CSUB Wrestling Sends Five To Dec. 29-30 Midlands Open

Wrestling February 24, 2010 CSU Bakersfield Athletic Communications

Wrestling Heads to 2010 Pac-10 Championships

THIS WEEK
The Roadrunners begin postseason action this week, heading to the 2010 Pac-10 Championships, hosted by UC Davis.

PAC-10 CAHMPIONSHIP LINEUP
125 — Frank Lomas (19-13)
133 — Justin Durham (12-13)
141 — Elijah Nacita (16-9)
149 — John Cardenas (5-12)
157 — Andrew Balch (18-15)
165 — Joey Granata (18-9)
174 — Trevor Hall (13-14)
184 — Mike Larson (22-13)
197 — Riley Orozco (19-6)
HWT — Mitch Monteiro (12-5)

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
SESSION I
Friday, Feb. 26 - Noon - 4 pm

SESSION II
Friday, Feb. 26 - 6 pm - 9 pm
Quarterfinal cons.

SESSION III
Saturday, Feb. 27 - Noon - 2 pm
Semifinal cons., 5th and 7th place matches

Saturday, Feb. 27 - 4pm
Pac-10 Wrestling Championship Finals

TOURNAMENT TICKET INFO
Reserved single session passes are $15 for Sessions I and II and $17 for Session III while Adult General Admission single session passes are $10 for Sessions I and II and $13 for Session III. Child, Senior, and Student General Admission single session passes are $7 for Sessions I and II and $10 for Session III.

All-Session passes are still on sale as well at the UC Davis Ticket Office. Reserved All-Session passes, with a chairback, are $40. Adult General Admission All-Session passes are on sale for $30 while Child, Senior, and Student General Admission All-Session passes are $20.

To purchase your tickets, call the UC Davis Ticket Office at 530-752-1915.

PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS WEBCAST
In continuing its growing partnership with CSTV, the Pac-10 will broadcast the 2010 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships live online at www.pac-10.org. The event will be broadcast for FREE through CSTV's All-Access promotion. Those wishing to watch the event can do so, by clicking on the All-Access link on the right hand side of the Pac-10 homepage.

'RUNNER REPORT
The Roadrunners concluded the 2010 regular-season with a bang, crushing UC Davis, 39-4, in the Icardo Center on Feb. 13. CSUB won nine of 10 bouts, including technical fall victories by Frank Lomas and Riley Orozco, and a win by fall by Andrew Balch in the final match of the night.

RANKED 'RUNNERS
The second of three NCAA Division I Coaches Panel Rankings, release Feb. 9, has four Roadrunners listed in the top 32. The ranking is one of three factors which determine entry to the NCAA Championships. Frank Lomas was No. 29 at 125 pounds, Elijah Nacita was No. 12 at 141 pounds, Riley Orozco was No. 24 at 197 pounds and Mitch Monteiro was No. 11 at heavyweight.

The NCAA also released it's first RPI ranking, the second of three factors to determine entry to the NCAA Championships. In matches through Feb. 7, Lomas is No. 30, Nacita is No. 13 and Orozco is No. 13.

IN THE POLLS
In the most recent InterMat Wrestling poll, Elijah Nacita is No. 11 at 141 pounds, Riley Orozco appears at No. 20 at 197 pounds and Mitch Monteiro is No. 12 at heavyweight. Nacita (No. 11), Monteiro (No. 11) and Riley Orozco (No. 19) are all listed in the latest d1collegewrestling.com poll. Nacita is ranked No. 11, Orozco is No. 19 and Monteiro is No. 11 by theopenmat.com. Monteiro is No. 18 by WIN Magazine.

PAC-10 FAVORITES
CSUB's Riley Orozco (197 pounds) and Mitch Monteiro (heavyweight) enter the Pac-10 Championships ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions in the most recent conference poll, released Feb. 18. Joey Granata (165 pounds) and Mike Larson (184 pounds) are both ranked third, while Elijah Nacita is fifth in a highly competitive 141-pound division. Official seeding for the tournament brackets takes place Thursday, Feb. 27.

