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Wyatt Gerl
David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography

Wrestling

Pac-12 Titles, 2nd-Half Run Highlight Successful Campaign

Rohlfing, Loomer Extend Roadrunner NCAA Qualifier Streak to 46 Years

Bakersfield, Calif. – A pair of Pac-12 Championships and a second-half winning streak gave CSU Bakersfield Wrestling its first winning season since 2015 and extended the program's streak of years with at least one NCAA qualifier to 46. The Roadrunners won seven of their final ten dual meets to finish with a 7-6 overall record, before Russell Rohlfing and Josh Loomer captured league titles to lead CSUB to a third-place result at the conference tournament in Palo Alto, Calif.
 
Rohlfing was headed to his fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament, while Loomer was off to his first when the season was abruptly suspended due to concerns stemming from the spread of COVID-19.
 
"We made a lot of progress as a team this season, specifically in dual meet competition," said CSUB Head Coach Manny Rivera. "The team bought in and fought for each other all year long."
 
The `Runners dropped dual meets with Minnesota, North Dakota State and Rutgers to open the season with three straight losses, before grabbing their first win of the season against Buffalo on Nov. 22. CSUB trailed 15-9 before Rohlfing and classmate Wyatt Gerl won the final two bouts of the dual to earn a 16-15 decision over the visiting Bulls. Rohlfing's 9-1 major decision win over Buffalo's Kyle Todrank was the difference in the dual.
 
Bakersfield made it two wins in a row when they dominated Duke, 41-4, taking nine of 10 bouts in the dual. Dominic Ducharme and Jarrod Snyder led the way with major decision victories.
 
After a weekend opening loss at the University of Wyoming, the `Runners turned their season around with a 20-16 win at Northern Colorado.
 
Rohlfing opened the UNC dual with a tone-setting 17-0 technical fall victory over UNC's Ethan Leake in just 5:44. Bakersfield won the first three bouts of the dual to race out to an early 11-0 lead, before the Bears battled back with wins in four of the next six. A dramatic 11-8 decision for sophomore Angelo Martinoni in the final match-up of the day gave CSUB a thrilling mid-season victory. 
 
"Sometimes you have to hit a low or face disappointment before you can compete freely and fearlessly," Rivera noted. "The team got tired of losing close dual meets and close matches and started to wrestle with enthusiasm and aggression."
 
CSUB took down Central Valley rival #25 Fresno State for the second-straight season on Super Bowl Sunday. Rohlfing and Gerl posted wins over ranked Bulldogs, while Ducharme posted a 13-0 win over FSU's Isaiah Perez.
 
The `Runners posted a 2-2 mark in Pac-12 duals with wins over Oregon State and Cal Poly.
 
Bakersfield's 26-16 win over OSU was one of the team's most dramatic wins of the season. CSUB dropped the first three bouts before rattling off 23-straight points to bury the Beavers. Gerl and Albert Urias each posted wins by fall, while Rohlfing and Loomer added major decisions victories.
 
Martinoni and Loomer grabbed major decision wins against Cal Poly, as the `Runners took eight of 10 bouts in a 26-9 win in San Luis Obispo.
 
Bakersfield dropped the second annual Feud on the Field with #4 Arizona State, before rounding out the regular season with a win over California Baptist.
 
More than 850 fans attended the 2020 Feud on the Field. The Sun Devils ran away with a 31-10 decision, but not before Martinoni gave the crowd a huge lift when he pinned Navonte Demison just 0:16 into the opening bout of the day.
 
Seniors Rohlfing, Gerl, Thalin and Noah Blakley-Beanes would earn wins in their final bouts at the Icardo Center as Bakersfield outlasted CBU 31-9 on Senior Night.
 
Rohlfing's win over CBU's AJ Raya was his ninth in a row. He made it 11-straight with wins over Arizona State's Josh Maruca and Stanford's Require Van de Mewre en route to his first career Pac-12 Championship. The senior from La Habra Heights, Calif., dominated Van de Mewre in the 149 lb championship bout when he cruised to an 11-4 decision in the title match.

