Palo Alto, Calif. – Josh Loomer and Russell Rohlfing capped their Pac-12 Championship runs with conference titles, leading CSU Bakersfield to 99.5 points and a third-place finish at the league tournament in Palo Alto, Calif. Wyatt Gerl and Jarrod Snyder added third-place finishes, as the Roadrunners posted their highest conference tournament point total since 2014.
"We had some great individual performances and moments today," said CSUB Head Coach Manny Rivera. "If a few close matches had gone our way it could have been even better, but certainly two titles makes for a good day and we're thrilled for Russell and Josh."
Rohlfing knocked off Arizona State's Josh Maruca earlier in the day to advance to the 149 lb finals against Stanford's Requir Van der Merwe.
Van der Merwe took an early lead with a first-period take down, before Rohlfing collected a pair of escapes to even the match midway through the second. The Bakersfield senior then turned the title bout into a runaway when he closed the middle frame with a takedown and four back points to lead 8-2 heading into the third en route to an 11-4 victory and his first Pac-12 Championship.
"Winning a championship has been my goal for a long time," Rohlfing explained. "I've put so much hard work into this season and chasing this goal, it feels great to finally pull it off."
The decision was Rohlfing's 11th-straight win, dating back to Jan. 19 against Duke University. The La Habra Heights, Calif., native finishes the regular season 23-7 overall and 8-0 against Pac-12 rivals.
With the win Rohlfing also earned the league's NCAA allocation and will compete in the national tournament for the fourth-consecutive season. He's the first Roadrunner wrestler to reach the event in four-straight seasons since Riley Orozco accomplished the feat from 2008-11.
"Russell is locked in right now and he won't be satisfied with just getting to the tournament," Rivera noted. "I know he's happy to win a conference title, but he's a competitor and he wants more."
Rohlfing will look to improve on last season's performance that saw him bow out in the round of 16.
"My mindset hasn't changed," Rohlfing added. "My goal is to go to NCAA's, get on the podium and earn All-American honors."
Loomer's win gave CSUB two conference champions for the first time since 2013 when Tyler Iwamura and Bryce Hammond captured Pac-12 titles at 125 and 174, respectively. He advanced the final of the 184 lb bracket with a 3-1 win over Stanford's Foster Karmon in the semi-finals to set up his championship bout with Oregon State's Colt Doyle.
The title match was tied at one deep into the third period, when Doyle grabbed the bout's first take down to take a 3-1 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Loomer was un-phased and immediately turned the takedown into his own advantage, reversing Doyle and sticking him in a near fall position for six quick points. He rode out the last 20 seconds to cap off a strong second half of the season with a Pac-12 Championship.
"It has been a long journey from the beginning of the season to tonight," Loomer noted. "I knew I was capable of winning a championship, it's definitely been on my mind and I'm really happy to make it a reality tonight."
Loomer saved his best wrestling for the second half of the season, winning five of his last seven and winning seven of eight against Pac-12 opponents.
"Late in the season coach preached wrestling with enthusiasm," Loomer added. "I took that to heart down the stretch and it proved to me that I can compete with anyone."
Loomer will join Rohlfing at the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis later this month.
"Josh is our x-factor," explained Rivera. "Every day he shows up, buys in and finds a way to get the job done. He's wrestling with a lot of momentum and has earned this opportunity to continue competing."
Gerl and Snyder finished third in the 157 lb and 285 lb brackets, respectively.
Gerl knocked off Cal Poly's Brawley Lamer 5-3 to earn his spot on the podium. He finished the tournament with three wins, dropping only a 3-1 decision to Stanford's Tyler Eischens in the tournament's semi-finals.
Snyder opened the tournament with a one-point loss to Stanford's David Showunmi, but bounced back in a big way with consecutive wins over Oregon State's Jamarcus Grant (7-2) and Cal Poly's Samuel Aguilar (6-2) to cruise to his third-place finish.
Alex Hernadez-Figueroa, Chance Rich and Jacob Thalin all posted 2-2 records to finish fourth in their brackets.
Angelo Martinoni and Albert Urias each placed fifth. It was a hard-luck finish for both, but for Urias in particular. The Bakersfield native finished the day 2-2, with two major decision wins and two overtime losses.
Bakersfield finished in 3
rd-place for the third time in four years under Rivera.
The Roadrunners have sent at least one wrestler to the NCAA Tournament every year since 1974.
