Friday, February 23
Las Vegas, N.M.
All Day
California Baptist University
vs
NCAA Division II Super Regional
CBU Ready to Defend Title
2/22/2018 5:18:00 PM | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — This weekend, No. 4-ranked California Baptist University looks to defend its NCAA Division II Super Regional title and advance as many wrestlers as possible to the NCAA Division II Championship March 9-10 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Lancers have never finished outside of the top-two at the Super Regional and last year saw seven grapplers qualify to compete for a Division II title.
Prior to the competition starting, Coach Lennie Zalesky was named the NCAA Division II Super Region IV Coach of the Year.
Nolan Kistler, who currently ranks second in D-II in the 174-pound weight class, looks to lead the charge after winning last year's regional crown. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Year has been on a dominating tear, only allowing seven points in his last 12 matches. He boasts a 19-3 overall record, with his losses only coming to Division I foes, and is looking to book his fourth-straight ticket to the D-II Championship.
Nick Fiegener also won his weight class last year at the Super Regional and currently ranks third in Division II among 184-pound grapplers. He boasts a 16-4 record, with more than half of his wins (10) not even going the full seven minutes: seven tech fall victories and three wins by pin.
Fifth-ranked Daxton Gordon (149 pounds) also comes into the regional with a lot of steam and most recently earned himself All-RMAC first-team honors. He is on a 12-match winning streak, boasting a 17-2 overall record. Of his 17 wins, almost half have come by major decision (eight). Last year the redshirt sophomore took fourth at the Super Regional to qualify for the D-II championship.
Christian Smith looks to improve on last year's third-place finish in the 165-pound bracket and make his second-straight trip to the D-II Championship. He sits fourth in D-II with a 15-6 overall record, with four of those victories coming by fall.
Making their NCAA Division II Super Regional debuts are upperclassmen Andrew Schulte (141), and Slater Johnson (157), along with freshmen Alex Nunez (125), Adam Velasquez (133), Garrett Strang (197) and Zach Schrader (heavyweight).
Schulte isn't new to postseason, however, after winning the NAIA 141-pound championship in 2016 at Concordia University of Nebraska. He comes into the weekend with an 11-3 record at 141, with three major decisions, four technical falls and two pins so far.
Johnson enters the Super Regional with a 14-5 record at 157 pounds, including four technical falls and five pins. His last outing, Johnson bumped up to the 165-pound weight class and pinned his opponent in less than a minute.
Nunez comes off All-RMAC second-team honors and boasts a 13-8 overall record, with 10 of those wins coming by pin – including his fastest fall of 26 seconds.
After battling injuries this year, Velasquez is looking to impress in his first Super Regional. He has two wins so far this year, with both coming by major decision.
Strang was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year and is the sixth-ranked 197-pounder in Division II. In his collegiate debut season, the redshirt freshman boasts an 11-8 mark on the year.
Schrader has had a solid collegiate debut, boasting an 18-10 overall mark with four of those wins coming by fall. He opened the year on a seven-match winning streak and looks to close out his freshman campaign with another streak.
The Super Regional takes place in Las Vegas, N.M. with live stats and live video at TrackWrestling.com.
The Lancers have never finished outside of the top-two at the Super Regional and last year saw seven grapplers qualify to compete for a Division II title.
Prior to the competition starting, Coach Lennie Zalesky was named the NCAA Division II Super Region IV Coach of the Year.
Nolan Kistler, who currently ranks second in D-II in the 174-pound weight class, looks to lead the charge after winning last year's regional crown. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Year has been on a dominating tear, only allowing seven points in his last 12 matches. He boasts a 19-3 overall record, with his losses only coming to Division I foes, and is looking to book his fourth-straight ticket to the D-II Championship.
Nick Fiegener also won his weight class last year at the Super Regional and currently ranks third in Division II among 184-pound grapplers. He boasts a 16-4 record, with more than half of his wins (10) not even going the full seven minutes: seven tech fall victories and three wins by pin.
Fifth-ranked Daxton Gordon (149 pounds) also comes into the regional with a lot of steam and most recently earned himself All-RMAC first-team honors. He is on a 12-match winning streak, boasting a 17-2 overall record. Of his 17 wins, almost half have come by major decision (eight). Last year the redshirt sophomore took fourth at the Super Regional to qualify for the D-II championship.
Christian Smith looks to improve on last year's third-place finish in the 165-pound bracket and make his second-straight trip to the D-II Championship. He sits fourth in D-II with a 15-6 overall record, with four of those victories coming by fall.
Making their NCAA Division II Super Regional debuts are upperclassmen Andrew Schulte (141), and Slater Johnson (157), along with freshmen Alex Nunez (125), Adam Velasquez (133), Garrett Strang (197) and Zach Schrader (heavyweight).
Schulte isn't new to postseason, however, after winning the NAIA 141-pound championship in 2016 at Concordia University of Nebraska. He comes into the weekend with an 11-3 record at 141, with three major decisions, four technical falls and two pins so far.
Johnson enters the Super Regional with a 14-5 record at 157 pounds, including four technical falls and five pins. His last outing, Johnson bumped up to the 165-pound weight class and pinned his opponent in less than a minute.
Nunez comes off All-RMAC second-team honors and boasts a 13-8 overall record, with 10 of those wins coming by pin – including his fastest fall of 26 seconds.
After battling injuries this year, Velasquez is looking to impress in his first Super Regional. He has two wins so far this year, with both coming by major decision.
Strang was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year and is the sixth-ranked 197-pounder in Division II. In his collegiate debut season, the redshirt freshman boasts an 11-8 mark on the year.
Schrader has had a solid collegiate debut, boasting an 18-10 overall mark with four of those wins coming by fall. He opened the year on a seven-match winning streak and looks to close out his freshman campaign with another streak.
The Super Regional takes place in Las Vegas, N.M. with live stats and live video at TrackWrestling.com.
Schedule of Events (Times MST)
Friday, February 23rd
Session 1 @ 11:00 AM
Championship Rounds 1 & 2
Consolation Rounds 1 & 2
Session 2 @ 6:00 PM
Championship Semi-Finals
Consolation Quarter Finals
Saturday, February 24th
Session 3 @ 10:00 AM
Consolation Semi-Finals
Session 4 @ 12:00 PM
Championship Finals
Consolation Finals
Friday, February 23rd
Session 1 @ 11:00 AM
Championship Rounds 1 & 2
Consolation Rounds 1 & 2
Session 2 @ 6:00 PM
Championship Semi-Finals
Consolation Quarter Finals
Saturday, February 24th
Session 3 @ 10:00 AM
Consolation Semi-Finals
Session 4 @ 12:00 PM
Championship Finals
Consolation Finals
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling157/165
/ Wrestling/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling285
/ Wrestling/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
174
/ Wrestling133
/ WrestlingCBU WRESTLING VS STANFORD
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WRESTLING VS NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Monday, October 28
WRESTLING VS SIUE
Monday, October 28
WRESTLING VS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Monday, October 28
