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Wrestling

CSUB Set to Open Season with Pair of Duals at Stanford

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. --  In more than 50 years of wrestling, Cal State Bakersfield has a rich history, winning two NCAA Division II titles and producing 45 Division I All-Americans, a list highlighted by two-time national champion and Dan Hodge Trophy winner Stephen Neal. CSUB's third-place finish in the 1996 D-I nationals is still the highest finish by a college from California.

After a few lean years coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roadrunners and sixth-year coach Luke Smith are confident they have a squad that can compete at the highest level — not only this year — but for the foreseeable future.

"I think the future is bright," said Smith, whose squad opens the season with a pair of duals at Stanford on Friday, first against Utah Valley at 3 p.m., and then against the nationally-ranked Cardinal at 7. "I think these guys have an opportunity to do some special things this year."

CSUB will rely on a deep squad, enhanced by the addition of a pair of transfers, AJ Ferrari from Oklahoma State and Gerrit Nijenhuis from Oklahoma.

Ferrari, a redshirt sophomore, captured the national championship at 197 pounds as a true freshman for the Cowboys in 2021. He was 10-0 and the concensus #1 wrestler in the country to start the 2021-22 season before being injured in an automobile accident.

"He is so unbelievably disciplined with his diet and training, and he does all these little things," said Smith of Ferrari. "He's very detail oriented on some of those preparation things. And he's, he's very excited to go back out there."

This weekend's matches will be Ferrari's first official in nearly three years, a layoff that has some interested to see if the Texas native can return to form, according to Smith. 

"I think a lot of people are still wondering whether he is still that guy, and wanting to see what version of him that he's going to be," Smith said. "But I think that's a lot of motivation for him. He loves to wrestle, he loves to compete, and he's very excited for the opportunity to go out and show that he still is that guy. And we're excited for him."

Smith has been impressed with the 197 pounder during his preseason workouts and is looking forward to seeing Ferrari's return to the mat.

"He's an extremely rare type of athlete, especially for his size, but he also has toughness and grit," said Smith of Ferrari, who is ranked the No. 12 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country by FloWrestling, which also ranks him No. 4 in the 197 pound weight class. InterMat ranked Ferrari No. 1 at 197. "Sometimes, those guys who are good athletes, things come easy for them, when things get hard, they kind of will fold where, you know, the year he won NCAA, he won a lot of matches where they weren't the prettiest wins, but he just out-fought the other guy."

There are also high expectations for Nijenhuis, a three-time national qualifier. He qualified at 165 and 174 pounds at Purdue and then again at 165 in 2022-23 at Oklahoma State. He wrestled at 174 last season for the Sooners, and is expected to do the same this season for the `Runners.

"Garrett is a great technician," Smith said. "He's very good technically. He's really good on top, and one of the most talented wrestlers I've seen as far as his straight ability. We just need to get him more consistent with some things and I think he can do really well this year, too."

Smith expects the tandem of Ferrari and Nijenhuis to have a positive effect on his returners this season.

"I think it's very important to have guys that have been there, they've done it and they've had that success," Smith said. "So I think it's good for some of our guys around their weights to feel that and be able to test themselves with those guys. And it's even good for some of our younger guys, to watch them and see what they do technically, and even pick up some other habits that will help them try to get to the start, to get to the level of success that they had as well."

Seven consistent starters returned from last season's lineup, giving CSUB a battle-tested lineup: Richard Castro-Sandoval (125), Santino Sanchez (133), Brock Rogers (149), Devyn Flores-Che (157), Guillermo Escobedo (165), Braden Smelser (184) and Jake Andrews (HWT). FloWrestling ranks the Roadrunners No. 27 as a team, while InterMat has the Roadrunners at No. 22. 

"There's definitely potential there," Smith said. "We are definitely capable of winning a national title, but there's a lot of time from now to March, so that's where we're just kind of taking it opportunity by opportunity, and trying to learn and improve, to keep working, to get to get better for March."

In addition to the returning starters, Smith believes senior Romeo McNeal (133), redshirt freshman Haydin Zinkin (141) and freshmen Evan Manzo (165), Jaxtyn Frost (141) and Josiah Sandoval (125/233) could also make an impact.

It all starts this weekend, giving Smith an opportunity to get a better look at his squad against other competition.

"It's going to be a tough one out of the gate," Smith said. "Stanford is pretty solid, up and down the lineup, and Utah Valley made good additions to their program, as well. They have a new coach and have some good transfers coming in so they're going to be a much-improved team."

CSUB will follow up the duals at Stanford with the Menlo Open in Atherton on Saturday. Bakersfield's first home match comes later in the month when they host the Roadrunner Open on Nov. 24.

"So I think that's the big thing early in the season is you're not trying to look too far ahead," Smith said. "Just kind of being in the moment and trying to get a little bit better every day and keep putting out the best version of ourselves. We're not focusing on whether they win or they lose, just looking for constant improvement and getting better."

~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Jake Andrews

Jake Andrews

285
6' 4"
Senior
Richard Castro-Sandoval

Richard Castro-Sandoval

125
5' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Guillermo Escobedo

Guillermo Escobedo

165
5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Devyn Flores-Che

Devyn Flores-Che

157
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Romeo McNeal

Romeo McNeal

133
5' 7"
Senior
Brock Rogers

Brock Rogers

149
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Santino Sanchez

Santino Sanchez

133
5' 6"
Redshirt Sophomore
Braden Smelser

Braden Smelser

184
6' 1"
Senior
Evan Manzo

Evan Manzo

165
5' 8"
Freshman
Josiah Sandoval

Josiah Sandoval

125/133
5' 6"
Freshman
AJ Ferrari

AJ Ferrari

197
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Gerrit Nijenhuis

Gerrit Nijenhuis

174/184
6' 0"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jake Andrews

Jake Andrews

6' 4"
Senior
285
Richard Castro-Sandoval

Richard Castro-Sandoval

5' 2"
Redshirt Junior
125
Guillermo Escobedo

Guillermo Escobedo

5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
165
Devyn Flores-Che

Devyn Flores-Che

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
157
Romeo McNeal

Romeo McNeal

5' 7"
Senior
133
Brock Rogers

Brock Rogers

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
149
Santino Sanchez

Santino Sanchez

5' 6"
Redshirt Sophomore
133
Braden Smelser

Braden Smelser

6' 1"
Senior
184
Evan Manzo

Evan Manzo

5' 8"
Freshman
165
Josiah Sandoval

Josiah Sandoval

5' 6"
Freshman
125/133
AJ Ferrari

AJ Ferrari

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
197
Gerrit Nijenhuis

Gerrit Nijenhuis

6' 0"
Senior
174/184
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