Cowboys Host Metro State Friday Night in Exhibition Contest
* University of Wyoming press release
LARAMIE -- The Wyoming Cowboys host the Metro State Roadrunners in an exhibition contest on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. MT in the Arena-Auditorium.
It will be the only preseason contest for the Brown and Gold, as Wyoming officially opens the season on Nov. 7 against Northern New Mexico.
Ticket Information. Fans may order tickets online, via email or by phone at:
•Go to GoWyo.com/tickets
•Email tickets@uwyo.edu
•Call (307) 766-7220
•Stop by the UW Athletics Ticket Office on the West Side of the Arena-Auditorium on the corner of Willett Drive and 19th Street.
Fans can listen to the contest, as well as follow stats on GoWyo.com, as the contest will not be streamed. The game will be broadcast live on radio over the 26 affiliate stations of the Cowboy Sports Network, as David Settle will be on the call.
About The Teams
The Cowboys welcome back four players from last season’s team with two of those players as key contributors to the Wyoming’s NCAA Tournament team in 2022. The Pokes also welcome 11 new players to the roster with five transfers and six freshmen. The roster also includes international flair with three players with international ties.
The transfers that joined the program are a veteran group that features a 1,500 point scorer, an NCAA Division II All-American and the NAIA National Player of the Year. The Pokes were picked to finish 10th in the Mountain West Preseason Poll released in October.
The Roadrunners are in their second season under head coach Dan Ficke. Metro State was 12-17 overall last season. Metro State was picked to finish sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners return nine players from last season’s team.
About The Players
The Pokes welcome back one starter in guard Brendan Wenzel. He averaged 7.9 points per game last season along with 3.8 rebounds.
Guard Kenny Foster returns and is a veteran presence for the Brown and Gold but will miss the season with an injury. He added 4.8 points per game along with 2.4 rebounds. Forward Caden Powell’s role grew towards the end of his freshman season and added 1.9 points and two rebounds per game. In the final half of conference play he added 3.7 points per game and 2.4 rebounds.
Guard Cort Roberson played in four games for the Cowboys. Guard Sam Griffin averaged 15.2 points per game and 2.7 rebounds at Tulsa. He nearly has 1,500 career points and has hit 244 career three-pointers. He is joined by another Division I transfer in Oleg Kojenets, who comes to Laramie from Nebraska and is a native of Lithuania. He played in 18 games last season in the Big Ten.
Guard Akuel Kot spent four seasons at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. He earned First Team All-American honors from the NABC last season. He averaged 23.4 points per game last season to rank fourth in NCAA II.
MSU Denver returns two full-time starters in RMAC Co-Freshman of the Year Brayden Maldonado at point guard, and All-RMAC honorable mention forward Caleb McGill. Maldonado averaged 8.5 points per game and added 3.0 rebounds per night. McGill added 13.8 points per game and led the team with 4.9 rebounds per game.
About The Series
The contest against the Roadrunners is an exhibition but is the first meeting between the schools since Dec. 1, 1990. The Pokes won that game in the Arena-Auditorium by a score of 86-75.
Up Next
The Pokes officially open up the season on Nov. 7 against Northern New Mexico College in a contest set for 6:30 p.m. in the Arena-Auditorium. The contest will also be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players