In their last dual before the Pac-12 Championships, Cal Poly ended the regular season on a high note with a 23-20 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday, Feb. 23 outside on CSU Bakersfield’s Main Soccer Field.
Both teams won five matches in the Pac-12 Championship preview, but key performances from sophomore Koda Holeman, graduate Legend Lamer and junior Kendall La Rosa gave the Mustangs (5-9, 1-2 Pac-12) the edge in the dual over the Roadrunners (5-14, 0-3 Pac-12).
With the win, Cal Poly finishes the regular season in third place in the Pac-12 out of four teams. The Green and Gold finish behind second-place Oregon State (4-7, 2-1 Pac-12) and first-place and No. 15 ranked Little Rock (17-3, 3-0 Pac-12).
Cal Poly continued their win streak against Cal State Bakersfield, with the dual counting as their fourth victory in a row against the Roadrunners.
Despite the win, junior and No. 9 ranked 149-pounder Chance Lamer and redshirt junior and No. 21 ranked heavyweight Trevor Tinker were both held out of the dual.
Holeman, ranked No. 30 in the nation at 125 pounds, started off the afternoon with a decisive 22-8 major decision, earning a bonus point for his performance.
He is now 19-9 this season and has won six out of his last seven bouts, including a victory over the No. 11 ranked wrestler in the nation in the Oregon State dual.
Holeman hasn’t lost against any Pac-12 opponent, putting him in prime position to take the 125-pound weight class at the Pac-12 Championships in Corvallis.
Legend, ranked No. 33, has also had solid performances lately at 157 pounds. He missed the back-to-back duals against Little Rock and Northern Illinois last week but is 5-0 in his last five bouts.
Against the Roadrunners, that streak continued, and he cruised to a 16-0 technical fall victory, his fifth of the season.
Unlike Holeman and Legend, La Rosa had only wrestled four times this season and had yet to secure a victory.
However, La Rosa faced off at 174 pounds and gave a dominant performance against Bakersfield’s Chris Neal, forcing a 20-4 technical fall for his first win of the season.
No. 24 ranked at 165 pounds, junior Luka Wick continued his strong season, grabbing a 4-3 decision to keep the Mustangs ahead of the Roadrunners and improve to 11-6 overall this season.
No. 10 ranked Zeth Romney also accepted a forfeit victory at 133 pounds, improving to 13-3 on the season.
With the regular season over, Cal Poly’s wrestlers prepare for the Pac-12 Championships in Corvallis, Oregon, on Thursday, March 6.
The Mustangs have six ranked wrestlers going into the tournament, including two in the top ten of their respective weights, Romney and Chance Lamer.
After the Pac-12 Championships, the NCAA Championships will start on Thursday, March 20. Cal Poly sent four wrestlers to the three-day event last year.
