Cal Poly to Host Air Force for Non-Conference Dual Meet on Sunday
Cal Poly to Host Air Force for Non-Conference Dual Meet on Sunday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Cal Poly to Host Air Force for Non-Conference Dual Meet on Sunday
-- Cal Poly Wrestling --
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Air Force, ranked No. 25 in the nation by InterMat this week and armed with a 5-1 record in dual meets so far this season, visits the Mott Athletics Center on Sunday for a non-conference dual meet against Cal Poly.
First bout begins at 1 p.m.
Air Force, which has duals at Stanford and Menlo on Friday, is led by a pair of 2012 NCAA qualifiers. Senior Cole VonOhlen, 21-2 this year at 149 pounds, is a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time NCAA West Region champion while junior Josh Kreimier qualified for the NCAAs for the second time a year ago and sports a 12-3 mark at 157 pounds this season.
VonOhlen is ranked No. 4 at 149 by InterMat and has won two tournament titles along with a pair of runner-up finishes this year. The Falcons have one other nationally ranked wrestler in 125-pounder Josh Martinez, a freshman with an 18-6 record.
Other Air Force wrestlers off to good starts this season are 165-pound senior Gabe Martinez (14-6), 174-pound freshman Tyler Mergen (24-6) and 184-pound freshman Konner Witt (17-3).
Under seventh-year head coach Joel Sharratt, the Falcons have beaten Dakota Wesleyan, Northwestern (Iowa), Augustana (South Dakota), Northern Iowa (19-18) and New Mexico Highlands 42-0 while falling only to Oregon State 32-7 on Jan. 11.
Air Force defeated Cal Poly 30-15 a year ago in Colorado Springs, Colo., to improve its record in the all-time series against the Mustangs to 2-0.
Cal Poly is 2-5 in duals this year with wins over Cal Baptist 27-19 and San Francisco State 27-15. SundayÂ’s dual caps a five-match homestand for the Mustangs.
Leading the Mustangs is 133-pound freshman Devon Lotito with a 22-6 record. He won all of his three matches in the Mustang Duals two weeks ago and is ranked No. 20 by InterMat. Lotito, from Bethlehem, Penn., placed first in the Keystone Invitational in Philadelphia and earned a third-place finish at the 32-team Las Vegas Invitational.
In addition to Lotito, Mustang 141-pounder Brandan Rocha, 157-pounder Kyle Chené and 184-pounder Sean Dougherty are off to strong starts this season.
Rocha, from Lemoore, is 10-10 with a victory in the Roadrunner Open and a fall in the Mustang Duals while Chené, who hails from Newport Beach, sports a 13-9 record with a fourth-place finish in the Reno Tournament of Champions. Dougherty, from Walnut Creek, is 17-8 on the year, placing second in the Roadrunner Open at Fresno and fifth in the Keystone Invitational while securing two falls in the Mustang Duals and a major decision in last week’s dual against CSU Bakersfield.
The Mustangs will not have the services of Dominic Kastl and Atticus Disney, however. Kastl, the Pac-12 champion at 165 pounds a year ago, has yet to wrestle this season due to a lower back injury while Disney suffered a knee injury in the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1 and underwent surgery recently.
Cal Poly wrestling, presented by Meathead Movers, will wrestle its next four duals on the road, all Pac-12 matches, with stops at Stanford on Jan. 27, Oregon State on Feb. 8, Boise State on Feb. 10 and Arizona State on Feb. 15.
Final home dual of the season will be Feb. 17 against Central Michigan at 1 p.m.
Probable Lineup for SundayÂ’s Dual:
125 -- Britain Longmire (CP), Junior, Las Vegas, NV (3-4) vs. Josh Martinez (AFA), Freshman, Colorado Springs, CO (18-6) or Mitch Brown (AFA), Freshman, Payson, UT (14-6)
133 -- Devon Lotito (CP), Freshman, Bethlehem, PA (22-6) vs. Dylan Hyder (AFA), Sophomore, Yelm, WA (9-10)
141 -- Brandan Rocha (CP), Junior, Lemoore, CA (10-10) vs. Carter McElhany (AFA), Sophomore, Colorado Springs, CO (11-10)
149 -- Damien Arredondo (CP), Freshman, Fresno, CA (5-6) or Dillen Rocha (CP), Freshman, Lemoore, CA (1-7) vs. Cole VonOhlen (AFA), Senior, Jackson, MN (21-2) or Logan Burch (AFA), Senior, Colorado Springs, CO (3-6)
157 -- Kyle Chené (CP), Junior, Newport Beach, CA 13-9) vs. Josh Kreimier (AFA), Junior, Fort Collins, CO (12-3)
165 -- Paul Woodman (CP), Sophomore, Atascadero, CA (3-9) OR Connor King, Freshman, Poway, CA (4-12) vs. Jesse Stafford (AFA), Sophomore, Loomis, CA (14-8) or Gabe Martinez (AFA), Senior, Falcon, CO (14-6)
174 -- Mitch Woods (CP), Freshman, Camino, CA (0-11) vs. Tyler Mergen (AFA), Freshman, Monticello, MN (24-6) or Clay Gable (AFA), Senior, Dallastown, PA (5-4)
184 -- Sean Dougherty (CP), Junior, Walnut Creek, CA (17-8) vs. Devin Hightower (AFA), Junior, Colorado Springs, CP (11-8) or Konner Witt (AFA), Freshman, Oak Harbor, OH (17-3)
197 -- J.T. Goodwin (CP), Freshman, Stockton, CA (6-11) vs. Josh Mohr (AFA), Senior, Pewaukee, WI (15-10)
285 -- Forfeit (CP) vs. Bentley Alsup (AFA), Sophomore, Missoula, MT (13-9)
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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)
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
eburdick@calpoly.edu