Cal Poly Wrestling sent 14 wrestlers to the University of Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I National Dual Meet Championships on Jan. 10 and 11.
It was the Mustangs’ first dual meet action since Dec. 19, when they took losses to Cal Baptist and Northwestern at home. After going 1-2 on day one, the team picked up momentum, netting two victories on day two over Ohio (30-16) and Sacred Heart (31-12).
Five of the Mustangs who made the trip are nationally ranked, including No. 3 ranked 133-pound redshirt sophomore Zeth Romney and No. 7 ranked 149-pounder Chance Lamer.
Lamer was one of three Cal Poly wrestlers to go undefeated across both days of action, with Junior Trevor Tinker, the No. 29 heavyweight wrestler and 165-pound redshirt junior Luka Wick also completing perfect individual performances.
Mustangs stopped in quarterfinals on Day One
Intermat’s No. 22 ranked team faced off against three opponents on day one, going as far as the quarterfinals before being bounced to the consolation bracket by No. 15 Little Rock.
They started strong Friday morning, winning comfortably against six-seeded George Mason 26-14.
The Mustangs were the No. 9 seed coming into the tournament.
Romney continued his dominant run this season with a stunning fall victory over No. 6 ranked opponent Nasir Bailey, an All-American last year.
Tinker added a fall victory early on in the day.
In their second matchup, the Mustangs squared off against Little Rock and narrowly lost 22-19, putting them out of the championship bracket.
Another fall victory from Romney and an upset decision victory by Wick for his second straight victory wasn’t enough to overcome the Little Rock squad.
Wick was the surprise star of the day, going 3-0 against tough opponents, including two upset victories against No. 20 Joey Bianchi and No. 23 Evan Maag.
In their first and only consolation match of day one, the Mustangs fell again, this time 23-16 against Drexel.
In his first appearance of the tournament, 197-pound redshirt sophomore Wesley Wilson landed a pin for a fall victory to soften the loss.
Tinker added a third strong performance that capped off the day, winning a 9-0 major decision and keeping him undefeated in the tournament.
Dominance on Day Two
The Mustangs rolled to an early 30-16 win over No. 8 seed Ohio for their first consolation match of day two, securing the win despite a forfeit at 133 pounds.
Tinker added to his unstoppable run, defeating Ohio’s Wyatt Schmitt in a 16-0 technical fall for his fourth tournament win.
Redshirt sophomore Koda Holeman, the No. 32 ranked 125-pounder, also added to the victory by forcing a fall 36 seconds into the match.
Wick and Chance continued their undefeated runs in the victory, adding a 20-3 technical fall and a pin to the point total, respectively.
In the final matchup of the day, Cal Poly took on No. 12 seed Sacred Heart, dominating the match 31-12 to cap off a clinical day two of action.
Wilson, who secured his first dual victory during his debut earlier in the tournament, added to his win column with a decision victory over Kevin Taylor.
At 157 pounds, graduate Legend Lamer also secured his second shutout victory of the day in a 5-0 decision.
Tinker, C. Lamer, Wick, and freshman 141-pounder Alek VanBebber all went undefeated on day two.
For Tinker, Lamer, and Wick, the perfect day capped off a perfect tournament, with all three wrestlers going 5-0 across five matches.
Lamer remains a perfect 10-0 on the season, while Wick jumps to 8-4. Holeman was also a standout 4-1 in the tournament, boasting a 15-8 record from the national duals.
As the No. 29 ranked heavyweight, Tinker couldn’t be stopped in his five matches, either shutting out his opponent or scoring a fall/technical fall in each contest.
The Mustangs’ next action will be hosting Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Sunday, Feb. 2, at Mott Athletics Center.
