A curveball thrown in Utah Valley’s schedule benefited Adam Hall and his Utah Valley squad. 

A historic winter storm roared through Oklahoma, canceling UVU’s Jan. 25 dual at Oklahoma State. 

It wiped out a shot against a top-10 team and kept the Wolverines out of competition since Jan. 17. 

That changes at 9 p.m. ET Friday when UVU (3-6 overall, 1-3 Big 12) hosts North Dakota State in a dual streamed live on Flowrestling.  

The unexpected layoff generated a “different training phase.” 

“We just turned it into a good time for our team to train and really, you don’t get a two-week period during the season where you can focus on just training as opposed to who are we getting ready for and who are we preparing for week to week,” Hall said.  

It was a time for self-improvement amid the battle-tested Wolverines’ loaded schedule. 

Each starter boasts at least 15 matches this season. The number will only grow as the postseason hunt continues. 

“I know as we hit the postseason that the volume will drop,” Hall said. “The intensity will stay high and these guys will get their rest as we approach Big 12s and NCAAs. I know that the schedule we put together allowed our team to get wins that we needed to get into the rankings and really put ourselves in position to go to the national tournament and get on the podium.” 

Rankings A ‘Testament’ To Program 

Six Wolverines debuted in the first NCAA Division I coaches rankings, released a week ago.  

Haiden Drury led the pack as he sits 15th at 141 pounds.  

David Evans (#16 at 149), Mark Takara (#32 at 157), Caleb Uhlenhopp (#31 at 184), Kael Bennie (#28 at 197) and Jack Forbes (#27 at heavyweight) rounded out the group.  

“As a smaller program, maybe the little guy, especially in the Big 12, but then nationally, too, it is (that) these guys have a chip on their shoulder,” Hall said. “Just trust what we are doing is preparing them to wrestle with the best in the country. Here and there we have picked up some ranked wins and (we’re) starting to get recognized.” 

It’s another step for the Wolverines, who are building in Hall’s second season in charge.  

Hall didn’t recruit six of his starters (the previous coaching staff did), he said, as he implemented a newfound belief in the group. 

“It is going to take a little bit of time to get where we want to be, but we are on the road to that spot we are trying to get to,” Hall said.  

Excelling Evans 

Hall knew Evans’ season wouldn’t be flawless. 

Sure, the Penn State transfer would endure some losses and a few setbacks in his first season as a Wolverine. 

But Evans, after he missed three consecutive duals in December but suffered a ranked loss against Wyoming’s Gabe Willochell in his return, enters Friday’s dual with two consecutive ranked wins. 

He majored South Dakota State’s then-#21 Alek Martin and worked a one-point win over Missouri’s then-#18 Josh Edmond.  

It’s a return to form for Evans, who was “banged up” after the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite before he caught the flu and strep throat in the same week. 

“Trying to come off that while cutting weight, it was a recipe for disaster,” Hall said. “It was one of those like, ‘Man, we probably shouldn’t have wrestled you or a couple of these other guys.’ Look, I was like, ‘Every team is dealing with (sickness).’” 

Evans became UVU’s key transfer portal addition in the offseason after he spent five seasons at Penn State. 

“We will take our lumps now and hopefully we get a shot at (Willochell) at the conference tournament or national tournament,” Hall said. “I think everything happens for a reason and Dave taking a tough loss and having a better performance the following week with some tough guys that I think was really good for him.” 

Drury’s Decision 

One offseason made all the difference for Drury. 

The redshirt senior narrowly missed the past two NCAA Championships, but isn’t leaving anything to chance in his final season. 

“I think when our staff had him this past year, we got 80 percent out of him,” Hall said. “It was, ‘I’m gonna do just what I need to do and that is it.’ This year, you have just seen more urgency from him. He is just more devoted to his recovery. We asked him to meet with our sports psychologist regularly and he is doing that. You just start seeing more buy-in.” 

Hall saw plenty of inconsistencies in Drury’s redshirt junior season. Ranked wins occurred, but other times, the performances puzzled Hall. 

“Last year he hit a phase where it was like, ‘I don’t know what you are doing out there,’” Hall said. “‘You are finding the out of bounds. You are not being aggressive. There is something going on,’ and I think there were some things going on maybe in his personal life that were just frankly a distraction. I think this year, he has just been really locked in and it has shown.” 

Drury boasts four consecutive dual wins and enters Friday’s dual ranked #18 at 141. 

UVU Entering ‘Next Phase” Of Program

One of UVU wrestling’s longtime avid supporters will soon retire. 

UVU president Astrid Tuminez will step in down in May, which presents a critical period for Hall’s program.  

“I think it is a big deal in terms of the direction that our program is heading because of how much support we have had in my year and a half of being here,” Hall said. “So, I think the next phase of our program is coming up and I think that our institutional support is good and it is going to get even better as we try to make jumps as a program. 

“In this era of NIL and resources being tightened, I think that we are in a great position as a program to make jumps because we don’t have football,” Hall said. “We are one of the marquee sports at our school, and it is exciting.” 

Hall also shouted out the rest of UVU’s administration for its constant support — particularly sport administrator Clint Burgi, athletic director Jared Sumsion and vice president of institutional advancement Kyle Reyes. 

Watch Utah Valley home duals this season live on Flowrestling.