Although Cal Poly’s hopes for a national title rest on four wrestlers, one less than last year, the team is confident heading into the NCAA Championships.
“We’re feeling good, probably the best we felt all year,” Head Coach Jon Sioredas said. “We started getting some traction before conference and now we’re really just using that as a springboard into NCAA championships.”
One Pac-12 Champion, one top-4 seed, one veteran and one first-timer will represent Cal Poly in Philadelphia in the three-day tournament, starting on Thursday, March 20 and running until Saturday, March 22.
Redshirt sophomores Zeth Romney and Koda Holeman represent Cal Poly at 133 pounds and 125 pounds, respectively. Redshirt juniors Chance Lamer at 149 pounds and heavyweight Trevor Tinker round out the championship group.
Redshirt freshman Daschle Lamer is also traveling to Philadelphia as an alternate at 184 pounds. He will step in and wrestle if any wrestlers are injured and cannot compete in the tournament.
Holeman is the only first-time competitor wrestling for Cal Poly. The rest of the veterans have been to the NCAA tournament before, and their experience has changed their approach to the big stage.
Trevor Tinker: No. 15, Heavyweight
Coming off a Pac-12 heavyweight title and in the middle of a 12-bout win streak, Tinker (22-5) is the No. 15 seed and has momentum and experience on his side.
This is Tinker’s third NCAA Championship event, but he enters this year with the highest seed of his career.
However, his 2024-25 season wasn’t only smooth sailing. Midway through the season, after a stretch of tough losses, Tinker decided to make a mental shift in his wrestling.
“I was just done, like, making wrestling so stressful,” Tinker said. “I’m just trying to make sure I’m enjoying this sport for the reasons I got into it.”
Since that change, Tinker hasn’t lost. He didn’t give up a point in the Pac-12 Championships, and is doing the best wrestling of his career at precisely the right time.
Tinker will face No. 18 seeded Lance Runyon (18-7) from the University of Northern Iowa in his first round matchup.
The two wrestled earlier this season at the Cliff Keen Invitational, and Tinker took the loss in that matchup.
Despite the history in his first round matchup, Tinker is not only confident, but relaxed going into the tournament.
“There’s no pressure,” Tinker said. “I made it to nationals, this is the time where you get to really just open up and have fun with it.”
Zeth Romney: No. 4, 133 pounds
As the No. 4 seed at 133 pounds, Romney (14-4) enters the NCAA championships as the highest-seeded Cal Poly wrestler.
His high seed means Romney has a favorable first round matchup against Cornell’s No. 29 seed Tyler Ferrara (12-5).
However, no matchup at nationals will be easy, and Romney is also shifting his approach to the NCAA Championships after a tough debut last year.
“I think I put too much weight on this trip last year,” Romney said. “Everybody’s good at that tournament, so just feeling no pressure, going out there to compete.”
Romney’s health will be another focal point in the tournament. He had injury troubles earlier in the year, missing duals at the NWCA National Duals and against Oregon State.
With injuries a key part of life as a wrestler, Romney made a quick recovery, showing up with a strong performance to grab second at the Pac-12 Championships earlier this month.
“I’ve had little tweaks and been beat-up, but this is the best I’ve felt all season,” Romney said. “It’s super cool to really feel super healthy going into this thing.”
Chance Lamer: No. 14, 149 pounds
Lamer (14-2) is now a three-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships, entering the tournament as the No. 14 seed.
Lamer has the seed advantage over No. 19 Andrew Clark from Rutgers, who he’ll face in the first round of day one.
Cal Poly Wrestling has been plagued by injuries this year, and Lamer also fought back from a lower-back injury that sidelined him early in the season.
The injury and recovery process were difficult to deal with, but Lamer found benefits from his time away from competition.
“It helped give me a sense of urgency to dial in so hard on every other aspect that I could control at that moment,” Lamer said.
Since his return, he’s been a much-needed veteran presence, and carries his years of experience from both Michigan and Cal Poly into NCAAs this year.
In his third year of active collegiate wrestling and third NCAA tournament, the pressure of the spotlight has faded for Lamer.
“I can just go out there and let it fly,” Lamer said. “No matter what, the year’s over, there’s no point in stressing over having a bad competition.”
Koda Holeman: No. 28, 125 pounds
On the other end of the experience spectrum, No. 28 seed Holeman (19-11) qualified with an at-large bid for his first NCAA Championship this year.
Holeman will face the most challenging opponent of his breakout season during the first round of the NCAA Championships. He matches up against Arizona State’s No. 5 seed Richard Figueroa (16-2), who won the 125-pound title last year.
Holeman has taken down top wrestlers this year, including No. 15 seed Maximo Renteria, and he feels ready for the challenge.
“I put in the work, I’m confident that I’m this good,” Holeman said. “I think I’m better than what I’m ranked right now and I think I just gotta go show that.”
Holeman is the only Mustang to wrestle in every match this season, with a consistency needed to extend a deep run into the tournament.
The team has also rallied behind Holeman as the newest NCAA qualifier, seeing the same capability Holeman sees in himself.
“I’m super happy for Koda,” Tinker said. “He’s really worked hard for this and it’s cool getting to see him and his growth as a person on and off the mat.”
The first round of the NCAA Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia starts Thursday, March 20 and runs until Saturday, March 22.