Wrestling | 1/19/2015 8:22:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO – After going 4-0 at the UNK Midwest Duals in Kearney, Neb., this past Saturday, SF State Gator wrestling team will host the Eagles of Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) this Friday, January 23 at noon at SF State's Main Gym at the Don Nasser Family Plaza. SF State is 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in its duals this season. The Eagles are currently 4-9 in duals while they are currently ranked ninth in the nation in NAIA.
Six grapplers went a perfect 4-0 for SF State in Nebraska in
Alex Abono,
Sam Alnassiri,
Daniel Flores,
Jordan Gurrola,
Andrew Reggi (who is currently eighth in the nation) and
Peter Santos to lead the way for the Gators.
SF State started its day last Saturday with a 43-4 win over Adams State as the Gators captured eight of the ten matches including four by fall in Flores, Abono, Santos and Alnassiri. They then defeated Chadron State 26-7 as the Gators claimed eight of the ten matches including
Brandon Vu's exciting 6-5 decision in overtime at 125.
The Gators finished their day with a 41-6 win over New Mexico Highlands and a 34-4 win over Colorado School of Mines. In their win over the Cowboys, SF State captured eight of 10 matches including five by fall in Vu, Gurrola, Abono, Santos and Alnassiri. SF State's final match against the Orediggers saw the Gators capture all but one match including two by fall in Santos and Alnassiri.
Gurrola improved to 19-6 on the season at 133 to lead the way for SF State in wins. He also leads the team with his 8 wins by pin. Three Gator grapplers have 15 wins in Reggi (15-5), Santos (15-7) and Vu (15-10) at 197,157 and 125 respectively. Costa is next on the team with his 13-9 record at 184 followed by
Dylan Furtado with a 12-5 mark at 149. SF State has three other wrestlers with double digits in win in
Vicente Aboytes and Alnassiri each at 11-9 at 164 and 285 followed by
Tavis Ino (11-13) at 149.
Embry-Riddle comes into its dual with the Gators this Friday with a 4-9 dual record after losing its last two matches 32-9 at Southern Oregon and 25-16 this past weekend in Arizona. Seven of the Eagles are nationally ranked in their weight classes in NAIA. Jose Cruz III and Sage Ornelas are both fifth at 184 and 125 while two Eagles are eighth in
the nation in Nick Oliver (133) and Colin Merkley (157). Andrew Burr is ninth at 141, Luke Riley is 10
th at 165 and Anton King is 16
th at 149.
In their loss to nationally ranked Southern Oregon, Embry-Riddle just captured three bouts at 125-Ornelas, 141-Burr and 184-Cruz. Then in their loss at NCAA Division I Grand Canyon, the Eagles picked up wins in four bouts at 125-Ornelas, 157-Merkley, 165-Riley and 197-Cruz. The two teams last faced each other on November 18, 2011, in Atherton, Calif., in which SF State defeated the Eagles 27-11.
After this Friday's match, the Gators will return to the mat this Sunday, January 25 for a 4pm starting non-conference dual at The Icardo Center in Bakersfield, Calif., against CSU Bakersfield. The Roadrunners are 4-4 in dual matches this season and 0-3 in Pac 12 matches. They are coming off a 1-2 weekend in which the Roadrunners lost at No. 19 Oregon State (32-5) on Saturday and at Arizona State (31-6) on Sunday. Their lone win was a 43-0 win at Grand Canyon.
Adam Fierro is currently ranked 15
th in the nation at 165 while Bryce Hammond is 12
th at 174. Fierro is currently 11-6 while Hammond is 9-4. The Roadrunners' Reuben Franklin is 16-3 and Matt Williams is 16-9 each at 197. SF State lost 24-12 to the Roadrunners on January 31, 2014, in San Francisco. SF State last defeated the Roadrunners on February 3, 2012 at home, a 20-12 victory.
After their two matches this weekend, the Gators will host a pair of duals on Friday, January 30 in Cal Baptist (2:30pm) and Simon Fraser (4pm). Simon Fraser will also wrestle Cal Baptist (1pm) and Minnesota State Moorhead (2:30pm) that afternoon. SF State will then host the California Collegiate Open the next day beginning at 9am.
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Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.
Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
