Senior Staff Writer
The CSU Bakersfield wrestling season came to an end on Friday, March 17 as the final two wrestlers representing the Roadrunners were eliminated on the second day of the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.
On the first day, CSUB senior Matt Williams won his first match against Utah Valley University redshirt-freshman Tanner Ordorff in the 197-pound preliminary bracket. Williams’ win sent him to the main bracket where he faced fourth seed redshirt-junior Jared Haught of Virginia Tech University.
Haught would defeat Williams 4-1 and send him down to the consolation bracket.
Williams would bounce back in his next match against 13th seed Bucknell University junior Tom Sleight, earning a 4-1 win against Sleight.
On the second day, Williams would put up a tough fight against 14th seed and redshirt-sophomore Corey Greigo of Oregon State University. Both were former teammates at Sultana High School in Apple Valley. Coming into the match Greigo won the previous two matches against Williams earlier in the season.
Williams was able to avenge his earlier losses and hold off Williams and secure a 4-2 win.
Williams’ journey would come to an end in his next match against 11th seed Shawn Scott of Northern Illinois University.
Scott would earn a pin with 17 seconds to go in the match to send Williams home.
CSUB redshirt-junior Coleman Hammond would lose his first match in the 149-pound bracket against sixth seed redshirt- sophomore Soloman Chishko of Virginia Tech 9-3. He would avenge his loss in the consolation bracket against Oklahoma junior Davion Jefferies 10-6 to keep him alive.
On day two, Hammond faced redshirt-junior Andrew Crone from the University of Wisconsin. Crone would record a four-point near fall and reversal to give him a 6-3 win and end Hammond’s season.
In the 125-pound division, CSUB redshirt-sophomore Sean Nickell was not able to get past the first day. In his first match Nickell matched up against Ohio University sophomore Shakur Laney. Laney defeated Nickell 10-6 to send Nickell to the consolation bracket.
In his final match of the tournament, Nickell jumped out to a 6-0 lead against University of Northern Iowa redshirt-senior and two-time All-American Dylan Peters. Peters fought back and earned a four-point near fall in the final 10 seconds that gave him the win 8-7 and eliminated Nickell.
CSUB redshirt-freshman Russell Rohlfing would also not be able to advance past the first day of the tournament. Rohlfing faced Bucknell junior Tyler Smith and led by one point with under a minute to go.
Smith was able to tie the match 6-6 and send the match into overtime.
Smith would score a takedown in overtime to get the 8-6 win and send Rohlfing to the consolation bracket.
Rohlfing would come up against redshirt-junior Ronnie Perry in his second consolation match. Rohlfing would lose the match 11-6 and end his first season at CSUB.
Redshirt-freshman Lorenzo De La Riva represented CSUB in the 165-pound division. He would face redshirt-senior Isaac Jordan out of Wisconsin.
Jordan cruised with a 11-2 win against De La Riva to send him to the consolation bracket.
