Cal Poly Wrestling’s (4-7, 0-1 Pac-12) four-dual win streak came to an end on Friday, coming up short in a 23-12 defeat against the Beavers (3-7, 2-1 Pac-12).
The first conference dual of the season came down to key losses at some of Cal Poly’s strongest weights.
No. 6 ranked junior Chance Lamer took his first loss of the season at 141 pounds, dropping his record to 11-1. The 165-pound bout also snapped No. 23 junior Luka Wick’s six-bout win streak, dating back to the National Duals in Cedar Falls.
The loss drops Cal Poly further below .500, but Head Coach Jon Sioredas sees some upside in the defeat.
“I just told Chance Lamer that this might be the best thing that happened to you this year,” Sioredas said. “There’s one or two things that we can fix with him overnight that will get him from wrestling where he’s at now to being in contention to win the NCAA tournament.”
The Mustangs will face Oregon State wrestlers again at both the Pac-12 Championships and potentially at the NCAA Championship later this year. The adjustments Lamer and many of Cal Poly’s other wrestlers make will be a main focus in the upcoming championship bouts.
Not everything has to be changed, however, as Sioredas said he liked a lot of what Cal Poly brought to the dual on Friday.
“I felt like our effort was great,” Sioredas said. “When you go out and wrestle really freaking hard, you can actually see the areas for improvement.”
The night was not without its standout performances, and No. 33 ranked sophomore Koda Holeman started the night off with high energy at 125 pounds, taking down an overtime win against his hometown rival No. 11 Maximo Renteria.
Holeman and Renteria grew up just a mile away in Clovis and Buchanan, and the long-time rivalry spilled onto the college mat in the night’s opening bout.
“I thought, you know what, let’s just let it all out there,” Holeman said. “Go have fun, Clovis vs Buchanan cannon, it’s always a great time.”
Even with the victory, Holeman also viewed the win as just a part of the season as a whole, using each individual bout as an opportunity for improvement leading up to the end-of-the-year tournaments.
“All I’m trying to focus on is just getting better and better,” Holeman said.
No. 22 ranked junior Trevor Tinker continued his dominant run at heavyweight, ending the night with an emphatic 12-1 major decision over Oregon State’s No. 23 ranked Brett Mower.
Tinker moves to 18-5 on the season, and his consistent performance has not gone unnoticed by the Cal Poly coaching staff.
“You can see Tinker getting tired, but he’s still scoring points,” Sioredas said. “That is so uncommon in our sport. Some people kind of pull off and get a little fear of fatigue but he’s just like, nope, drop him back in.”
Graduate 157-pounder Legend Lamer and freshman 184-pounder Daschle Lamer secured Cal Poly’s last two individual victories of the night, but the team fell short in their only direct head-to-head against the Beavers.
The Mustangs started the season 0-4 in duals but have steadily picked their record back up in early 2025.
Last year, the Mustangs also picked up momentum just before the Pac-12 championships with a 32-3 win against Cal Baptist before taking the Pac-12 title at 174 pounds and sending four wrestlers to the NCAA tournament.
Sioredas and the team focus on that consistent improvement leading up to the crucial end-of-year conference and national tournaments.
“When you come up short, you’re a little bit more motivated,” Sioredas said. “Now these guys, they’re really going to dig in and start taking some notes.”
Looking towards the upcoming schedule, Cal Poly will take on Northern Illinois at 5:30 p.m. and Little Rock at 7 p.m. in back-to-back duals at Mott Athletics Center on Friday, Feb. 9.
“Now we can get back, watch the video, get in the mat room and just keep moving forward,” Sioredas said.
