STANFORD, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield wrestling team kicked off the 2024-25 season with a pair of duals on Friday night, headlined by double victories from NCAA Champion AJ Ferrari as well as Bakersfield native Jake Andrews.

Ferrari, the 2021 NCAA Champion at 197 pounds, opened the season with a dominant, 22-6 tech fall over Utah Valley's Kael Bennie. The Roadrunner closed out the tri-dual with a 5-0 victory over Stanford's Nick Stemmet, a two-time NCAA Qualifier who came into the weekend ranked #18 in the country. Ferrari is ranked in the Top 5 in three different polls, including a No. 1 ranking from InterMat.

With his pair of victories, Ferrari extended his win streak to 22-straight matches, dating back to 2021. During his title run as a true freshman at Oklahoma State, Ferrari won his final 10 matches of the season. He then went on a 10-0 run to kick off 2022-23 before a season-ending injury sustained in a car accident.

Andrews, a senior and graduate of Frontier High School, also posted a pair of victories on Opening Night. The heavyweight earned two third-period takedowns to seal a convincing, 8-2 win over UVU's Jack Forbes in the afternoon matinee. He then gutted out a hard-fought, 2-0 decision against Stanford's Jackson Mankowski to start the season with a 2-0 record.

Cal State Bakersfield dropped the dual against Utah Valley 25-15 before falling against #21 Stanford by a final score of 29-12. The fresh-faced `Runners looked strong in their first competitive action of the season, but will continue grinding on Saturday at the Menlo Invite. CSUB's first home competition is set for Nov. 24 when the Icardo Center hosts the annual Roadrunner Open while Bakersfield's first dual of the season is scheduled for Dec. 15 vs. Michigan State.