Drexel
Cal Poly Takes Down CBU, Falls Short to Drexel in Tri-Dual
12/20/2025 9:00:00 PM | Wrestling
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly wrestling team captured a decisive 26-15 victory over Cal Baptist and fell short to Drexel 24-11 in a tri-dual hosted at Mott Athletics Center on Saturday.
The Mustangs won 10 matches between the two duals and redshirt juniors Koda Holeman (125) and Ceasar Garza (184) both went 2-0 on the day. Both duals for Cal Poly on Saturday started at 141 pounds.
Cal Poly (2-2) opened the tri-dual against a tough Drexel squad, who countered the Mustangs’ three nationally ranked wrestlers with four of their own.
The Mustangs, who wrestled on Saturday without 2025 All-American Zeth Romney, jumped out to 6-4 lead over the Dragons thanks to victories by decision from Andre Gonzales at 149 pounds and Anthony Berg at 157. For Berg, a redshirt freshman, a pair of takedowns and a 4-point near fall in the third period allowed him to rally for a 12-5 decision win in his first career dual as a Mustang.
At 165 pounds, Luke Gayer came up short to Drexel’s Cody Walsh in sudden victory 7-4 and the result seemed to flip the momentum of the dual as the Dragons won three of the next four matches to pull away from the Mustangs.
However, within that stretch Garza was able to earn a 7-4 decision at 184 pounds thanks to a pivotal third-period takedown.
Holeman, ranked 17th in the country at 125 pounds, grabbed a 5-3 decision before a medical forfeit at 133 allowed Drexel (4-2) to cap off a 24-11 victory over the Mustangs.
In its second dual of the day against Cal Baptist, Cal Poly came out determined to turn things around and end the tri-dual on a high note. After dropping the first three matches all by tightly-contested decisions, the Mustangs flipped a switch and won six straight bouts, including four by bonus points, to send the Lancers (1-5) home with a loss.
Gayer, a transfer from Rutgers, got the winning streak started for the Mustangs with a 5-2 decision at 165 pounds, earning his first dual win in a Cal Poly uniform.
Cash Stewart started turning up the heat with a 13-3 major decision at 174, improving to 3-1 in duals this season.
Garza capped off a perfect night at 184 with an impressive performance, securing seven takedowns in a 21-5 technical fall victory at 5:15 into his match. The 20th-ranked wrestler in the country improved to 12-2 on the season with his showing Saturday and 4-0 in duals. The win gave Cal Poly a 12-9 lead and they never looked back.
Wesley Wilson kept the moment rolling at 197 pounds, using a 2-point near fall in the third period and a riding time point to capture a 4-3 decision over CBU’s Eli Sheeran.
After falling short in sudden victory to a ranked opponent in the dual with Drexel, Trevor Tinker took the mat against CBU looking to put on a dominant performance — and he did just that. The three-time NCAA qualifier crushed his opponent at heavyweight, securing three takedowns and two 4-point near falls to earn a 17-2 technical fall a mere 1:26 into the match. Tinker, ranked No. 20 in the nation, is now 7-3 this year and 3-1 in duals.
Holeman followed up Tinker’s dominant display with one of his own, grabbing four takedowns before pinning CBU’s Mitchell Neiner at 4:20 to seal the dual victory for the Mustangs. Holeman improved to 9-2 this season and remains perfect in duals this season (4-0).
Cal Poly forfeited at 133 pounds to finish off a 26-15 dual win.
A handful of Cal Poly’s backups will wrestle in the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday before the Mustangs’ starters return to action on Dec. 29-30 to take part in the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois.
No. 26 Cal Poly (11) vs. Drexel (24)
141: Jordan Soriano (Drexel) maj. Alek Vanbebber (CP), 15-3
149: Andre Gonzales (CP) dec. Patrick Kelly (Drexel), 6-3
157: Anthony Berg (CP) dec. Luke Nichter (Drexel), 12-5
165: Cody Walsh (Drexel) dec. Luke Gayer (CP), SV-1 7-4
174: No. 14 Jasiah Queen (Drexel) maj. Cash Stewart (CP), 14-4
184: No. 20 Ceasar Garza (CP) dec. Ethan Wilson (Drexel), 7-4
197: No. 31 Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel) maj. Cole Jackson (CP), 16-5
285: No. 30 Nate Schon (Drexel) dec. No. 20 Trevor Tinker (CP), SV-1 8-5
125: No. 17 Koda Holeman (CP) dec. Desmond Pleasant (Drexel), 5-3
133: No. 30 Kyle Waterman (Drexel) won by medical forfeit over Anthony Lucio (CP)
No. 26 Cal Poly (26) vs. Cal Baptist (15)
141: Jesse Vasquez (CBU) dec. Aiden Simmons (CP), 2-0
149: Paul Kelly (CBU) dec. Andre Gonzales (CP), SV-1 6-1
157: No. 32 Drayden Morton (CBU) dec. Anthony Berg (CP), 5-1
165: Luke Gayer (CP) dec. Timothy Cowan (CBU), 5-2
174: Cash Stewart (CP) maj. Mason Espinoza (CBU), 13-3
184: No. 20 Ceasar Garza (CP) tech fall David Alonso (CBU), 21-5 (5:15)
197: Wesley Wilson (CP) dec. Eli Sheeren (CBU), 4-3
285: No. 20 Trevor Tinker (CP) tech fall Tristan Kemp (CBU), 17-2 (1:26)
125: No. 17 Koda Holeman (CP) fall Mitchell Neiner (CBU), 4:20
133: Richard Murillo (CBU) accepted a forfeit
