The Cal Poly wrestling team upset the No. 13 Oregon State Beavers on Friday night, but could not repeat the feat on Sunday as they dropped eight of 10 matches against the No. 3 Boise State Broncos, losing 29-6.
The Mustangs inched by the Beavers by winning six matches earning a 18-15 victory. The most crucial win occurred at 133-pounds with Filip Novachkov’s last second takedown of No. 11 Garrett Drucker in the third to last match of the night.
Heavyweight Atticus Disney avenged a December loss to No. 12 Clayton Jack by jumping out to an early lead, something Disney has made a habit of in his victories, and holding on to a 12-6 decision.
Disney said earlier this week he let his head get the better of him in his first matchup with Jack and he wanted to prove that the loss was a fluke.
However, Disney could not continue his hot streak as he dropped a 7-3 decision to unranked J.T. Felix on Sunday.
The only two Mustangs able to win both their weekend matches were 141-pounder Boris Novachkov and 165-pound Ryan DesRoches. Boris’ 3-2 win over Michael Mangrum of Oregon State was decided by Novachkov’s 1:35 in riding time as the Mustangs earned a bonus point at the end of the match to break the 2-2 deadlock.
Boris also defeated No. 18 Levi Jones 4-2, only giving up a takedown in the first period. Boris claims a 20-1 record this season, with his only loss coming at the hands of No. 1 Kellen Russell of Michigan.
The Cal Poly coaches decided against moving the Novachkovs up a weight class in the dual against Boise State as the Mustangs already trailed substantially when the brothers came up to wrestle. The possible switch was debated earlier in the week according to assistant coach Tyrel Todd.
No. 17 DesRoches beat Oregon State’s Jonathan Brascetta in a 5-3 match and opened the dual against the Broncos with a 6-0 shutout of Kurt Swartz. DesRoches is 26-5 on the year and is one of three Cal Poly wrestlers ranked in the top 25 by Intermat.
Defending Pac-10 champion, 157-pounder Barrett Abel earned a decisive victory over Alex Elder of Oregon State to open his weekend, but was defeated by No. 2 Adam Hall in a 14-6 match.
Abel has not defeated Hall in collegiate competition, but may face him again in a Pac-10 championship final with NCAA tournament implications on the line.
Ryan Smith, wrestling at 197-pounds, also split decisions over the weekend earned a two-point win over Oregon State’s Chad Hanke, who is ranked No. 18 by Intermat. However, he lost a 10-5 decision to Matt Casperson on Sunday in a match that the Mustangs would have needed in order to knock off one of the top teams in the country.
No Cal Poly wrestlers earned a major decision (a win by eight or more points), a technical fall (gaining a 15-point lead at anytime) or pin over the weekend, something that could come into play in close matches where bonus team points are critical.
The Mustangs return to the mat on Friday in a Pac-10 matchup against Cal State Bakersfield at 6:30 in Mott Gym.