Perfect 10: Greeley-born Alirez caps college wrestling career with a win — the cherry on top of an undefeated decade of wrestling in Greeley ...Saudi Arabia

Sunday afternoon marked the end of an era for Andrew Alirez.

With a 19-6 decision over Air Force’s Carter Nogle at Bank of Colorado Arena, the University of Northern Colorado 141-pounder capped off an undefeated 10-year stretch of wrestling in his hometown.

Greeley-born and Greeley-raised, Alirez was a four-time Colorado state champion for the Greeley Central Wildcats. Add six more years with the Bears — thanks to a COVID year and an Olympic redshirt last season — and Alirez hasn’t dropped a match in Greeley in more than a decade.

“It wasn’t even about the match,” Alirez said. “It was more about the environment and what the match meant. My last time in Greeley. I’ve got all my friends and family supporting me.”

Alirez fell behind 3-0 after Nogle took him down — which was only the second time he has been taken down all season.

“Maybe I got out there wanting to do a little bit too much,” Alirez said.

“Then it was like, ‘OK, you need to actually be serious and go back to doing what you have done since you were a kid.’”

Once instinct took over, that was all she wrote for Nogle. The Air Force freshman only scored two more points — both on escapes when Alirez all but let him back up off the mat.

After the match, Alirez — who won the 141-pound national championship in 2023 — recalled coming to UNC wrestling matches with his father growing up. When UNC made the jump from Division II to Division I in 2006, the school held wrestling matches in an auxiliary gym and had to move portable bleachers in so the small number of spectators could sit and watch.

That scene is a far cry from the more than 2,000 people who packed the Greeley arena Sunday afternoon to send Alirez off. While Alirez may not have seen this turnaround coming, for everyone around him it was always supposed to play out this way.

“As a kid, people used to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the one, dude,’” he said. “So I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my whole career.”

But quite frankly, it is UNC — and Greeley as a whole — who should be thanking Alirez. A four-time high school state champion at Greeley Central, Alirez was the top-ranked recruit in the country — regardless of weight — coming off of his senior year. He had his pick of where to wrestle in college.

He chose UNC. He chose Greeley.

After redshirting last season to focus on qualifying for the Olympics, he entered the transfer portal. Again, he had his pick of the litter. According to “The Wrestling Room — a Pennsylvania-based wrestling account with more than 35,000 followers on Twitter — he turned down a $500,000 NIL deal from wrestling powerhouse Iowa. Oklahoma State reportedly matched the same price, the wrestling account noted.

Though UNC head coach Troy Nickerson called a lot of what was being reported at the time, “very inflated,” it gives an idea how in demand Alirez was.

Again, he chose UNC. He chose Greeley.

“It means everything, man,” Alirez said. “I was born and raised here, I’ve stayed here through everything and the people treat me tremendously. … It’s something near and dear to my heart. I was born here and I plan on being here for the rest of my life.”

Turning a program around

When Alirez signed with coach Troy Nickerson ahead of the 2019-20 season, everybody knew UNC was getting someone special.

“He came here in 2019 to really put this place on the map,” Nickerson said. “And no matter what happens in the postseason this year, I believe he did.”

In 2018-19 — the last year before Alirez arrived on campus — the Bears went 0-8 in Big 12 duals, 4-10 overall.

The Sunday win capped off a 4-4 dual season in the Big Sky, topping Cal Baptist, Arizona State and Utah Valley, along with Air Force. UNC finished 11-6 on the season to notch a fourth-straight year at .500 or above.

Before Alirez’s arrival, the Bears had not finished with at least a .500 record since making the jump to Division I.

Despite what the program looked like when Alirez was deciding where to wrestle at the next level, Nickerson said it was an easy sell to get him on campus in Greeley.

“He grew up five houses down the street from me, so I’ve known him since he was in the eighth grade,” Nickerson said. “And I think through that relationship, he trusted us enough to know that he can reach his goals here.”

Reach his goals, he did. In 2023, Alirez capped off a perfect 28-0 season to bring home UNC’s first national title since 1962 — a spot atop the podium he hopes to occupy again next month.

For Alirez, Nickerson made all the difference. Looking for a reason to pick UNC over some of the shinier, more proven programs, Nickerson made himself that reason. And ever since that commitment, Alirez has only grown to appreciate his decision more.

“He’s seen me at the top and he’s seen me at rock bottom,” Alirez said. “And you can’t ask for a better way for someone to prove their loyalty and how much they value you than going through stuff like that.”

What’s next?

For starters, Alirez and the rest of the UNC team will be at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships on March 8-9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From there, those who qualify — a group that will surely include Alirez — will head to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia from March 20-22.

After that, he said he isn’t quite sure what the next step is.

“I can start fighting. I could just coach. I can chase the 2028 Olympics,” Alirez said. “There are a lot of different opportunities that I have. And when the time comes, we’ll sit back and assess and really see what’s best for me.”

And while he may not know exactly what the next years will look like, one thing is certain: Bears fans can expect to see him at Bank of Colorado Arena next year.

“I’ll definitely be here for some duals,” Alirez said. “Whether it be as part of the team helping out, or maybe just in the crowd being a crazy fan. I’ll definitely be around.”

Senior sendoff

Alirez was one of seven UNC wrestlers who got a sendoff for Senior Night on Sunday — though only Alirez and 165-pounder Clayton Ulrey competed in matches.

Ulrey climbed out of an early deficit to top Air Force freshman Logan Fowler. Trailing 3-1 heading into the second period, Ulrey gained steam as the match went on, picking up three takedowns on his way to a 12-6 win.

Heavyweight Jose Valdez was slated to compete, but Nickerson said he came down with an illness just before his match and was unable to wrestle on Sunday. He has an NCAA career record of 40-10 after coming to UNC from the University of Northern Iowa. He won a junior college national title at Northern Iowa Area Community College before transferring to Northern Iowa.

Rudy Lopez (141 pounds) finished his career — all spent at UNC — with a 49-19 record, including nine pins.

Dyson Kunz (141) tallied 19 wins in his four seasons with the Bears, including 10 pins. As a freshman in 2021, he competed at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships at 133 pounds.

Adam Busiello (149) transferred to UNC from Nassau Community College before last season. He sustained a season-ending injury last year but tallied nine Division I wins since his return.

Cameron Lucero (149) joined the UNC wrestling program before his sophomore year. He finished his career with nine wins, including three pins.

“Those guys mean everything to this program,” Nickerson said. “They’ve put in a lot of time — some more than others. But you know, every one of these 37 in my room matter. And that showed tonight.”

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