Keenan Donath
[follow id = “CPMustangSports”]
On an uncharacteristically warm January afternoon, the Cal Poly wrestling team (1-13, 0-2 Pac 12 Conference) took on Cal State Bakersfield (5-4, 1-3) in a dual meet in the University Union Plaza. But the good weather wasn’t enough to give the Mustangs the victory, as they fell to the Roadrunners 29-13.
The Mustangs gave the noticeably large crowd plenty to root for during the course of the meet. While wins were hard to come by, Cal Poly turned in its fair share of good performances.
Freshman Nick Fiegener, one of three Cal Poly victors of the day, provided perhaps the most exciting moments of the match. Fiegener took down Bakersfield’s Sean Pollock in the first seconds of his bout, earning 10 points in just the first round. The 184-pounder outlasted Pollock 19-10 in the highest scoring match of the day.
The final home dual meet of the season was also Senior Night for the Mustangs, with the lone senior on the team being Dominic Kastl. Although Kastl didn’t win his match on Thursday, it was a special day in what has been a historic career for the wrestler who competes at 174 pounds. The Gilroy High School alumni is 11-5 on the year and has compiled a 54-20 record during his Cal Poly career.
“He has become a really strong leader,” head coach Brendan Buckley said. “He has become an emotional and inspirational leader for the team. This year it has been really good to see him put things together.”
Fiegener moves to 20-11 on the year while Colton Schilling and Colt Shorts also turned in wins against the Roadrunners.
Cal Poly will travel to Idaho to take on Boise State in its next dual meet on Feb. 5.