Photo by: Sam Janicki
Zeth Romney Named Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week
1/3/2024 1:15:00 PM | Wrestling
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After an impressive showing in the Windy City, redshirt freshman Zeth Romney has been crowned the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week.
Romney is just the third Mustang ever to receive the award — joining Evan Wick and Bernie Truax — and the first since Dec. 13, 2022.
The praise for the 133-pounder comes as no surprise after an historic performance at the 59th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern this past Friday and Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
At the prestigious tournament, Romney took down three opponents ranked higher than him in the national rankings and posted a 5-1 overall record en route to a third-place finish in his weight class. It was the second-highest individual finish by a Mustang at the Midlands Championships since Boris Novachkov won the 141-pound title in 2010.
Romney won his first two matches at Midlands to setup a showdown with Virginia Tech's Sam Latona in the quarterfinals, the top seed and ranked No. 5 nationally at 133 pounds entering the tournament. He defeated Latona by a 3-2 decision to earn a spot in the semifinals against fourth-seeded Dylan Shawver from Rutgers.
The Simi Valley, Calif. native fell in his semifinal bout by a 8-5 decision, but bounced back in a big way defeating 27th-ranked Mason Leiphart from Franklin & Marshall in the consolation semifinals by a 10-1 major decision and No. 8 ranked Michael Colaiocco from Penn in the third-place match by a 16-3 major decision.
Romney's performance allowed Cal Poly to place 13th as a team at the Midlands Championships, the second highest finish in program history at the event. Romney was one of three wrestlers that placed for the Mustangs at the tournament — a program record.
Thanks to his stellar weekend, Romney climbed all the way to No. 10 nationally in this week's InterMat individual rankings at 133 pounds. Romney is now 12-5 on the season and has defeated five nationally-ranked opponents.
Cal Poly hosts a pair of duals against American University and Northern Colorado on Friday, Jan. 12 at the Mott Athletics Center. The duals are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively and you can purchase tickets here.
Romney is just the third Mustang ever to receive the award — joining Evan Wick and Bernie Truax — and the first since Dec. 13, 2022.
The praise for the 133-pounder comes as no surprise after an historic performance at the 59th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern this past Friday and Saturday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
At the prestigious tournament, Romney took down three opponents ranked higher than him in the national rankings and posted a 5-1 overall record en route to a third-place finish in his weight class. It was the second-highest individual finish by a Mustang at the Midlands Championships since Boris Novachkov won the 141-pound title in 2010.
Romney won his first two matches at Midlands to setup a showdown with Virginia Tech's Sam Latona in the quarterfinals, the top seed and ranked No. 5 nationally at 133 pounds entering the tournament. He defeated Latona by a 3-2 decision to earn a spot in the semifinals against fourth-seeded Dylan Shawver from Rutgers.
The Simi Valley, Calif. native fell in his semifinal bout by a 8-5 decision, but bounced back in a big way defeating 27th-ranked Mason Leiphart from Franklin & Marshall in the consolation semifinals by a 10-1 major decision and No. 8 ranked Michael Colaiocco from Penn in the third-place match by a 16-3 major decision.
Romney's performance allowed Cal Poly to place 13th as a team at the Midlands Championships, the second highest finish in program history at the event. Romney was one of three wrestlers that placed for the Mustangs at the tournament — a program record.
Thanks to his stellar weekend, Romney climbed all the way to No. 10 nationally in this week's InterMat individual rankings at 133 pounds. Romney is now 12-5 on the season and has defeated five nationally-ranked opponents.
Cal Poly hosts a pair of duals against American University and Northern Colorado on Friday, Jan. 12 at the Mott Athletics Center. The duals are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively and you can purchase tickets here.
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