BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--CSU Bakersfield opens PAC-12 wrestling action this weekend in Phoenix as part of a tri-dual with Arizona State and Grand Canyon.
Arizona State leads the all-time series against the Roadrunners 21-11-1. ASU defeated CSUB 24-17 last season in Bakersfield. The Sun Devils are 3-1 after a swing through the Carolinas this past weekend. Levi Cooper, who redshirted at CSUB before transferring to Arizona State, is ranked 11th by Intermat at heavyweight. Jake Meredith is Intermat's 16th-ranked wrestler at 197.
This is the first meeting between CSUB and Grand Canyon in wrestling. The Lopes are ranked fifth in the preseason NCAA Division II Top 20 poll. Grand Canyon is led by heavyweight Tyrell Fortune who has won two tournaments this season including the Roadrunner Open Nov. 10. 125-pounder Kyle McCrite is the defending Division II national champ at the weight class and he was second at the Roadrunner Open, losing to CSUB's Tyler Iwamura.
The city of
Bakersfield is well known as a stronghold for prep wrestling in the
state of California. CSUB has used the hometown advantage by recruiting
six Bakersfield natives to the roster. The hometown wrestlers on the
roster are; Timmy Box (R-Fr., 141, Bakersfield HS), Adam Fierro (So.,
157, Bakersfield HS), Juan Gamino (R-So., Golden Valley HS), Bryce
Hammond (R-Fr., 174, Bakersfield HS), Frankie Hurtado (So., Liberty HS),
and Ian Nickell (R-Fr., Bakersfield HS). Box, Nickell, and Hammond are a
combined 24-3 this season.
