California Baptist University
Iowa
The 2023-24 Wrestling Season Set to Commence Against Iowa on Saturday
10/31/2023 10:02:00 AM | Wrestling
RIVERSIDE--- The 2023-24 California Baptist University wrestling season will begin this Saturday as the Lancers welcome the #2 Hawkeyes of Iowa to Riverside.
Season Opener
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) October 28, 2023
ONE WEEK AWAY!
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The Lancers will commence year two of their affiliate membership with the BIG 12 conference and will compete against eight conference opponents. The dual against Iowa will be the program's first-ever in the Dale E. & Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center and will feature a Hawkeyes squad that finished as the second-highest-ranked team in the nation a year ago. The opportunity to face one of the top programs in the sport is not lost on Head Coach Derek Moore.
"This is a phenomenal opportunity for our wrestlers to knock off ranked opponents and build confidence in their ability as they enter the season. This match also allows us to connect with the Southern California wrestling community by attracting thousands of fans to our beautiful campus and sharing what we are building here in Riverside. We are so grateful for the work God continues to do through this program and we are excited to share this new era of CBU Wrestling with the world."
The Hawkeyes will feature several ranked wrestlers and some returning All-Americans, including #13 Drake Ayala (125 lbs), #2 Real Woods (141 lbs), #2 Jared Franek (157 lbs), and #5 Michael Caliendo (165 lbs).
CBU will feature for the first time in program history a ranked wrestler of their own in Elijah Griffin, who clocked in as the #28 wrestler in the nation in the 125 lb weight class, according to InterMat. Griffin defeated three ranked wrestlers a season ago, including Jore Volk of Wyoming and Nico Provo of Stanford. Griffin also earned BIG 12 Wrestler of the Week with victories over Iowa and Iowa State on the road last season. Griffin was unable to compete in the BIG 12 Tournament last season due to injury and figures to be a key part of CBU's season.
🚨 𝓡𝓐𝓝𝓚𝓔𝓓 🚨
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) September 8, 2023
Eli Griffin clocks in at #28 on the @InterMat preseason rankings in the 125 weight class, becoming the first Lancer to be ranked in the preseason polls!! #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/1UnqCTLy8l
The Lancers will welcome in several new faces to the team, including Nebraska transfers Nathan Haas and Dayne Morton and Wyoming transfer Darren Green. The new faces has Coach Moore excited heading into his second full season at the helm.
"There is a fresh energy on the team this year as we enter our second season as a BIG 12 program. Hard work from my assistant coaches on the recruiting front has led to seven new faces in our starting lineup, consisting of four transfers and three talented freshman. Our transfers bring leadership and experience and are excited to stamp their name in the history books of CBU Wrestling. Our freshman bring ambition and excitement, raising the bar for each member of the team."
The key returners for CBU include Hunter Leake, Peter Acciardi, Frank Almaguer, and Mateo De La Pena, who combined for 38 dual starts for the Lancers in 2022-23. Leake was the program's first-ever seeded wrestler last year and picked up the team's first-ever win at the BIG 12 Championships, defeating Kobe Nelms of Utah Valley via decision.
The first BIG 12 Championships W comes via #6 Hunter Leake. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/VnGT4myxQs
— California Baptist Wrestling (@CBUwrestling) March 4, 2023
The schedule for the Lancers will feature several intriguing match-ups, highlighted by the previously mentioned Iowa dual and a neutral site match-up with the Iowa State Cyclones in Walnut, California. For the first time, CBU will welcome Wyoming, Northern Colorado, and Northern Iowa to Riverside after competing against them on the road last season. In total, the schedule will feature six teams that were ranked last season and one that received votes.
The Lancer will look to build off a season in which they earned dual wins over Cal State Bakersfield for the first time, had their first-ever BIG 12 dual win, and earned several wins over ranked opponents.
The season opener against Iowa is set for 6 P.M. PT on Saturday, November 4 in the Fowler Events Center.
Players Mentioned
