Cal Poly to Hold Green vs. Gold Intrasquad Meet on Friday in the UU Plaza
10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly's Green vs. Gold intrasquad wrestling meet, which helps the coaching staff determine the starting lineup for the upcoming season, will be held Friday at noon in the plaza of the University Union.
Not only will the 2016-17 Mustang wrestlers display their talents, but fans will get a chance to see an entirely new coaching staff working matside for the first time.
Only seven bouts will be contested in the unofficial opening to the 2016-17 campaign as the Mustangs continue preparations for their official season opener Nov. 3 against San Francisco State and Indiana.
Cal Poly returns 16 lettermen, including nine who wrestled in at least four dual meets a year ago.
Leading the charge this winter will be 157-pounder Colt Shorts, 15-10 a year ago, including a 9-3 mark in duals, and 197-pounder J.T. Goodwin (pictured above), who was 18-11 with six falls last year with an 8-4 mark in dual meets.
Other top veterans on the 2016-17 roster include Colton Schilling at 141 pounds, Travis Berridge at 174, Mitch Woods at 184 and Spencer Empey at 285. Schilling was 12-9 as a redshirt freshman a year ago while Berridge was 9-6, Woods 12-16 and Empey 8-12.
Also in the mix are 165-pounder Blake Kastl (8-12 a year ago), 125-pounder David Gonzalez (11-18), 149-pounder Joshy Cortez (6-10), 165-pounder Joe Granger (10-10) and 149-pounder Jason DeLaCruz (9-13).
Several wrestlers with glossy records as redshirts in open tournaments a year ago are on the roster as well, including 184-pounder Thomas Lane (15-5) and 174-pounder Matt Wilhelm (14-3).
Jon Sioredas, head coach at Grand Canyon the last two seasons before the school dropped the sport in March, takes over for five-year Mustang head coach Brendan Buckley. Sioredas is assisted by Todd Schavrien, an All-American wrestler at Missouri, and Mike Hatcher, a part of four national championship teams at Iowa.
Gonzalez will face Isaac Blackburn at 125 pounds on Friday, followed by Ty Schilling and Yoshito Funakoshi at 133. Funakoshi missed most of the previous season due to injury and has been granted a medical redshirt, leaving him as a sophomore this year.
Cortez faces DelaCruz at 149, followed by Joe Granger against Luke Wilson at 165. Wilson has battled injuries throughout his previous three seasons at Cal Poly and the Righetti High School graduate will be wrestling for the first time as a Mustang on Friday.
Berridge goes against Ryan Anderson at 174 while Lane takes on Sohrab Movahedi at 184. Final bout will feature Glenn Farina versus Curtis Booth at 141 pounds.
Cal Poly faces San Francisco State outdoors at 1:30 p.m. and Indiana indoors at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3.
