Cal Poly to Host Arizona State for Final Dual Meet of Season on Homecoming and

Feb 11, 2014 by FloWrestling Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Cal Poly to Host Arizona State for Final Dual Meet of Season on Homecoming and Senior Night

-- Cal Poly Wrestling --

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly's last national championship wrestling team will celebrate its 40th anniversary as part of Friday night's homecoming activities for the Mustangs' Pac-12 dual meet with Arizona State in the Mott Athletics Center.

The 1973-74 Mustangs captured Cal Poly's eighth and final NCAA Division II national championship at Cal State Fullerton, with Cliff Hatch and Keith Leland earning national titles, Grant Arnold, Rodger Warner and Bruce Lynn claiming second place, Sythell Thompson earning third, Leon Iannarelli taking fourth and Guy Greene and Steve Gardner finishing fifth.

Cal Poly moved to Division I starting with the 1974-75 season.

Homecoming festivities include a 5:30 p.m. alumni social at President Jeff Armstrong's home, the dual with the Sun Devils at 7 p.m. and another alumni social at 9 p.m. at Luis Wine Bar in San Luis Obispo.

A round of golf and an alumni social Saturday at Avila Beach Golf Resort will conclude homecoming activities.

On the mat Friday night, Cal Poly (3-8) faces an Arizona State team that owns a 7-7 overall record, including a 2-1 mark in Pac-12 duals. The Sun Devils upset Oregon State 17-16 on Sunday after losses to Iowa State 21-12 and Stanford 22-10 the previous weekend.

Cal Poly fell 24-9 to Stanford and 31-10 to South Dakota State in a triangular meet Sunday in the Mott Athletics Center. Senior Britain Longmire was Cal Poly's lone double winner with 3-2 and 8-2 decisions, raising his record for the year to 13-12.

The Mustangs have a pair of injured Kastls, but Dominic Kastl could return to the lineup Friday.

Cal Poly 149-pounder Blake Kastl, ranked No. 31 in the latest NCAA Division I Coaches Poll with an 18-8 record, has not wrestled since Jan. 24 and the redshirt freshman will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

His older brother, junior Dominic Kastl, injured a shoulder in Sunday's dual meet against South Dakota State. He defaulted that match and Cal Poly forfeited the 174-pound match hours later against Stanford, but Kastl is expected to be in Friday's lineup.

Now 15-4 on the year, Kastl had won seven of his last eight matches prior to the injury. He was ranked No. 19 last week and won the Pac-12 title at 165 pounds two years ago.

Cal Poly, seeking to snap a five-match losing streak, likely will send just two nationally ranked wrestlers against Arizona State.

In addition to Dominic Kastl, sophomore Devon Lotito sports a 19-8 record at 133 pounds and is ranked No. 18 in the NCAA poll. He earned an 11-4 decision in the South Dakota State dual and fell 4-3 to No. 10 Ryan Mango of Stanford on Sunday.

Lotito, the defending Pac-12 champion at 133 pounds, placed third in the Reno Tournament of Champions and seventh at the Midlands Championship earlier this season.

In addition to Longmire and Lotito, other Mustangs with winning records include Victor Trujillo (18-10) at 141 pounds, Kyle Chené (13-11) at 149 and Spencer Empey (12-10) at 285. Sean Dougherty is 11-11 at 184 pounds.

Arizona will have only one nationally ranked wrestler -- 184-pounder Blake Stauffer. The sophomore is ranked No. 22 in the NCAA poll with a 16-6 record. Stauffer was 22-5 as a freshman a year ago, finishing second in the Pac-12 finals at 174 pounds.

Other Sun Devils with records above the .500 mark are 125-pounder Ares Carpio (16-11), 141-pounder Matt Kraus (17-11), 157-pounder Joel Smith (15-9) and 174-pounder Ray Waters (11-10).

Arizona State holds a 30-14 advantage in its series against Cal Poly, winning last year's dual meet 38-3 in Tempe. The Mustangs beat the Sun Devils 26-11 two years ago and had won three straight matches against Arizona State before falling last year.

Four Mustang seniors will be honored just prior to the dual meet. They are Longmire, Chené, Dougherty and Brandan Rocha.

Friday's dual concludes the regular season. Cal Poly will compete in the Pac-12 Championship on Sunday, March 2, at Stanford, with the NCAA Division I National Championship scheduled for March 20-22 in Oklahoma City.

Arizona State at Cal Poly (Friday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m., Mott Athletics Center):

125 -- Britain Longmire (CP) (13-12), Senior, Las Vegas, NV vs. Ares Carpio (ASU) (16-11), Sophomore, Federal Way, WA

133 -- Devon Lotito (CP) (19-8), Sophomore, Bethlehem, PA vs. Kalin Goodsite (ASU) (1-9), Sophomore, Riverside, CA

141 -- Victor Trujillo (CP) (18-10), Freshman, Rio Linda, CA vs. Matt Kraus (ASU) (17-11), Sophomore, Imperial, MO

149 -- Kyle Chené (CP) (13-11), Senior, Newport Beach, CA vs. Preston McCalmon (ASU) (5-17), Junior, Lafayette, GA

157 -- Luke McDonald (CP) (8-10), Sophomore, Orange, CA or Xavier Johnson (CP) (3-12), Freshman (RS), Brentwood, CA vs. Joel Smith (ASU) (15-9), Junior, Lawrenceville, GA

165 -- Travis Berridge (CP) (13-14), Freshman, Brandon FL vs. Nick Rex (ASU) (7-8), Graduate, Lakeland, FL

174 -- Dominic Kastl (CP) (15-4), Junior, Gilroy, CA vs. Ray Waters (ASU) (11-10), Sophomore, Chicago, IL

184 -- Sean Dougherty (CP) (11-11), Senior, Walnut Creek, CA vs. Blake Stauffer (ASU) (16-6), Sophomore, Neosho, MO

197 -- Nicolas Johnson (CP) (6-15), Freshman, Murrieta, CA vs. Wesley Moore (ASU) (5-7), Freshman, Queen Creek, AZ

285 -- Spencer Empey (CP) (12-10), Freshman, Sparks, NV vs. Chace Eskam (ASU) (7-12), Junior, Carlsbad, CA

------

Eric Burdick
Associate Director of Athletics Communications
(Football, Baseball, Wrestling, Men's and Women's Golf, Men's and Women's Swimming SID)
Cal Poly
Mott Gym, Room 123
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0388
(805) 756-6550 (office)
(805) 550-3427 (cell)

(805) 756-2650 (fax)
eburdick@calpoly.edu