Wrestling | 12/7/2015 3:32:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO-- The SF State Gator wrestling will return to the mat this Saturday, December 12 at 2pm when they host the NAIA No. 11 ranked Simpson University Red Hawks at The Swamp at the Don Nasser Family Plaza. This will be the Gators' first dual since facing Old Dominion University, who was ranked No. 21 in the nation in NCAA Division I, on Nov. 21 in Gilroy.
The Gators participated in the 34
th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this past weekend in which they finished tied for 35
th out of 40 teams with The Citadel with 9 points. The University of Missouri captured the team title with 154 points. SF State wrestled against many Division I institutions at the Cliff Keen including The Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin, Air Force Academy, University of Michigan, Columbia University, Bucknell University and the University of Oklahoma.
SF State had five wrestlers (
Sam Alnassiri,
Dylan Furtado,
Tavis Ino,
Mike Marshall and
Joshua Weinberg) that all went 1-2 in Las Vegas. Weinberg's win was a 5-2 decision over Brown University's Charles Banaszak while Ino's win was a 3-2 decision over The Ohio State's Anthony Decarlo. At heavyweight,
Sam Alnassiri defeated the University of Michigan's Payne Hayden by fall in the first period.
Alnassiri leads the team with his 7-4 record while he is currently fourth in the nation and first in the regional rankings at 285. Four of his wins are by fall and one by major decision. Ino is next on the team with his 6-7 record at 157 and 165. He has one win by major decision and one by technical fall. Two other Gators have recorded four wins this season in
Johnny Costa (4-6) and
Mike Marshall (4-8) at 184 and 174 respectively.
The Gators have recorded 11 wins by fall this season including Alnassiri's four. Marshall has two while Costa, Furtado,
Gabe Fuentes and
Thomas Turcol each has one.
Besides Alnassiri being fourth in the nation,
Jordan Gurrola is sixth at 133. Gurrola is second in the region while
Alex Abono is also second at 157 and Costa is third at 184.
SF State will take on the 11
th ranked Red Hawks this Saturday at 2pm. Simpson is coming off a 26-18 loss to Southern Oregon in which the Red Hawks captured wins from Vicente Hernandez (133), Richard Ortiz (157), Ben Gacayan (165) and Brady Beamon (184).
The Red Hawks have six wrestlers that are currently ranked in the top 15 in their respective weight class in the NAIA according to
Intermat Wrestling. Beamon leads the way as he is first at 184 followed by Ortiz being fifth at 157. Hernandez is currently tied for 10
th at 133 and Austin Lobsinger is 11
th at 285 and Erik Media is 13
th at 197.
Last year, the Gators defeated the Red Hawks in Redding 40-3 with returning grapplers (
Alex Abono, Alnassiri, Costa, Furtado and Gurrola) all capturing victories.
After their dual this Saturday afternoon, the Gators will take a break and not return to the mat until January 2, 2016, when they participate in the Menlo Open in Atherton, Calif. SF State will return to dual meet action on
Sunday, January 10, 2016, when they host NCAA Division I opponents, Cal State Bakersfield and Stanford at 1pm and 3pm respectively at The Swamp at The Don Nasser Family Plaza.
This Saturday's dual can be viewed live by clicking
here beginning at 1:45pm.
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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.
