Bakersfield, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield makes its long awaited return to the Icardo Center for the first home dual meet of the season against Pac-12 rival and 11th-ranked Arizona State, Sunday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. The Roadrunners enter on the heels of their first win of the season, a 35-6 triumph over American University, while the Sun Devils own a 3-3 overall record. Sunday's matchup is the first conference dual of the season for both schools.
Bakersfield has not hosted a head-to-head matchup since a tri-meet with Stanford and Little Rock on Jan. 24, 2021, and has not hosted a dual meet at the Icardo Center since a Senior Night win over California Baptist on Feb. 21, 2020. Last season's tri-meet was hosted without fans in CSUB's Old Gymnasium.
The `Runners are 1-5 in dual competition this season, dropping decisions last week at #8 Iowa State and Central Michigan, and in a neutral site matchup with #25 Campbell. Three of CSUB's losses this season have come against ranked opponents, including a season opening defeat by #4 Michigan. Additionally, CMU moved into the NWCA Top-25 after last weekend's performance. Eight opponents on Bakersfield's 2021-22 schedule are currently ranked or receiving votes in this week's poll.
CSUB snapped a five-dual losing streak with its win over American, taking all nine contested bouts and dropping only a forfeited bout at 133 pounds. Angelo Martinoni grabbed his team-best third dual victory, while Josh Brown (149) won his third, and Jacob Hansen (184) and Josh Loomer (197) their second.
Arizona State leads the all-time series between the two schools 28-11-1, including a 31-10 win in the two school's last meeting at the 2020 Feud on the Field.
THIS WEEK…
Sunday, Jan. 23 - #11 Arizona State (Bakersfield, Calif.), 2:00 PM PT | Watch | Live Stats | Notes
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BAKERSFIELD'S PROJECTED STARTING LINE-UP…
| WT |
NAME |
YEAR |
HOMETOWN (LAST SCHOOL) |
| 125 |
Eddie Flores |
rSO |
Covina, Calif. (Northview HS) |
| 133 |
Chance Rich or |
rSO |
Valencia, Calif. (Valencia HS) |
|
Aaron Ibarra |
FR |
Guadalupe, Calif. (Righetti HS) |
| 141 |
Angelo Martinoni or |
rSO |
Orangevale, Calif. (Folsom HS) |
|
Louie Ramos |
JR |
Selma, Calif. (Fresno City College) |
| 149 |
Josh Brown |
rJR |
Anaheim, Calif. (Cerritos College) |
| 157 |
Brock Rogers |
rFR |
Corcoran, Calif. (Corcoran HS) |
| 165 |
Augustine Garcia |
JR |
Madera, Calif. (Fresno City College) |
| 174 |
Albert Urias |
rSO |
Bakersfield, Calif. (Ridgeview HS) |
| 184 |
Jacob Hansen |
JR |
Simi Valley, Calif. (Moorpark College) |
| 197 |
Josh Loomer |
rJR |
San Bernardino, Calif. (Cajon HS) |
| |
Mateo Morales |
FR |
Fresno, Calif. (Fresno State) |
| 285 |
Jacob Sieder |
rSR |
Torrance, Calif. (South) |
|
Jake Andrews |
FR |
Bakersfield, Calif. (Frontier HS) |
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION...
Arizona State brings seven wrestlers ranked in the Top-10 of their respective weight classes to Bakersfield, along with their 3-3 overall record after losing 24-19 at Pittsburgh and 20-18 at Princeton last weekend. ASU's other loss came in a neutral site contest with #2 Penn State. The Sun Devils three wins, include a 22-12 win over #17 Oklahoma and a 22-13 decision over #7 Virginia Tech.
ASU is lead by undefeated wrestlers #3 Jacori Teemer (157), #6 Anthony Valencia (165) and #3 Cohlton Schultz (285). #4 Brandon Courtney (125) and #9 Kyle Parco (149) have just one loss, while #4 Michael McGee is 12-2 at 133 pounds.
ROADRUNNER NOTES...
