CLEVELAND, Ohio – CSU Bakersfield opened the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships as a part of over 300 bouts on the first day of action. After a pair of wins in the consolation bracket and a loss in Championship Round 2, CSUB will send three Roadrunners to the second day of competition.
"As always, the NCAA tournament proved to be a rollercoaster," said Manny Rivera, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We still have three guys in the hunt for All-American status and if they can stay aggressive, they will find the success they are looking for." During the 2017 Championships, CSUB was only able to advance two men to Day 2.
Despite only one `Runner earning a pre-tournament seed, CSUB was tied for 18th out of 65 teams with a team score of 8.5 points. CSUB managed to only drop one match to unseeded wrestlers, while redshirt senior Sergio Mendez had the big win of the night, pinning Northern Iowa's 16th-ranked wrestler to stay alive.
In the 125-pound pigtail match, Mendez found himself down by two points early to Chattanooga's Alonzo Allen, but got a late takedown to tie the match at 4-4 after the first period. Trailing 9-7 with just over a minute left in the match, Mendez got a takedown to tie the score. Allen escaped with 20 seconds remaining and Mendez was unable to get the winning takedown in a 10-9 loss.
After earning a 12-9 decision over Michigan State's RayVon Folley, Mendez got out to a big lead on No. 16 Justin Schwarm (Northern Iowa), but the seeded wrestler rallied to take an 11-8 advantage on Mendez going into the third period. Just 23 seconds into the final period, Bakersfield's redshirt senior stuck his man to advance to Day 2.
At the end of the first session, redshirt senior Matt Williams got the 197-pound bracket going with a first-period pin over Jordan Atienza (Central Michigan). Bakersfield's most successful wrestler this season found himself going against No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell) in Round 2. A reversal in the third period helped Williams make the score 8-4 and he was looking for back points, but Darmstadt reversed his way out of trouble and wound up with a 14-4 major decision.
In the first round of the 133-pound weight class, No. 10 Jack Mueller (Virginia) earned an 8-1 lead on redshirt junior Sean Nickell through the first period. The Cavalier continued to apply pressure and gained enough back points to earn a 17-1 tech fall. A medical forfeit by SIUE's John Muldoon advanced Nickell into the second day of the NCAA Championships.
Russell Rohlfing (141) found himself trailing 7-0 after the second period to NC State's No. 5 Kevin Jack. Bakersfield's wrestler was unable to get out from under Jack and fell by major decision, 10-0. ANother major decision, this time by a score of 8-0, ended Rohlfing's second trip to the NCAAs
Redshirt senior Coleman Hammond was in an early scramble with No. 6 Michael Kemerer of Iowa. The seeded wrestler ended up on top and made a slick move to stick Hammond at 1:38. Later in the day, Hammond's collegiate wrestling career came to an end with a dropped decision (12-5) against No. 11 Clayton Ream (NDSU). Hammond wrapped up his time as a `Runner with a 27-14 record this season and is tied for 25th all-time at CSUB with 87 career wins.
Bakersfield's three remaining `Runners will return to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday to compete in the second day of the NCAA Championships. The first session will begin at 8 a.m. (PT) and will once again be aired on ESPNU with all mats available on ESPN3.com. Session IV will kick off at 5 p.m. (PT) on Friday.
For the most up-to-date information on CSUB at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, visit the Championship Central page. Full results from the first day of competition are listed below.
125 – Sergio Mendez (24-13)
Prelim: lost by decision to Alonzo Allen (Chattanooga), 10-9
Prelim: won by decision over RayVon Folley (Michigan State), 12-9
Cons. R1: pinned No. 16 Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa) at 6:23
133 – Sean Nickell (22-11)
R1: lost by tech fall to No. 10 Jack Mueller (Virginia), 17-1
Cons. R1: won by forfeit over John Muldoon (SIUE)
141 – Russell Rohlfing (22-12)
R1: lost by major decision to No. 5 Kevin Jack (NC State), 10-0
Cons. R1: lost by major decision to Brent Moore (Virginia Tech), 8-0
157 – Coleman Hammond (27-14)
R1: pinned by No. 6 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) at 1:38
Cons. R1: lost by decision to No. 11 Clayton Ream (NDSU), 12-5
197 – No. 15 Matt Williams (29-8)
R1: pinned Jordan Atienza (Central Michigan) at 2:16
R2: lost by major decision to No. 2 Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), 15-4
