CORVALLIS, Ore. - A historic streak was snapped in 2024 when, for the first time in half a century, the Cal State Bakersfield wrestling program failed to send at least one Roadrunner to the NCAA Championships. Determined to get one of the West Coast's most historically successful programs back on track, Head Coach Luke Smith recruited and trained his way to not one, not two, but three NCAA Qualifiers after a thrilling Pac-12 Championships on Thursday night.

Leading the way for the Roadrunners was the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the country at 197 pounds, AJ Ferrari. The former NCAA Champion earned a Pac-12 title on Thursday night with a 2-0 decision over No. 6 Stephen Little of Little Rock. Ferrari gave Bakersfield its first Pac-12 crown since 2021 (Dom Ducharme) and punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, but the rest of the `Runners would not go quietly into the night.

Bakersfield native Jake Andrews came in as the favorite at heavyweight, but lost the Pac-12 title match to Cal Poly's No. 19 Trevor Tinker. Andrews, ranked No. 15 in the country, was in Urgent Care on Wednesday due to illness and had no energy left in the tank, but the senior came back out for his third match of the day against Little Rock's No. 27 Brett Mower. In his second overtime bout of the day, Andrews mustered one more push and earned a sudden victory takedown, claiming the Pac-12's second and final automatic bid at the heavyweight class.

The final bout of the tournament arrived. Over eight hours from his first bout of the day, CSUB 125-pounder Richard Castro-Sandoval faced off against top-seeded No. 29 Koda Holeman for second place and the final automatic bid to NCAAs. Castro-Sandoval came out hot, surprising his ranked foe with an early takedown, then posted an all-time, highlight reel-worthy pin to earn his first trip to the NCAA Championships.

The 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held in Philadelphia, Mar. 20-22, when Coach Smith, Ferrari, Andrews, and Castro-Sandoval will test their mettle against the best in the country.