting year where
we actually got a whole year of development with with
our guys and to build relationships, and it's going to
be exciting. And people ask me, like, how's the team
(14:12):
going to be this year? The only only thing I
say is we're going to be better. We spent the
entire summer training in developing and they're gonna people are gonna.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
See it this year.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
In terms of expectations for your squad, A lot of
fans understand expectations for basketball, make the dan Cuba Tournament,
maybe win a game or two. Same thing for baseball
with with Nate Rasmussen, they make the regional win a
game against Oregon. For wrestling, is it more of an
individual type of expectation where this individual guy is going
(14:42):
to go to NCAA Nationals or is there an expectation
that your team as a whole is going to be
a team that can wrestle at Nationals?
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And what's that? What should that expectation be for your
squad this year.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
Yeah, I think Greg Williams did a great job setting
a bar where he had two All Americans in one
year finished in the top twenty five. I had five
national qualifiers half his lineup one year, and so he
kind of he set that bar, and it's an expectation
for us to have five national qualifiers. Are better to
have an All American every single year and to be
(15:12):
in the top twenty five at the national tournament. I mean,
we finished thirty fifth last year and with Terrell making
the podium, and like we finished ahead of Oklahoma and Rutgers,
you know, a Big twelve and a Big ten team.
So for us, with the resources we have, like those
are expectations. It's not just like, well, we hope to
finish in front of these teams that we expect to
be in the top twenty five because we expect a
lot out of ourselves.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Yeah, we were just talking with Todd Phillips about the
change to the Big West. Does that affect wrestling at
all when they move over to the Big West. Obviously
you're in the Big twelve. Is there any shifts anything
that changes within your program because of that?
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Not necessarily, I think in terms of the visibility of
our school and our university. When I talked to the
other coaches in the department, they're excited, they're happy. Like
talking to Nate Rasmus and he's like, yeah, they're generally
a team or two teams that make out of the
Big West to the NCAA Regionals every year.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
It's so it's going to be a step up for them,
and it's just gonna be better for everybody at the
end of the day. When when we grow through the
Big West and we're winning in the Big West, it
winning begets other winning. We're just excited that one team
is winning. We want that same success.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Absolutely, all right.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Has conference re alignment hit the Big twelve and wrestling
at all the last couple of years.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Not yet, but there's there is realignment that's happening. But
as far as I'm concerned, we're in the Big twelve. Yeah,
I'm not really thinking about it because I only.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Can control what I'm controlling.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
And there's a lot of people out there like, why
aren't you, you know, moving to the Pac twelve it
makes more sense or whatever, you know, and it's it's like, well,
we're in the Big twelve and for the time being,
especially Jared has openly said us, said to said to
me like now we're in the big twelve, you know,
and until things drastically changed, like nothing, nothing's really going
to change for us.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
All right, final, final one for you. We'll let you
go after this.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
Where can fans pick up one of those sweet polos
that that thing's nice?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
But I'm gonna need one of these, I know, I
gotta get you one.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Yeah, we're uh, we're rolling out our all of our
new gear this this coming year and we're hoping before
the holidays to have a gear.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Shop open up. Okay, all right, there you go.
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Adam Hall, the head coach of the Utah Valley University
wrestling team. Appreciate your time, Bryce, thank you, good luck
this upcoming season.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
We'll take a quick break.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
We'll wrap everything up coming up next right year on
Bryce and bing Ucci one of three, nine ninety eight
three ESP
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