Saturday, January 28
San Francisco, Calif.
8:00 AM
California Baptist University
at
California Collegiate Open
Photo by: Brandon Davis/SFSU Athletics
Five Lancers Win Titles
1/28/2017 8:39:00 PM | Wrestling
SAN FRANCISCO – Five California Baptist University wrestlers will end up going into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships with a ton of confidence after winning their respective weight classes at the California Collegiate Open on Saturday.
Peter Cunningham, Anthony Racobaldo, Greg Gaxiola, Christian Smith and Nolan Kistler all won their divisions at the Open Tournament, which was hosted by San Francisco State. The 11th-ranked Lancers now prepare for the RMAC Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., next Saturday before they make their home opener and closer Feb. 11th in a dual against Simon Fraser.
Cunningham dominated his way to the 141-pound title, opening with a 12-2 major of Stanford's Brandon Kier and then majoring Devin Everk, 13-3, to advance into the championship round. The junior teched SF State's Josh Villaflor, 17-1, to secure the title.
At 149, Anthony Racobaldo opened with a close 9-6 decision over Kurtis Clem before pinning his next three opponents, including NCAA Division I opponents from Bakersfield and Stanford, en route to the championship.
Gaxiola wrestled unattached at 157, but may have worked his way into a starting role. He opened with a 1:08 pin of Jesse Jaime Jr. and then knocked off SFSU's Mason Boutain to advance to the finals. He met Lancer teammate Kurtis Becker there, after Becker won by scores of 10-0, 16-0 and 10-3 in the opening rounds. It was a close call, but Gaxiola pulled out the one-point decision, 6-5.
Smith steamrolled his competition in the 165 bracket, opening with a first-period pin in 2:22 and then an 18-4 major of Oregon State's Dracius McKee. In the championships, he pinned SF State's Tyson Kuahine in 2:21.
Dominic Kincaid also wrestled at 165 for CBU, winning his first match 9-1 and then falling to Kuahine 11-4 in the semis. Kincaid rebounded with consecutive pins, including one over McKee in 2:38 to secure third-place in the bracket.
Kistler was close to perfect in his first three matches at 174, with a 2:13 pin and 18-0 and 12-0 shutouts leading him into the finals. Simon Fraser's Reid Watkins proved a tough matchup, but Kistler won out 6-4 to take the title.
Paul Head competed in a daunting heavyweight bracket and opened with a 4-3 win over Bakersfield's Jarrod Snyder, but then fell to Oregon State's David Henry in the semifinals. He came back with a 4-2 win over teammate Harlan Kistler to advance to the third-place match where he defeated Fresno State's Josh Hokit in overtime, 5-3. Harlan Kistler won two matches by pinfall before meeting up with Head.
Mario Barrios (125), Jacob Cooper (157), Slater Johnson (157), Austin Kleint (174) and Bryce Benlian (197) also wrestled in the event for the Lancers. Johnson won three of his matches, while Cooper and Benlian each logged two wins and Kleint added one of his own.
RESULTS
Peter Cunningham, Anthony Racobaldo, Greg Gaxiola, Christian Smith and Nolan Kistler all won their divisions at the Open Tournament, which was hosted by San Francisco State. The 11th-ranked Lancers now prepare for the RMAC Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., next Saturday before they make their home opener and closer Feb. 11th in a dual against Simon Fraser.
Cunningham dominated his way to the 141-pound title, opening with a 12-2 major of Stanford's Brandon Kier and then majoring Devin Everk, 13-3, to advance into the championship round. The junior teched SF State's Josh Villaflor, 17-1, to secure the title.
At 149, Anthony Racobaldo opened with a close 9-6 decision over Kurtis Clem before pinning his next three opponents, including NCAA Division I opponents from Bakersfield and Stanford, en route to the championship.
Gaxiola wrestled unattached at 157, but may have worked his way into a starting role. He opened with a 1:08 pin of Jesse Jaime Jr. and then knocked off SFSU's Mason Boutain to advance to the finals. He met Lancer teammate Kurtis Becker there, after Becker won by scores of 10-0, 16-0 and 10-3 in the opening rounds. It was a close call, but Gaxiola pulled out the one-point decision, 6-5.
Smith steamrolled his competition in the 165 bracket, opening with a first-period pin in 2:22 and then an 18-4 major of Oregon State's Dracius McKee. In the championships, he pinned SF State's Tyson Kuahine in 2:21.
Dominic Kincaid also wrestled at 165 for CBU, winning his first match 9-1 and then falling to Kuahine 11-4 in the semis. Kincaid rebounded with consecutive pins, including one over McKee in 2:38 to secure third-place in the bracket.
Kistler was close to perfect in his first three matches at 174, with a 2:13 pin and 18-0 and 12-0 shutouts leading him into the finals. Simon Fraser's Reid Watkins proved a tough matchup, but Kistler won out 6-4 to take the title.
Paul Head competed in a daunting heavyweight bracket and opened with a 4-3 win over Bakersfield's Jarrod Snyder, but then fell to Oregon State's David Henry in the semifinals. He came back with a 4-2 win over teammate Harlan Kistler to advance to the third-place match where he defeated Fresno State's Josh Hokit in overtime, 5-3. Harlan Kistler won two matches by pinfall before meeting up with Head.
Mario Barrios (125), Jacob Cooper (157), Slater Johnson (157), Austin Kleint (174) and Bryce Benlian (197) also wrestled in the event for the Lancers. Johnson won three of his matches, while Cooper and Benlian each logged two wins and Kleint added one of his own.
RESULTS
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