Roadrunner Open
French, Garza Capture Titles at Roadrunner Open
11/23/2025 10:00:00 PM | Wrestling
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Redshirt junior Ceasar Garza and redshirt freshman Jagger French both won titles in their respective weight classes to highlight action for the Cal Poly wrestling team during the 14th annual Roadrunner Open on Sunday inside the Icardo Center.
A total of 18 Mustangs took part in the one-day tournament hosted by Cal State Bakersfield with eight wrestlers placing in their respective weight classes.
Garza and French led the way with a pair of impressive performances to walk away with championships.
French captured first at 157 pounds with a perfect 5-0 record. After opening the tournament with victories by major decision and technical fall, the Loomis, Calif. native reeled off three straight wins by decision to claim all the glory at 157. French dismantled Utah Valley’s Mark Takara 10-3 in the semifinals to book his ticket to the championship match where he used a dramatic takedown in the final 45 seconds of the bout to earn a 5-4 decision over Oregon State’s Joel Adams.
Ranked No. 24 in the country at 184 pounds, Garza kept his undefeated record on the season intact with a stellar showing at the Roadrunner Open. The Michigan State transfer opened his day with a technical fall before pinning his quarterfinal opponent to secure a spot in the semifinals, where he defeated Stanford’s Tye Monteiro 11-6.
In the championship match, Garza squared off against Oregon State’s TJ McDonnell, the defending Pac-12 champion at that weight class and the 30th-ranked 184-pounder in the country. With the bout knotted up 5-5 with just over a minute remaining in the third period, Garza used a single-leg takedown to put McDonnell on the ground and grab a hard-fought 8-6 victory by decision. Garza improved to 6-0 on the year with his performance Sunday.
True freshman and Bakersfield native Aiden Simmons shined in his hometown, posting a 3-1 record and placing second at 141 pounds. Simmons grabbed a spot in the title match in his weight class in spectacular fashion. After his semifinal match with Smokey McClure was tied 4-4 after regulation, Simmons wore down his opponent and in the dying seconds of the first overtime period secured a single-leg takedown as the clock ran out to earn a 7-4 sudden victory. He fell to Cal Baptist’s Richie Clementi by a 9-2 decision in the championship bout.
Freshman Levi Bussey, the 2025 CIF state champion at 190 pounds, captured third at 197 pounds, recording a 4-1 mark and winning three matches via bonus points, including a 14-6 major decision over Air Force’s Owen Heiser in the third-place match.
Graduate student Andre Gonzales took fourth at 149 pounds with a 5-1 record, redshirt junior Cash Stewart earned fifth at 174 (4-2), and graduate student Cole Jackson (197) and redshirt freshman Anthony Berg (157) earned sixth-place finishes in their weight classes.
Cal Poly returns to action on Dec. 5-6 to compete in the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational held in Las Vegas.
Roadrunner Open Results
Cal Poly records
125 — Christian Garcia, 2-2.
133 — Caleb Rivas, 0-2.
141 — 2, Aiden Simmons, 3-1.
149 — Matthew Luna, 2-2.
149 — 4, Andre Gonzales, 5-1.
157 — 6, Anthony Berg, 4-2.
157 — Anthony Vargas, 0-2.
157 — 1, Jagger French, 5-0.
157 — Gavin Fernandez, 0-2.
165 — Luke Gayer, 1-2.
174 — 5, Cash Stewart, 4-2.
184 — 1, Ceasar Garza, 4-0.
184 — Ryan Clink, 2-2.
184 — Mark Ayala, 1-2.
197 — Tyler Hodges, 1-2.
197 — 6, Cole Jackson, 4-2.
197 — 3, Levi Bussey, 4-1.
197 — Wesley Wilson, 2-2.
