Two Utah Valley wrestlers win titles at Clarion Open in season opener
Marcus Espinoza-Owens upset Ohio State's fourth-ranked Jaxon Smith in the 174-pound final.
CLARION, Pa. - Utah Valley University's wrestling team opened its 2026-27 season Sunday with two individual champions at the Clarion Open, and the athletics department said the Wolverines also placed first as a team. Nineteen of Utah Valley's 21 entrants finished in the top six, according to the department's results.
Marcus Espinoza-Owens went 3-0 to win at 174 pounds, beating No. 4 Jaxon Smith of Ohio State 4-2 in the final. Caleb Uhlenhopp also went 3-0 to win at 184 pounds, taking the final over Ohio State's Carson Mize 9-6 in sudden victory.
Jason Worthley (149), Ian Fritz (157) and Moses Espinoza-Owens (165) each finished second. Ryker Fullmer (165), Layne Kleimann (133), Owen Proper (141) and Kael Bennie (197) placed third. The field included Ohio State, Air Force, Bloomsburg and host Clarion.
Head coach Adam Hall called it "a mixed bag of results" typical of early-season competition. Utah Valley's home opener is a dual against No. 9 Iowa State on Friday, Nov. 6, at the UCCU Center in Orem, the department said. The dual starts at 7 p.m., according to the athletics department's schedule.
Source: UVU Athletics results release, Clarion Open, Nov. 1, 2026; GoUVU.com wrestling schedule.