California Baptist University
Indiana University
WREST Preview: CBU Wrestling Set to Kick Off Season in the Fowler Events Center
10/29/2024 6:50:00 PM | Wrestling
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University wrestling season is set to kick off this Friday as the Lancers welcome in the University of Indiana to the Dale E. & Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center for a 7:30 PM PT Dual.
The dual will mark the third Fowler Events Center dual that CBU has hosted since the building debuted in 2017 and the third time CBU has hosted a BIG 10 school after doing so against Ohio State and Iowa. The matchup with the Hoosiers will be the first-ever against the squad from Bloomington.
Indiana will be one of several ranked opponents on the schedule for CBU as they embark on year three of being in the BIG 12 conference as a wrestling affiliate. Other notable matchups on the schedule include road trips to West Virginia, Northern Colorado, and Cal Poly and home duals against Air Force, South Dakota State, and a neutral site dual against Arizona State at Mt. Sac College in Walnut, CA. CBU will be facing several BIG 12 opponents for the first time in program history, mostly notably against #10 Arizona State and #17 West Virginia, who both figure to be in the mix for the coveted BIG 12 crown this season.
On the non-conference side of things, the Lancers will travel to Bethelem, Pennsylvania, for the Journeyman classic, where they will dual Buffalo and Campbell. CBU will host Southern Illinois Edwardsville in the latter portion of the season and will have notable California road trips at Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield.
CBU is building on a promising season in which the program achieved many notable benchmarks. The Lancers collected its first-ever top-20 dual victory when they bested #17 Air Force in Colorado Springs and defeated BIG 12 rival Utah Valley on the road as well. Elijah Griffin and Hunter Leake made program history, and they became the first BIG 12 placers and NCAA qualifiers in 2024 for CBU wrestling. Griffin made history by winning two matches at Nationals, including a pin of Jett Strikenberger of West Virginia.
Griffin and Leake are returning for CBU, along with a strong cast of returners and newcomers in the Lancers lineup. Griffin is bumping up to 141 lbs for CBU this season after his record-setting season, and teammate Nathan Hass has garnered a #27 ranking from InterMat heading into his junior year. CBU welcomed a handful of transfers, including Carter Schmidt from Iowa State, Tristan Kemp from West Virginia, and Daniel Manibog from Oklahoma State, who all figure to factor into the lineups for CBU this season.
Head Coach Derek Moore revamped his staff heading into his third full year as the CBU skipper, welcoming three new members to join himself and Assistant Coach Eric Morrill. Nathan Tomasello, Mark Munoz, and Noah Hardy all joined the staff ahead of the year and will be instrumental figures in the shaping of the program for Coach Moore.
MATCH INFORMATION:
CBU vs #30 Indiana
Date: November 1
Time: 7:30 PM PT
Location: Dale E. & Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center- Riverside, CA
Stream: YouTube and FloWrestling
Tickets: Here
Players Mentioned
