Entering the season in early November, Cal Poly Wrestling boasted a starting rotation that included five nationally-ranked wrestlers.
But following the injuries to All-American Zeth Romney at 141 pounds and the 2025 Pac-12 heavyweight champion Trevor Tinker in late December, the Mustangs were down to three nationally-ranked starters.
In a season marred by uncertainty, the Mustangs were able to maintain stability through the establishment of a “next man up” mentality; a mindset which has allowed Cal Poly to right the course of their ship amidst the whirlwind of the season.
‘Next Man Up’
The “next man up” mentality is not a new development. Having fully experienced the consequences of participating in the NCAA’s arguably most physical sport, Head Coach Jon Sioredas had engraved the mindset within the team since the beginning of the season.
The execution of the mentality expanded beyond just words, with Sioredas establishing the mindset through his actions. In his 10th season at Cal Poly, his experience shines through in his methods of preparation, as well as his treatment of each wrestler.
Defined by a constant readiness, Sioredas keeps each wrestler on his toes, regardless of their statuses as either a regular starter or a backup, with the intent to build depth within the program.
“We treat them like starters ahead of time, anticipating injuries that will eventually happen,” Sioredas said. “When that does happen, next guy steps up, and he’s ready to go.”
The preparations to build up the consistent readiness are split into a cycle composed of two training phases.
The cycle begins with the toughest phase of the pair, with each wrestler being pushed to their physical limits for approximately two weeks before entering a recovery phase that could last for, at most, another two weeks.
Sioredas and his wrestlers are unafraid to put in the extra work necessary to improve. The veteran head coach holds wrestlers after practice and in an effort to build upon the weaknesses of several wrestlers, while enhancing their strengths.
“Expectations are higher,” Sioredas said. “It’s not a situation where anyone can take a backseat because they’re not ‘the guy.’ Everybody wants to be ready when their name gets called.”
The newfound culture within the program has allowed the Mustangs to remain competitive in each of their duals since losing Romney and Tinker, going 2-3 in their five matches since the dual injuries.
Each win from the Mustangs has come in dominant fashion. The program took a 28-16 win over Duke in early January, picking up three technical falls and two major decisions.Cal Poly’s next win came against Morgan State in an emphatic 37-15 victory.
In their losses within that span, the Mustangs faced nationally-ranked opponents and continued to remain competitive.
In their dual against No. 25 Oregon State, Cal Poly won four of the 10 bouts for a final 12-24 final score. Against No. 12 Little Rock, six Cal Poly defeats came by just a decision; each wrestler lost by a margin of five points or less.
“It’s important that we’re making progress throughout the season because we are aiming to be a team that gets continuously better,” Sioredas said. “We’re just focused on growth and I think we’re very scrappy this year.”
Digging deep
The enactment of the “next man up” mentality has proven to be vital to the overall development of this year’s lineup.
The mindset shift, paired with the 2022 NCAA rule change that let freshman and other eligible athletes compete in up to five dates of competition while maintaining their redshirt status, has allowed Sioredas to dig into the depths of the program.
“I think, from a coaching staff standpoint, it allows us to pour into the backups and the red shirts, and not just our starters,” Sioredas said. “I think the easy way is grab your best couple guys, and pour everything into them, and they do well, but then what happens if one or two guys goes out?”
Sioredas has made good use of the team’s depth, having assembled a different lineup in each dual following the two injuries. His decisions are made in an effort to give each wrestler more reps, while also building a lineup that will have as much success against an individual opponent as possible.
Freshman wrestler Levi Bussey is a prime example of Sioredas’ application of the “next man up” mindset. Weighing in at 197 pounds, Bussey was asked to wrestle out of his weight class in place of the heavyweight Tinker in their matchup against Oregon State.
“We asked Levi to step in at heavyweight and he didn’t miss a beat. He said, ‘yes, sir, coach, whatever you need,’” Sioredas said. “He’s losing but finds a takedown late in the third to go up. That’s a perfect example of next man up being ready to go and seizing the opportunity.”
Bussey’s attitude towards the mentality shift is not unique to himself, but rather it is reflective of the beliefs of the rest of the team. The shift in mindset has swiftly been embraced by each member of the program, regardless of their position on the depth chart, according to redshirt freshman Alek VanBebber.
“Everyone trains hard, everyone’s focused,” VanBebber said. “If you watch everyone, everyone’s scrapping, no one’s falling over for anyone else. Doesn’t matter the weight; everyone’s gonna wrestle the same.”
The championship rounds
Cal Poly’s season is nearing its conclusion. Only days remain before the 2026 Pac-12 Championships on March 6, which will be held in San Luis Obispo at the Mott Athletics Center.
With uncertainty still surrounding their roster, the Mustangs are looking to remain consistent and utilize the shift in culture and their work ethic to find success in the championships, and potentially the NCAA Championships.
“As long as you give 100%, what else can you do?” VanBebber said. “It’s not really a win or loss thing. It’s just, go out there and you give it all you’ve got; you have to give 100%.”
Cal Poly wrestled in their final tournament of the regular season, the California Last Chance Open, on Sunday, Feb. 22. Three wrestlers placed first within their weights.
The preliminary rounds of 2026 Pac-12 Championships.will begin Friday, March 6 at 12:30 p.m., with the final championship rounds taking place at 6 p.m.