* CSUB Head Coach Luke Smith captured the first dual meet victory of his career when the `Runners raced to a 35-6 win over American University at the Chippewa Challenge. Smith earned the victory on the mats of McGuirk Arena on the Central Michigan campus, the same mats he dominated during a four-year career with the Chippewas.
* Seniors Josh Loomer (197) and Jacob Sieder (285) returned to the Bakersfield line-up at the semester break, providing depth and experience to the Roadrunner upperweight classes.
* #16 Chance Rich (133) and #28 Angelo Martinoni (141) are once again ranked in the InterMat national rankings.
* Three Roadrunners have reached the NCAA Championship Tournament in their CSUB careers; Josh Loomer earned a bid as the 2020 Pac-12 Champion at 184, while Chance Rich and Angelo Martinoni qualified as at large selections in 2021.
* ASU is the fourth ranked opponent CSUB will face this season, the most since the 2018-20 season (5)
* CSUB broke through with a big win over American at the Chippewa Challenge, winning all nine contested bouts for a 35-6 victory, dropping only a forfeit at 133 pounds. Eddie Flores, Brock Rogers, Augustine Garcia, Albert Urias and Jacob Sieder all won their first dual meet victories of the season in the contest.
* Sunday's competition doubles as CSUB Wrestling's Golden Game, requiring attendance from all student-athletes and the program's annual Alumni Event with discount tickets available for Bakersfield wrestling alums.
* Bakersfield sent three wrestlers to the 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., including returnees Chance Rich (133) and Angelo Martinoni (141), to extend its streak of sending at least one competitor to nationals to 47-consecutive seasons. Then senior Dominic Ducharme also participated in the event.
* Chance Rich (133), Angelo Martinoni (141) and Josh Loomer (184, 2020) give CSUB three NCAA Qualifiers on its 29-man roster. Rich advanced to the round of 16 in 2021, while Martinoni finished with a record of 1-2 in his weight class. Loomer won the 184-pound, Pac-12 Championship in 2020, but did not compete at nationals due to the COVID-19 cancellation.
* Eight of Bakersfield's 14 dual opponents are ranked in the top-25, or receiving votes, in the latest NWCA Coaches' Poll. Those eight programs include four Pac-12 rivals, with Arizona State (#6) and Cal Poly (#25), while and Oregon State sit just outside the poll. The Roadrunners dropped their season opener at #4 Michigan and will also face #13 Iowa State this Wednesday, before visiting foes Central Michigan (RV) and Campbell (RV) on Sunday, Jan. 16.
* Seven `Runners hail from Bakersfield, Calif., representing four different high schools in one of the top wrestling communities in the state of California and the Western United States. The city boasts a USA Wrestling Regional Training Center and hosts the CIF Championships each year at Mechanic's Bank Arena. Seven more CSUB scholar-athletes hail from seven different high schools in California's Central Valley. Fresno State's decision to discontinue wrestling leaves CSUB as the lone DI program in the Central Valley.
* Roadrunner wrestlers have won nine NCAA Division I National Championships, including a pair of national titles from Dan Cuestas and Stephen Neal. CSUB also boasts 30 Division II National Champions in its program history.
* Four-time All-American selection Stephen Neal highlights the list of 45 NCAA Division I All-Americans at CSUB. Roadrunner grapplers have also captured 87 Division II All-American honors.
* CSU Bakersfield has sent 17 wrestling alumni to either the Olympic Games or the World Championship freestyle competition. Only eight schools nationally have sent more athletes. That number does not include the `Runners 10 alternate selections and three coaching nods. John Azevedo and Joe Gonzalez were also chosen for the 1980 Olympic Team, but did not compete due to the US boycott of the Soviet games.
NEXT UP...
The Roadrunners open a four-match road trip with a dual at California Baptist on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m., and travel to Stanford and Cal Poly for Pac-12 duals, before returning home to face Oregon State in the annual Feud on the Field on Feb. 19. CSUB will also face Air Force in the meet at Cal Poly.
