For the second time in the season, Cal Poly Wrestling faced an in-conference opponent, squaring off in a dual with Oregon State on Sunday.
The Beavers were arguably the Mustangs’ toughest matchup of the season thus far. In addition to having to scrap with the No. 25 ranked team in the nation, Cal Poly was forced to do so without the strength of two of their five nationally ranked wrestlers – redshirt junior Zeth Romney and graduate student Trevor Tinker.
Oregon State lived up to its nationally-recognized title, stifling Cal Poly into the program’s first dual loss in nearly a month, with a final score of 24-12. Despite the key absences in their lineup, the Mustangs clawed their way to four victories, all of which came from decisions.
A league of their own
Nationally ranked wrestlers were a dime a dozen in the meeting between the Pac-12 rivals. Of the 20 total competitors in the dual, 11 nationally ranked wrestlers duked it out on the mats. Of the 11 ranked wrestlers competing, only three were donning the green and gold. Oregon State provided the other eight ranked wrestlers, with six capturing victories.
On the flip side, victory appeared to elude Cal Poly.
The Mustangs found themselves in a 10-0 deficit, after having to face three of the Beavers’ ranked wrestlers out of the gate.
Graduate student Andre Gonzales, ranked No. 32 in the nation at 149 pounds, scored Cal Poly’s first win of the match. Utilizing an escape in the second period and a singular takedown in the third period, Gonzales secured a 4-2 upset decision over his Oregon State counterpart Noah Tolentino, the No. 25 ranked wrestler in their class.
At 157 pounds, redshirt freshman Jagger French built off the Mustangs’ newfound momentum and, in similar fashion to Gonzales’ match, used a pair of takedowns in the third period to win his bout 8-3 and cut the match’s deficit to four points – the lowest it would be all afternoon.
Redshirt junior Caesar Garza was another standout for Cal Poly. At 184 pounds, Garza’s match was arguably the most anticipated of the afternoon.
Facing the reigning Pac-12 champion of the class, TJ McDonnell, Garza’s bout became the only match to be taken to overtime, with both wrestlers tied at one point apiece following an escape from both wrestlers in the third period. The bout would enter tiebreakers following a scoreless overtime period.
Garza would nab the victory after securing a takedown in the second tiebreaker, which allowed him to pull ahead of McDonnell, 5-3. In two matches against the reigning champion this season, the redshirt junior remains undefeated.
Freshman Levi Bussey, in his dual debut, secured the Mustangs’ final victory of the afternoon at 285 pounds. Down 4-2 in the bout with less than 15 seconds left to wrestle, Bussey recorded a takedown in the waning seconds of the match to overtake his opponent, sending Cal Poly’s overall point total into the double digits.
The Mustangs have yet to be held to single digit scoring in duals all season.
Ranked wrestling: round two
Cal Poly will face an arguably tougher opponent in Stanford University in nearly two weeks, on Jan. 30.
Currently ranked 24th in the nation, the Cardinal have beaten the Mustangs in six of their last seven encounters. Cal Poly’s latest victory came in the 2022-2023 season, in which they edged Stanford 18-15.
The Cardinal have since bounced back from the loss and have recently dominated the Mustangs, scoring 30 points or more in each of the programs’ last two matchups.
Stanford’s roster is relatively equal in strength to Cal Poly’s. Whereas the Mustangs are host to five nationally ranked wrestlers, the Cardinal boast just one more, with six of their wrestlers gaining national recognition.
The match will take place at Stanford at 7 p.m. on Jan. 30.