Saturday, November 10
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
1:00 PM
California Baptist University
at
Cal Poly
Photo by: Sammi Wellman
Lancers Take on New Challenge
11/7/2018 10:00:00 AM | Wrestling
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Heading into its inaugural season in NCAA Division I, California Baptist University will lean heavily upon three returners after coming off five strong years in Division II.
CBU opens the 2018-19 season with a dual at Cal Poly on Saturday November 10 at 1 p.m. before the highly-anticipated home opener against second-ranked Ohio State, the reigning Big Ten Conference champion, in the CBU Events Center on Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m..
The Lancers established a solid reputation for themselves in Division II, with third-place finishes the last two years, and will look to build on that this year. CBU's transition seems a little steeper when looking at their 33-man roster and seeing 27 underclassmen, including 21 freshmen (12 true, nine redshirt freshmen), compared to just five juniors and one senior.
"Experience is probably going to be one of the biggest challenges for us," Coach Lennie Zalesky said. "In the beginning it will just be about getting adjusted because we're so young — some guys are fresh out of high school or just redshirted last year."
Zalesky expects returners Daxton Gordon, Garrett Strang and Zach Schrader to have a big impact for the Lancers on the mat and with their leadership.
All three are coming off big seasons in Division II and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Gordon posted a 25-2 record at 149 pounds en route to winning a Division II championship. Strang went 16-12 overall at 197 pounds, won the RMAC championship and was named the conference Freshman of the Year. Schrader logged a 22-12 overall record at heavyweight and took third place in the RMAC.
Schrader will be making a return to D-I wrestling after transferring in from West Virginia in 2017-18. Strang will look to maintain his strong form from last year, while cutting down to the 174-pound weight class.
Zalesky highlighted junior Bryce Buckley and redshirt freshmen Cole Drescher and Arick Lopez as names to watch out for this year, as well.
"We've got a pretty young team — a lot of freshman, redshirt freshman, but we have some talented kids," Zalesky said. "We'll just start out slow and see what happens."
Individual success will be the focus for the Lancers when they are at tournaments like the Road Runner Open, Cliff Keen Invitational and Reno Tournament of Champions this year. The Lancers will be eligible for top-20 Division I rankings in WIN Magazine for the first time, and Zalesky hopes to have some wrestlers in there by the end of the year.
"It would be a big deal to place in tournaments or be ranked in the top-20s individually," Zalesky said. "To do either would mean that our guys can compete in D-I."
CBU opens the 2018-19 season with a dual at Cal Poly on Saturday November 10 at 1 p.m. before the highly-anticipated home opener against second-ranked Ohio State, the reigning Big Ten Conference champion, in the CBU Events Center on Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m..
The Lancers established a solid reputation for themselves in Division II, with third-place finishes the last two years, and will look to build on that this year. CBU's transition seems a little steeper when looking at their 33-man roster and seeing 27 underclassmen, including 21 freshmen (12 true, nine redshirt freshmen), compared to just five juniors and one senior.
"Experience is probably going to be one of the biggest challenges for us," Coach Lennie Zalesky said. "In the beginning it will just be about getting adjusted because we're so young — some guys are fresh out of high school or just redshirted last year."
Zalesky expects returners Daxton Gordon, Garrett Strang and Zach Schrader to have a big impact for the Lancers on the mat and with their leadership.
All three are coming off big seasons in Division II and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Gordon posted a 25-2 record at 149 pounds en route to winning a Division II championship. Strang went 16-12 overall at 197 pounds, won the RMAC championship and was named the conference Freshman of the Year. Schrader logged a 22-12 overall record at heavyweight and took third place in the RMAC.
Schrader will be making a return to D-I wrestling after transferring in from West Virginia in 2017-18. Strang will look to maintain his strong form from last year, while cutting down to the 174-pound weight class.
Zalesky highlighted junior Bryce Buckley and redshirt freshmen Cole Drescher and Arick Lopez as names to watch out for this year, as well.
"We've got a pretty young team — a lot of freshman, redshirt freshman, but we have some talented kids," Zalesky said. "We'll just start out slow and see what happens."
Individual success will be the focus for the Lancers when they are at tournaments like the Road Runner Open, Cliff Keen Invitational and Reno Tournament of Champions this year. The Lancers will be eligible for top-20 Division I rankings in WIN Magazine for the first time, and Zalesky hopes to have some wrestlers in there by the end of the year.
"It would be a big deal to place in tournaments or be ranked in the top-20s individually," Zalesky said. "To do either would mean that our guys can compete in D-I."
Players Mentioned
174
/ Wrestling
157
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
285
/ Wrestling
174
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