Rohlfing finished the season with a 23-7 overall record, an 11-2 mark in dual matches and went a perfect 9-0 against conference opponents. The season was Rohlfing's third with 20 or more individual victories and he qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in four years. He finishes his CSUB career with 86 wins to rank tied for 28th All-Time in program history.

He also advanced to the quarterfinals of both the Cliff Keen Invitational and the Southern Scuffle this season.

"Russell reached another level this season, especially in the back half of the season," said Rivera. "He was wrestling as well as I've ever seen and looked unstoppable heading into the NCAA Tournament."

Loomer won CSUB's second Pac-12 Title when he dispatched Oregon State's Colt Doyle, 7-3, at 184 lbs. He opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over Stanford's Foster Karmon.

Loomer saved his best wrestling for late in the season, winning five of his last seven matches to finish 10-14 on the year. He won nine of his 10 bouts with Pac-12 competition this season, highlighted by a pin of Arizona State's Austin Clayton at the Roadrunner Invitational in just 0:33 seconds.

"I'm so proud of Josh and how far he has come," Rivera gushed. "He'll carry a lot of confidence and momentum into next season, knowing that he can compete with the best in the country."

Snyder, a junior heavyweight from Bakersfield, Calif., finished second on the team with 19 wins. He appeared in all 13 dual meets, posting eight wins in the format, including three against Pac-12 opponents. Snyder won 11 of his final 16 bouts and won two of three at the conference tournament to place third in the league at 285 lbs.

"Jarrod epitomizes what it means to be a part of our program," explained Rivera. "He has come so far, not only as a wrestler but as a leader of our team. I'm excited to see how much further he can still go."
Seniors Gerl and Thalin also posted double digit wins on the season.

Gerl finished 15-12 overall and 6-6 in dual meets. After posting just one win by fall as a junior, Gerl pinned five opponents in 2019-20. His fastest pin came when he stuck Josiah Quiroz in just 0:18 seconds at the Roadrunner Invitational. Gerl finished 3-1 at the Pac-12 meet to earn a third-place finish in the 157 lb weight class.

Thalin won 16 times this season, including six dual meet victories and two wins against ranked opponents. The San Jose, Calif., native won the 50th bout of his career in the dual meet with Duke and finished his Roadrunner career with 56 victories.

"Jacob and Wyatt were so consistent in their commitment to this team as captains," said Rivera. "They understood the lifestyle it takes to compete at the highest level and our young wrestlers benefited tremendously from their example."

A trio of freshmen with high ceilings competed regularly in Bakersfield's dual line-up this season.

At 141 lbs, Martinoni burst onto the scene when he returned from injury in the second half and wrestled to a sixth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. He knocked off three ranked opponents in Chattanooga, collecting five wins at the prestigious meet. Martinoni finished the season with a 12-11 overall mark and five dual wins.

Chance Rich spent much of the season ranked in the 133 lb weight class. Rich announced his presence on the national stage when he stuck Rutgers' 11th-ranked Sammy Alvarez in the 2019 home opener at the Icardo Center. Rich finished the year 10-14, despite grappling with seven ranked opponents in one of the toughest weight classes in collegiate wrestling.

After a strong tournament record early in the season Urias moved into the regular dual meet rotation in the second half. He won four of his last six dual match-ups to close out the regular season with 15 overall victories. Urias placed fifth at the Pac-12 Championships with a 2-2 tournament record, grabbing two major decision wins and dropping a pair of overtime decisions.

"The future is very bright for our program," Rivera noted. "We have some tough and talented wrestlers coming back and I'm looking forward to seeing who emerges as leaders and can direct our team to the next level."

Five more `Runners saw action in dual meet competition this season.

