Cal Poly head coach Jon Sioredas (photo courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)The Pac-12 finished their dual season over the weekend. Although there were not many duals, the action did not disappoint.
Cal Poly completes an undefeated conference dual season
The Mustangs swept the Pac-12 for the first time in over a decade. Cal Poly continues to prove its stock is rising while heading into March Matness. The sweep started with a comeback victory against Stanford.
Cal Poly trailed Stanford 15-6 with three matches remaining. Ethan Rotondo and Lawrence Saenz were the only two lighter weights to capture wins for the Mustangs. However, Shane Griffith struggled to beat Legend Lamer, with a 2-0 victory, and Tyler Eischens squeaked by Brawley Lamer 8-3.
Therefore, the Mustangs had a shot to win. Jared Priest took the first of three at 184 pounds, winning 9-4 over Brook Byers. Bernie Truax picked up a 9-5 victory over Nick Stemmet, making it 15-12 Stanford with one match left.
Trevor Tinker brought a roar to the crowd with a pin in 58 seconds, shocking Stanford and giving Cal Poly an 18-15 victory.
The Mustangs found themselves in a similar situation against Oregon State. Cal Poly trailed 15-13 with two matches left after Trey Munoz scored a second-period pin.
Truax gave the Mustangs a 16-15 lead with a 7-5 victory over Tanner Harvey. Tinker put the nail in the coffin with an 8-2 decision over JJ Dixon, giving Cal Poly a 19-15 win.
Sun Devils split final duals
Arizona State began the weekend with a memorable senior night. One of the best Sun Devil senior classes in recent years took the mat a final time while the up-and-comers shared the mat too.
Brandon Courtney won by a 14-4 major decision and Michael McGee won by technical fall. On the other hand, Emilio Ysaguirre and Shay Addison captured their first wins as Sun Devils. Cael Valencia also kept his winning ways alive with a 6-5 victory over Albert Urias.
Unfortunately, the Sun Devils fell to Nebraska 25-15 a few days later. Courtney was defeated by Liam Cronin, but McGee pinned Boo Dryden. Ysaguirre reached the national limelight after upsetting #4 Brock Hardy 10-4.
The Sun Devil lineup may be far from what was expected at the beginning of the season. However, they have some bracket busters built into the lineup to go along with their big guns.
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