California Baptist University
NCAA Championships (Session I)
Incredible Season for Griffin and CBU Wrestling Ends on Day 2 of the National Championships
3/22/2024 9:58:00 AM | Wrestling
TULSA, OKLA.--- The season for California Baptist wrestling concluded on day two of the NCAA Wrestling National Championships following an overtime loss in the second round of the consolation bracket.
Elijah Griffin was the program's lone representative on day two after defeating Mike Joyce of Brown via decision and pinning #19 Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia in the opening round on Thursday evening.
Griffin faced #20 Stevo Poulin of Northern Colorado in the second round on Friday morning, facing off against the former BIG 12 Champion for the third time this season. Griffin bested Poulin in January via decision in Riverside when Pulin was ranked third in the nation before Pulin got revenge in the Seventh Place Match of the BIG 12 Championships in Tulsa.
Poulin would walk away in this match with a 7-4 sudden victory win in a back-and-forth battle. Griffin drew first blood with a takedown at the end of the first period, but Poulin answered within seconds with a reversal. Griffin and Poulin would exchange escape points, but a locked-hands penalty against Griffin would even up the match at 4 to force sudden victory. After some back-and-forth action in the overtime frame, Poulin would get a hold of Griffin to end the match and claim the win.
Griffin finishes an incredible season for the Lancers with 22 total wins, including four in the postseason. Griffin recorded four ranked victories on the season, including wins over #3 Poulin, #19 Jett Strickenberger, and #21 Max Gallagher of Penn. Griffin and his teammate Hunter Leake became the first BIG 12 placers and NCAA Qualifiers in the program's history.
The season was a tremendous step forward for the program, with many firsts happening in year two of BIG 12 play for the Lancers. CBU won seven duals for the first time since 2017 and defeated Utah Valley and Air Force for the first time in program history. The win over Air Force was the first ranked dual win in program history, with the Falcons being ranked #19 at the time of the dual.
The Lancers had their first two BIG 12 placers with Griffin and Leake, and they also served as the first national qualifiers in the young program's history.
Players Mentioned
