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Chance Rich

Wrestling

Smith’s Tested `Runners Ready to Open 2022-23 Season

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The benefit of enduring the bumps and bruises that come along with a young team is taking the lessons learned from a challenging year and heading into the following season with aged wisdom and great momentum. That is exactly what Cal State Bakersfield's Head Coach Luke Smith is doing with his Roadrunner wrestling squad as the team is set to dive into the 2022-23 season.

Experience

Smith, who is entering his third season at the helm of the `Runners, coached a relatively inexperienced squad through the 2021-22 season and they are now enjoying the fruits of their labor. Bakersfield returns eight of ten starters for the 2022-23 campaign, meaning the `Runner roster is oversaturated with experience.

"Having all of that experience coming back is very important," Smith said. "Our team has improved a lot over the last year. We have put a lot of time in on the mat and we're a lot stronger and a lot better technically. We also have the most depth we have had since I've been here."

The obvious ace in Smith's hand is 133-pounder Chance Rich, a two-time National Qualifier who, at the 2022 NCAA Championships, was one controversial call away from having a single victory left to solidify a spot as an All-American. Rich battled through an injury-stunted season to post an outstanding year and has returned for his fifth year in the Bakersfield program.

But the `Runner experience goes much deeper than just Rich as CSUB weclomes back starters in Eddie Flores (125), Angelo Martinoni (141), Josh Brown (149), Brock Rogers (157), Augustine Garcia (165), Albert Urias (174), and Jacob Hansen (184).

Smith also pointed out that his squad has outstanding depth at several weight classes. Bakersfield's Head Coach expects Richard Castrol-Sandoval to battle Flores at 125. He also believes Johnathon Viveros will challenge for the 149 position. But the 141-pounders are CSUB's deepest bunch as Martinoni, a former National Qualifier himself, will have to earn his way against the talented Tyler Deen and Isaac Salas.

Chemistry

"We have a good group of guys that are tough, gritty kids," Smith said of this roster. "They have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. We did alright for how young we were last year, but we know that we're capable of more."

Every single one of the men on Smith's roster hails from the state of California – yes, Deen is a native of New Mexico, but he attended Buchanan High School in Fresno – and Bakersfield's Head Coach believes that similarity has bonded his team: "We have a whole room of guys who are self-motivated and hold themselves to a high standard. A lot of these guys all know each other and grew up seeing each other at tournaments. It's a very unique team chemistry."

Schedule

The `Runners will kick off the 2022-23 season this Sunday, Nov. 6, when CSUB tackles the Menlo Open. Two weeks later, Bakersfield will play host to the annual Roadrunner Open on Nov. 20. With no dual meets scheduled in the opening months of the season, Smith has designed these early tournaments as competition grounds for the squad's starting positions. CSUB will then face tough tests at the Cliff Keen Invitational in December followed by the Southern Scuffle to kick off the New Year.

Tournament season will give way to the biggest home dual CSUB has hosted since Penn State came to Bakersfield in 2016. On Jan. 8, 2023, the Icardo Center will see Cal State Bakersfield clash with the University of Michigan. The `Runners will defend their home mat against the Wolverines, who finished second in the team standings at NCAAs a year ago.

"That dual is huge for our program and the wrestling community. To bring in the second-best team in the country and a team with that kind of history is great for our guys. We want to put our team in big match situations so that those big matches feel like just any other match."

After five-straight road duals, the `Runners will kick off Pac-12 competition on Jan. 29 at Oregon State. CSUB will then host four-straight home matches before closing the regular season at Arizona State on Feb. 16.

"The Pac-12 had the second-most All-Americans behind the Big 10 last year, even though we have a lot less teams. There are four teams that are ranked in the Top 25 in different rankings. If we keep developing at the rate we're going, we feel like we can compete with those teams. We're more focused on the outcome than the process."

CSUB will get its final test against its league foes at the Pac-12 Championships on Mar. 5 in Palo Alto, Calif. The conference's tournament will serve as an opportunity for some wrestlers to earn automatic berths into the NCAA Championships while also letting others sign off on their resumes as potential at-large selections. The 2023 national tournament will be hosted in Tulsa, Okla., Mar. 16-18, and Bakersfield hopes to continue its streak of 47 consecutive seasons of sending at least one `Runner to the NCAA Championship.

Tickets

Fans can purchase Season Tickets or Single-Game Tickets ahead of time at GoRunners.com/Tickets or by calling 661-654-BLUE or 661-654-GOLD. You will not want to miss out on the action-packed schedule set for the Icardo Center!
~GoRunners.com~
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