Cal Poly to Compete in Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday
12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Armed with its first natinally ranked wrestler in two years, the Cal Poly wrestling team closes out the 2016 portion of its 2016-17 season by sending 16 matmen to the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday.
Competition in the 23rd annual event at the Reno Events Center begins at 9 a.m., with the semifinals at 2:45 p.m. and the finals slated for 6 p.m.
Cal Poly is among 25 teams entered in the college portion of the tournament. A concurrent high school tournament featuring 88 teams will be contested Friday and Saturday.
No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State (InterMat) heads the field of college teams which also includes No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Missouri, No. 14 Stanford, No. 16 Arizona State and No. 21 Wyoming.
Tickets may be purchased the day of the event. Prices are $20 for adults, $8 for students with ID cards and senior citizens, $5 for children 6-12 years of age and free for children 5 and under.
While schools are allowed to enter more than one wrestler in each weight class, only one wrestler will be allowed to earn team points in each weight class. In addition, because the Reno Tournament of Champions is designated as an open tournament, teams are allowed to enter unattached wrestlers, including those who are redshirts for the 2015-16 season.
Cal Poly's list of entrants is headed by Colt Shorts (11-7, three falls), who placed seventh at 157 pounds in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational two weeks ago and has been rewarded with a No. 19 national ranking this week by The Open Mat.
Spencer Empey (7-7, two falls) (pictured above) was a runner-up at 285 pounds in the Roadrunner Open in November while Sohrab Movahedi (7-3) was a Roadrunner Open champion at 184 pounds.
Also on the list of Mustang entrants are 174-pounder Travis Berridge (7-4, one fall), 141-pounder Colton Schilling (6-4, three falls), 133-pounder Yoshito Funakoshi (8-7) and 165-pounder Luke Wilson (5-4, two falls).
The rest of the Mustang lineup includes Xavier Johnson (165 pounds), David Gonzalez (125), Isaac Blackburn (125), Joshy Cortez (149), Joe Granger (165), Thomas Lane (197), Mitch Woods (184), Matt Wilhelm (165) and J.T. Goodwin (197).
Cal Poly, which had no place winners among 24 entrants a year ago, produced a pair of place winners in the 2014 event as Nick Fiegener placed fourth at 184 pounds and Victor Trujillo finished sixth at 133 pounds. Colt Shorts won four of six matches at 157 pounds.
Last Mustangs to capture Reno Tournament of Champions titles were Boris Novachkov at 141 pounds and Ryan DesRoches at 174 pounds, both in 2011.
After the Reno Tournament of Champions, the Mustangs will take a break for the holidays, returning to action Jan. 3 with a home dual meet against No. 20 West Virginia at 2 p.m. inside the Mott Athletics Center.
