Cal Poly to Host Northwestern for First Dual of Season Friday Night
12/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Northwestern brings a perfect 4-0 record into Cal Poly's first dual meet of the 2017-18 season Friday night inside Mott Athletics Center.
First match is set for 7 p.m. Northwestern also will wrestle CSU Bakersfield at 5 p.m.
The Wildcats held on to defeat Northern Colorado last Sunday, building 11-6 and 24-9 leads en route to a 24-20 triumph. Northwestern also owns victories over Gardner-Webb, Old Dominion and Maryland.
Cal Poly's only competition for the majority of the starting lineup so far was the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1 and 2. Though the Mustangs did not produce any place winners, Tom Lane at 197 pounds and Colton Schilling (pictured above) at 141 both compiled 3-2 records.
Northwestern has a trio of nationally ranked wrestlers in its lineup.
Ryan Deakin is ranked No. 7 at 149 pounds with an 11-2 record while Sebastian Rivera is No. 12 at 125 with a spotless 8-0 mark. In addition, Mitch Sliga is ranked No. 18 at 184 with a 9-4 record.
Rivera placed first in the Keystone Classic on Nov. 19 while Deakin finished second in both the Michigan State Open and Keystone Classic. Sliga was second at the Keystone Classic and fourth in the Michigan State Open.
Cal Poly also hosted Northwestern a year ago with the Wildcats earning a 30-8 victory. Cal Poly's points came via a technical fall from Schilling and a decision by Blake Kastl.
Northwestern is 3-0 all-time against the Mustangs.
Heading the starting lineup for the Mustangs this winter is Schilling, an NCAA qualifier after a third-place Pac-12 finish last February. A fifth-year senior, Schilling posted a 13-11 record a year ago and entered his final season as a Mustang with a 59-39 career mark.
Schilling is among nine wrestlers who competed in more than half of Cal Poly's dual meets a year ago and 13 lettermen in all.
"We are excited to see where we stand after a hard offseason of training," said second-year Mustang head coach Jon Sioredas. "This year's team has a chip on its shoulder and something to prove and we love that mentality."
Other top returnees for the Mustangs include 285-pounder Spencer Empey (17-16 a year ago, including an 8-8 mark in duals), Lane (14-14 last season) and 184-pounder Sohrab Movahedi (14-5 overall, 4-1 in duals a year ago).
Other veterans with double-digit wins during the 2016-17 season on the roster this year include 149-pounder Joshy Cortez (13 wins) and 165-pounder Luke Wilson (10 victories).
"Every weight class has shown improvement over the course of the last eight months," said Sioredas. "We are leaning on our senior leadership to help continue the process of improvement."
After Friday night's match against Northwestern, Cal Poly has just two more home meets on its 2017-18 schedule, hosting Stanford on Jan. 26 and Arizona State on Feb. 11.
Oregon State will host the Pac-12 Championship on Feb. 25, with the NCAA Division I National Championship slated for March 15-17 inside Quicken Loans Arena at Cleveland, Ohio.
Probable Lineups
Cal Poly (0-0)
125 — Yoshito Funakoshi, Junior, Torrance, Calif. (0-2)
133 — Ty Schilling, Sophomore, Brownsville, Oregon (0-2)
141 — Colton Schilling, Senior, Brownsville, Oregon (3-2)
149 — Joshy Cortez, Junior, Temecula, Calif. (1-2)
157 — Jett Moy, Freshman (Redshirt), Carlsbad, Calif. (0-2)
165 — Luke Wilson, Senior, Santa Maria, Calif. (0-2)
174 — Matt Wilhelm, Sophomore, Manahawkin, N.J. (2-2)
184 — Ryan Anderson, Sophomore, West Linn, Oregon (3-4)
197 — Tom Lane, Sophomore, Garden City, N.Y. (3-2)
285 — Spencer Empey, Senior, Sparks, Nevada (1-2)
Northwestern (4-0)
125 -- No. 12 Sebastian Rivera, Freshman (Redshirt), Jackson, N.J. (8-0) or Dylan Utterback, Freshman, Deerfield, Ill. (1-4)
133 -- Colin Valdiviez, Freshman, Lee's Summit, Missouri (5-4)
141 -- Alec McKenna, Sophomore, Winnetka, Ill. (10-5)
149 -- No. 9 Ryan Deakin, Freshman (Redshirt), Broomfield, Colo. (11-2) or Eric Yang, Freshman (Redshirt), Fremont, Calif. (0-2)
157 -- Shayne Oster, Sophomore, Homer Glenn, Ill. (6-6)
165 -- Michael Sepke, Graduate, Schaumberg, Ill. (5-8)
174 -- Johnny Sebastian, Junior, Ramsey, N.J. (9-5)
184 -- No. 18 Mitch Sliga, Senior, Fishers, Ind. (9-4)
197 -- Zack Chakonis, Sophomore, Washington Township, N.J. (9-5) or Regis Durbin, Junior, Lake Forest, Ill. (1-4)
285 -- Conan Jennings, Junior, Centerville, Ohio (8-4)
