NCAA Championships
Romney Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals; Two More Mustangs Still Alive
3/20/2025 10:00:00 PM | Wrestling
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — On Thursday inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, redshirt sophomore Zeth Romney posted a pair of victories by decision to secure a spot in the 133-pound quarterfinals at the NCAA Championships, while redshirt juniors Chance Lamer and Trevor Tinker both posted 1-1 records to advance to the second day of the tournament.
Romney continued his sensational season by earning a pair of wins to punch his ticket to the NCAA quarterfinals on Friday. The No. 4 seed at 133 pounds opened the tournament by grabbing a 7-3 decision over No. 29 seed Tyler Ferrara from Cornell before defeating No. 13 seed Tyler Knox from Stanford by a 4-2 decision in the Round of 16. The win over Knox allowed Romney to avenge a defeat he suffered to him during the Mustangs’ outdoor dual with the Cardinal on Nov. 16.
The 133-pound Cliff Keen Invitational champion will wrestle No. 21 seed Angelo Rini from Indiana in the quarterfinals Friday for a spot in the semifinals and a chance to lock up All-American honors. In Cal Poly’s season-opening dual with the Hoosiers on Nov. 3 at the Mott Athletics Center, Romney defeated Rini by a 7-3 decision. Romney looks to repeat that result on Friday and will enter the match with a 16-4 record on the year.
Tinker was the only other Mustang that won their opening match at the tournament. The Pac-12 heavyweight champion made a statement to open his showing at NCAAs, securing a dominant 15-2 major decision over No. 18 seed Lance Runyon from Northern Iowa, who he lost to by a 13-1 major decision at the Cliff Keen Invitational back in December. The win was Tinker’s 13th straight and his 22nd of the season by bonus points.
Then in the Round of 16, Tinker, the No. 15 seed, was pinned by two-time All-American and No. 2 seed Wyatt Hendrickson from Oklahoma State. For the third time this season, Tinker will face Cal State Bakersfield’s Jake Andrews — the No. 17 seed — in a second round consolation match to open the second day of the tournament Friday. Tinker defeated Andrews by an 8-0 major decision less than two weeks ago to claim the Pac-12 title at heavyweight.
Making his third straight NCAA appearance, Lamer dropped his opening match at 149 pounds, falling to No. 19 seed Andrew Clark from Rutgers by an 8-3 decision. However, the two-time NCAA Round of 12 qualifier bounced back in his next match to keep his run at the NCAA Championships alive, earning an 11-3 major decision over No. 32 seed Wynton Denkins from Campbell. The No. 14 seed will wrestle No. 29 seed Jack Gioffre from Virginia in a second round consolation match Friday.
The fourth and final Mustang that qualified for the NCAA Championships saw his run at the tournament come to an end on the opening day. Making his first NCAA appearance, redshirt sophomore Koda Holeman put up quite the fight in his first-round match against defending 125-pound national champion and No. 5 seed Richard Figueroa before ultimately dropping a 12-7 decision. Then Holeman lost his next match by major decision to end the season with a 20-13 record.
Quarterfinal and second round consolation matches start at 9 a.m. PDT Friday with semifinal matches scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m. PDT. Action on all the mats can be seen live on ESPN+ via MatCast.
NCAA Championships Day 2
Cal Poly Results
125
No. 5 Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) d. No. 28 Koda Holeman (Cal Poly), 12-7
No. 21 Antonio Lorenzo (Oklahoma) md. No. 28 Koda Holeman (Cal Poly), 8-0
133
No. 4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) d. No. 29 Tyler Ferrara (Cornell), 7-3
No. 4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) d. No. 13 Tyler Knox (Stanford), 4-2
149
No. 19 Andrew Clark (Rutgers) d. No. 14 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly), 8-3
No. 14 Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) md. No. 32 Wynton Denkins (Campbell), 11-3
285
No. 15 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) md. No. 18 Lance Runyon (Northern Iowa), 15-2
No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) fall No. 15 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly), 3:52