At 197 lbs, Ducharme was rounding into form when an injury ended his season during the team's dual meet with Oregon State. Ducharme won three of his final four bouts this season, including a 13-0 win over Fresno State's Isaiah Perez on Feb. 2. The Windsor, Calif., native finished the year 10-8, posting double digit wins for the third straight season. Ducharme pinned four opponents in 2019-20 and now has 16 wins by falls in his career to rank 28th all-time in CSUB history.

Alex Hernandez-Figueroa wrestled all 13 dual meets at 125 lbs for the Roadrunners. Hernandez-Figueroa was 12-16 on the year with five dual wins and a pair of pins.

Josh Annis wrestled at 174, 184 and 197 lbs this season for Bakersfield. The senior was 6-5 before he was forced into replacing Ducharme at 197 lbs. Annis posted dual meet victories over North Dakota State's Jimmy Noel and Duke's Kai Blake, while also wrestling to a 2nd-place finish at the California Collegiate in 2019-20.

Kalani Tonge led the team in winning percentage with a 13-1 overall record. Tonge finished 1-0 in dual meets, knocking off Duke's Eric Carter in a 10-5 decision. The Elk Grove, Calif., native also placed first at the Menlo Open and the California Collegiate as part of an impressive junior season in Bakersfield.

Blakley-Beanes, a senior from Orange, Calif., won a personal best 17 bouts this season, including a dual meet win over California Baptist's Adam Velazquez on Senior Night at the Icardo Center. He opened the season with a 4-0 run at the Menlo Open to take the tournament title at 141 lbs.

Jacob Sieder and Mark Cardwell also won California Collegiate championships in 2020.

Sieder was 5-0 in the tournament, racking up four wins by fall in a single day to dominate the meet at 285 lbs. He also posted four wins at the Reno Tournament of Champions and finished first at the Menlo Open en route to a 14-4 record on the year.

A redshirt, Cardwell finished the season 11-3 and went a perfect 4-0 at the California Collegiate without allowing a single opponent to score in the meet.

Redshirt Freshman Brayden Ray was 12-4 in tournament action, winning the Menlo Open and earning a runner-up finish at the California Collegiate.

Junior Josh Brown also won the Menlo Open with a 4-0 performance and added a second-place effort at the California Collegiate. Brown also won four bouts at the Reno Tournament of Championships and competed in the Southern Scuffle this season.

Nineteen Roadrunner student-athletes are eligible to return in 2020-21, as Bakersfield looks to improve on its third-place team finish at the Pac-12 Championships.

"We have the personnel to continue to improve," said Rivera. "Our ability to do so depends on our student-athletes willingness to pay the price and put in the necessary work. If we do that, we can be even better next season."
 
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Players Mentioned

Josh Annis

Josh Annis

165/174
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Noah Blakley-Beanes

Noah Blakley-Beanes

141
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Dominic Ducharme

Dominic Ducharme

197
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Wyatt Gerl

Wyatt Gerl

157
6' 0"
Senior
Alejandro Hernandez

Alejandro Hernandez

125
5' 5"
Redshirt Junior
Josh Loomer

Josh Loomer

184/197
6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
Angelo Martinoni

Angelo Martinoni

141
5' 8"
Redshirt Freshman
Chance Rich

Chance Rich

133
5' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
Russell Rohlfing

Russell Rohlfing

149
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Jacob Sieder

Jacob Sieder

285
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Josh Annis

Josh Annis

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
165/174
Noah Blakley-Beanes

Noah Blakley-Beanes

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
141
Dominic Ducharme

Dominic Ducharme

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
197
Wyatt Gerl

Wyatt Gerl

6' 0"
Senior
157
Alejandro Hernandez

Alejandro Hernandez

5' 5"
Redshirt Junior
125
Josh Loomer

Josh Loomer

6' 2"
Redshirt Sophomore
184/197
Angelo Martinoni

Angelo Martinoni

5' 8"
Redshirt Freshman
141
Chance Rich

Chance Rich

5' 7"
Redshirt Freshman
133
Russell Rohlfing

Russell Rohlfing

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
149
Jacob Sieder

Jacob Sieder

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
285
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