CSUB wrestling is blown away by Sun Devils
February 18, 2020
CSU Bakersfield wrestling faced no. 4 ranked Arizona State University on Feb. 16 on the main soccer field for the second annual “Feud on the Field” meet. A single mat set up on the field in front of filled stands created a livelier atmosphere compared to the typical indoor meet.
The first two feuds of the meet resulted in wins, but the momentum was unable to carry through to the end. The Roadrunners fell to the Sun Devils with an overall score of 31-10. CSUB wrestling now holds a 6-6 record in dual meets this season and a 2-2 record in the PAC-12 conference.
Redshirt freshman Angelo Martinoni started the day strong for the Roadrunners when he managed to pin his Sun Devil opponent in a quick 16 seconds. He played to his strength for the win, as he said, by not waiting to get the takedown, because being on top is his best position. “Clearly, it works. I got on top and secured the pin,” Martinoni said.
Redshirt senior Russell Rohlfing was the next win for the ‘Runners. He finished his bout with a major decision of 12-1. Rohlfing was able to get his points in early to secure the win. While this was the ninth straight win of Rohlfing’s and his 83rd win of his career at CSUB, he said he does work to make adjustments in his game so he has the advantage.
“Every day in the room, I’m always finding things, certain positions, certain moves, where I need to stay tighter this way a little bit to get my arm deeper. Yeah, there’s always things I can improve on,” Rohlfing said.
There were a couple of feuds the Roadrunners were favored to win, including redshirt sophomore Josh Loomer’s. Loomer went into his bout with a three-win streak behind him, but even with momentum, he lost the bout in a 2-0 decision and struggled to perform offensively against his opponent to get the reversal that would have given him the advantage.
Another wrestler that CSUB head coach Manny Rivera mentioned to have a possible win against the Sun Devils was Chance Rich. Unfortunately, this was not to be, as Rich’s bout ended in an unfavorable 8-3 decision due to losing a few points in a row. However, Rich was still able to get a few points in against his opponent thanks to some smart counter-moves.
While Rivera said the wrestlers faced a tough team, it was good to be reminded they still have some more work to put in. “We’ve been rolling, so this is good. Good to get a wakeup call before post season,” Rivera said.
The team is putting this loss behind them and looking forward to post season. Rohlfing expressed his excitement for the upcoming PAC-12 tournament, saying, “Historically, I haven’t wrestled my best at the PAC-12 tournament, and I’m really looking forward to going out there and wrestling my hardest so I can be the champion.”
The next and final regular season dual meet for the Roadrunners will be on Senior Night, Friday Feb. 21, in the Icardo Center against the California Baptist University Lancers.
