Wrestling | 1/19/2016 2:55:00 PM
RIVERSIDE– Coming off a strong 3-1 showing at the Midwest Duals in Kearney, Neb., the SF State Gator wrestling team will return to the mat this Saturday, January 23 as they travel to Riverside for a 5pm PST starting dual with No. 12 Cal Baptist. The Gators are now 4-5 in duals and 1-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
Leading the way for the Gators at the Midwest Duals this past Saturday in Kearney, Neb., was
Tavis Ino. The San Marcos native went a perfect 4-0 at 157 to key the Gators' 3-1 afternoon. He started the day with a win by forfeit in the Gators' 27-19 win over Adams State. He came back with a 3-0 win over Central Oklahoma's Cody Ryan in SF State's 16-15 win over the Bronchos which was the first ever that the Gators defeated Central Oklahoma.
Ino then defeated Southwest Minnesota State's Kyle Begin by a 10-1 major decision in SF State's 35-7 win. He finished the day with a win by fall (2:47) over Fort Hays State's Kregg Clarke in the Gators' slim 22-21 defeat to the Tigers. Ino is now 12-12 on the year heading into the Gators' match at Cal Baptist this weekend.
Three Gators went 3-1 in
Joshua Weinberg (141),
Tyson Kuahine (165) and
Sam Alnassiri (285) while four went 2-2 in
Fern Giron (133),
Dylan Furtado (149),
Mike Marshall (174) and
Calvin Nicholls (197). Four grapplers have winning records in Giron (9-6), Weinberg (11-6), Kuahine (11-9) and Alnassiri (14-7).
In last week's Super Region IV poll, three Gators were ranked third in
Johnny Costa (184) and
Alex Abono (157) and Alnassiri (285). As a team, SF State is eighth in the region.
SF State will face Cal Baptist this Saturday at Van Dyne Gym in Riverside. The Lancers are also coming off a 3-1 showing at the Midwest Duals in Kearney, Neb. They defeated Central Oklahoma (25-16), Adams State (34-16) and New Mexico Highlands (36-12) while they lost 24-22 to No. 16 Western State. Cal Baptist is now 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the RMAC after its performance this past weekend.
The Lancers have two grapplers ranked in the top six in the nation in Jake Waste (5
th, 184) and Joe Fagiano (6, 295). Waste is also first in the region and Fagiano is second. Three other Lancers are also ranked in the region in Brady Bersano (4
th, 157), Christian Smith (4
th, 174) and Paul Head (3
rd, 197). Cal Baptist is third in the region.
After this weekend, SF State will be off until January 31 when the Gators participate in the First Annual RMAC Wrestling Championships at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They will return to dual meet action the following weekend when the Gators host Simon Fraser and Colorado Mesa on Saturday, February 6.
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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.
