Reporter
The CSU Bakersfield wrestling team dominated Fresno State 30-7 on Friday, Dec. 8. The Roadrunners won eight out of 10 matches against the Bulldogs.
“It was a good performance for our team, I believe this was the best collective outing from all 10 guys thus far,” said CSUB Head Coach Manny Rivera to gorunners.com. “It was a good environment to compete in, the fan support really showed up in Fresno, it was a great day for California wrestling to reignite this rivalry.”
The Roadrunners led off the meet with three points thanks to redshirt-senior, Coleman Hammond. At 157 pounds, Hammond took the three-point advantage over Greg Gaxiola with an escape and a takedown at the start of the third period. Hammond is ranked No. 14 in the country.
No. 20 redshirt-sophomore, Lorenzo De La Riva (165) ended his match with a major decision 13-2. Though he was down early on to Isaiah Hokit, De La Riva came back with a reversal and a takedown giving him the 4-2 lead.
Early in the third period, redshirt-junior Bryan Battisto (174) gained a 3-2 lead and with a minute remaining, gained another point ending the match 4-2.
Redshirt-freshman Dominic Ducharme (184) pinned his opponent within the first period, giving the Roadrunners an additional six points.
Fresno State’s Richie Brandt tied the match at 3-3, but No. 12 redshirt-senior, Matt Williams (197) was able to take over in the third period leaving the final score to be 7-3.
The Bulldogs received their first three points of the tournament thanks to heavyweight AJ Nevills. Nevills was up against redshirt-sophomore Mark Penyacsek who took the lead with three takedowns giving him a 7-1 decision.
Redshirt-senior Sergio Mendez (125) was down 4-1 the first two periods due to two takedowns, but in the remaining four minutes, he was able to earn another three points for CSUB against Fresno’s Sean Williams.
Redshirt-junior Sean Nickell (133) was able to earn the Roadrunners another five points with a technical fall, giving him a score of 15-0 at five minutes.
No. 15, redshirt-sophomore Russell Rohlfing (141) added another three points for the Roadrunners. He won a 10-5 decision while CSUB sophomore Kalani Tonge (149) wrapped up the tournament with a 10-1 decision against Khristian Olivas. Olivas took the lead early on in the match with a takedown in the first period, 2-1.
The Roadrunners, who are now 3-4, will compete against Northwestern in San Luis Obispo, California on Friday, Dec. 15, followed by the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 17.
The team will stay on the road, traveling to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the Southern Scuffle Tournament Jan. 1-2, followed by matches against Wyoming on Jan. 12, and then duals against Duke and Northern Colorado, Jan. 14.
Photo courtesy of Fresno State Athletics.