CSUB's PAC-10 HISTORY
• CSUB had a pair of Pac-10 champions in 2009. Elijah Nacita knocked off No. 1 seed Chris Drouin of Arizona State at 141 pounds and Mitch Monteiro beat Clayton Jack of Oregon State.
• Bakersfield has won two Pac-10 team titles, the first in 1996 and the second in 1999.
• The Roadrunners placed third in 2009.
• Bakersfield's 155 team points in winning the 1996 Pac-10 title is still a conference record for most points scored at the Pac-10's.
• After placing in the top five for the first 13 years in the Pac-10, the Roadrunners have finished better than fifth place three times in the past nine years.

ALL-TIME AT THE PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
• 2009: 3rd (124.5 points)
• 2008: 7th (94.5 points)
• 2007: 2nd (105.0 points)
• 2006: 5th (85.0 points)
• 2005: 7th (67.0 points)
• 2004: 4th (87.0 points)
• 2003: 6th (66.5 points)
• 2002: 8th (43.0 points)
• 2001: 6th (70.0 points)
• 2000: 4th (101.5 points)
• 1999: 1st (136.5 points)
• 1998: 4th (91.0 points)
• 1997: 2nd (118.0 points)
• 1996: 1st (155.0 points)
• 1995: 3rd (108.0 points)
• 1994: 2nd (98.25 points)
• 1993: 3rd (92.0 points)
• 1992: 3rd (84.5 points)
• 1991: 2nd (101.5 points)
• 1990: 2nd (90.5 points)
• 1989: 5th (41.0 points)
• 1988: 5th (39.25 points)

DUAL STREAK COMPLETE
Riley Orozco rolled through the dual portion of the 2010 schedule with a perfect 9-0 record. The junior 197-pounder had five decisions, two major decisions, one technical fall and a pin for his nine wins.

RILEY ON A ROLL
Junior Riley Orozco is on a roll entering the 2010 Pac-10 Championshisp this week. Not only did he go perfect in dual competition this season, but he carries a 10-match win streak into this week's action. He has only lost six matches all season, and just twice did losses come back-to-back.

NEAR DEJA VU
Elijah Nacita's path through the 2009 Reno Tournament of Champions was a near replica from a year ago when he lost his opening match, then won eight straight consolation matches, including a third-place win over Cal State Fullerton's Adin Duenas. This year, No. 4 seeded Nacita dropped his opening match once again, then earned six straight wins to reach the third place match and face Duenas once again. While he could not complete the comeback this year, conceding a tight 2-1 decision to Duenas, Nacita picked up two technical fall wins, including one over MSU Mankato's Robbie Fisher, who beat him in the opening round, and No. 1 seed Filip Novachkov of Cal Poly. Nacita's 6-4 decision over Novachkov avenged a 7-5 loss to the Mustang from just five days prior.

LAST MINUTE ADDITION, LAST SECOND WIN
Senior heavyweight Mitch Monteiro was a last minute add to the line-up at the 44th NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 22, but that gave him no disadvantage over his opponent. Monteiro, then ranked No. 6, used a takedown in final seven seconds of the match to earn a 4-3 win over then No. 2 David Zabriskie of Iowa State.

ANOTHER NWCA ALL-STAR WIN
Mitch Monteiro was the first Roadrunner to be selected as an NWCA All-Star since Stephen Neal earned the honor in 1999. Neal was a three-time NWCA All-Star selection, and won all three bouts. CSUB has now had 15 all-time selections to the event and has been victorious in all but one bout.

ON DECK
The 2010 NCAA Championships are Mar. 18-20 at the Qwest Center on Omaha, Neb.

NEED MORE INFO?
For all of the most up-to-date information about CSU Bakersfield wrestling and all other Roadrunner sports, check out the CSUB Athletics Web site at: www.GoRunners.com.