Basil Othman finishes the season with a 16-6 record.
WICHITA, Kansas — The San Francisco State wrestling team's season came to a close on day one of the 2024 NCAA Division II Championships at Hartman Arena.
Juniors Basil Othman (157 lb.) and Kyle Botelho (165 lb.) drew tough seedings and both went 0-2 in their Nationals duals.
Othman, an All-RMAC Second Team selection, concludes his season at 16-6. He opened the day versus top ranked Nick Novak of No. 3 St. Cloud State, then lost a hearbreaker to No. 8 Keegan Roberson of No. 11 UNC Pembroke. Roberson, who was upset in his opening dual, fell behind 4-3 to Botelho after the first period but took a 7-5 lead through two periods thanks to an escape followed by a takedown. A Roberson stall with 36 seconds remaining in the third period resulted in another point for Othman but he couldn't come up with another point to stay alive in the tournament.
Botelho, who garnered All-RMAC Honorable Mention, wraps up the 2023-24 campaign with a 15-9 overall record. He lost a decision to Alec Cook of No. T14 West Liberty, then fell by decision to the No. 5 ranked wrestler in his weight class, Hunter Jump of top-ranked Central Oklahoma. He fell behind 6-2 in the first period to Jump. Botelho earned an escape in the second period to pull to 6-3. Jump chose bottom to begin the third period and escaped, and picked up another point for riding time to win 8-3.
157: Basil Othman
- Champ. Round 1 - #1 Nick Novak (#3 St. Cloud State) 23-0 won by major decision over Basil Othman (San Francisco State) 16-6 (MD 14-5)
- Cons. Round 1 - #8 Keegan Roberson (#11 UNC Pembroke) 32-7 won by decision over Basil Othman (San Francisco State) 16-6 (Dec 7-6)
165: Kyle Botelho
- Prelim - Alec Cook (#T4 West Liberty) 21-12 won by decision over Kyle Botelho (San Francisco State) 15-9 (Dec 8-2)
- Champ. Round 1 - #5 Hunter Jump (#1 Central Oklahoma) 23-7 won by decision over Kyle Botelho (San Francisco State) 15-9 (Dec 8-3)
"All in all, I'm really happy with the year that we had – we had our best regional performance in nine years, two NCAA qualifiers, and a winning dual meet record. I'm confident that we're heading in the right direction" said Head Coach Jason Welch. "I'm excited to get some All-Americans next year. It's off the races for this group."
