Wrestling | 2/8/2016 4:05:00 PM
SAN FRANCISCO– The SF State Gator wrestling team will wrap its regular season this Thursday, February 11 with a non-conference dual at Bay Area rival, Menlo College Oaks. The dual with the Oaks, who are currently ranked 10
th in the nation in NAIA, will start at 6pm in the Haynes-Prim Pavilion on the campus of Menlo College in Atherton.
SF State (5-7, 1-2 CCAA) is coming off a strong weekend in which the Gators hosted two duals and the 40
th Annual California Collegiate Open. On Saturday, the Gators defeated Simon Fraser 33-14 and lost to the NCAA Division II 10
th ranked Colorado Mesa Mavericks 23-14 in their final home duals of the season. Then on Sunday, they hosted their annual invitational which that over 100 wrestlers participated in and the Gators had two placers.
In their two duals on Saturday, three Gators went 2-0 in
Sam Alnassiri (285),
Dylan Furtado (149) and
Fern Giron (133) while
Brandon Vu (125) and
John Sha (141) each went 1-0. Splitting his two matches was at 174,
Mike Marshall. Then on Sunday,
Tavis Ino and
Dylan Furtado each placed at the California Collegiates. Ino captured the title at 157 by going a perfect 3-0 including defeated Kyle Hansen (Cal Poly-unattached) by a 4-2 decision in the championship match. Furtado went 3-2 as he placed fourth at 149. Also going 3-2 was
Romeo Medina at 157 while
Mike Marshall (174),
Calvin Nicholls (197) and
Tyson Kuahine (165) each went 2-2 in their respective weight classes.
For the season, Alnassiri leads the way with his 19-9 record followed by Giron who is now 14-7 and
Joshua Weinberg who is now 12-5 at 141. After this weekend, Ino is now 17-17 and Kuahine is 15-16 while Marshall is 15-18. Furtado also has double digits in wins this season with his 12-17 record.
Three Gators are ranked regionally according to the last poll that was released in late January in Alnassiri (3
rd, 285), Ino (5
th, 157) and Giron (6
th, 133) with the next poll being released this Wednesday. At the RMAC Championships which took place on January 31 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, six Gators placed in the top six led by Alnassiri and Giron who each took third at 285 and 133. Costa (184) and Kuahine (165) each were fifth while Marshall (174) and Ino (157) each placed sixth.
SF State will travel down the Peninsula this Thursday, February 11 at 6pm for its regular season finale against Menlo College. The Oaks are 3-4 after defeating Simpson by a 40-9 score this past Friday at home. They also participated in the California College Open this past Sunday which they had five placers led by Brian Ha (141) and Justin Lozano (174) who each placed first in their respective weight classes. Jeff Uyesoka (149) was second and Joel Palabrica (133) and Joe Jauregui (165) each were third. Three Oaks are ranked nationally in the NAIA in Troy Lakin (3
rd, 125), Justin Lozano (3
rd ,174) and Steele Escobedo (6
th, 141).
The Gators defeated Menlo 22-16 in San Francisco last season.
After this Thursday's dual, the Gators will be off until Feb. 26-27, when they participate in the NCAA Division II Super Region IV Championships at Gunnison, Colo., at the Paul Wright Gymnasium on the campus of Western State Colorado. The Gators will look to place in the top four region as they are looking to continue their string of having a National Qualifier for the past 52 straight seasons. The 2015-16 NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships are set for March 11-12 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
-----
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.
