Mechanics Bank Cal Poly Student-Athlete of the Week: Tom Lane
Tom Lane, Senior, 197 Pounds, Garden City, N.Y. | Garden City High School
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Tom Lane, who won four of five matches and placed third in the 38th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, has been selected as the Mechanics Bank Cal Poly Student-Athlete of the Week.
Lane became Cal Poly's highest finisher in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in seven years with a 4-2 decision over 11th-ranked Jake Woodley of Oklahoma in the match for third and fourth place at 197 pounds on Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Lane was seeded No. 5 while Woodley was the sixth seed.
Lane scored a takedown with 1:21 left in the first period. Woodley chose the neutral position in a scoreless second period. In the final period, Lane tallied an escape, Woodley secured a takedown and Lane escaped again with 48 seconds left for the win.
"Tom Lane has put the work in and has continually improved since last year's NCAAs," said fourth-year Mustang head coach Jon Sioredas. "He can wrestle at a high level in all three positions. We are now watching the fruits of his labor."
Lane, ranked No. 8 by Trackwrestling.com last week, began the two-day tournament with a 12-2 major decision over Dylan Reynolds of Edinboro and a 6-4 decision against fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Eric Schultz of Nebraska.
After a first-round bye, Lane scored three takedowns, four stalling points, an escape and riding time for the win over Reynolds. In the quarterfinals, he tallied a takedown with 11 seconds remaining for a 5-4 lead against Schultz and also picked up the riding time point.
Lane was defeated in a 16-1 technical fall by top-seeded Kollin Moore of Ohio State in the semifinals Saturday morning.
He then earned a spot in the consolation final with a 6-3 decision against Greg Bulsak of Clarion. Bulsak opened the match with a takedown, but Lane's escape and takedown gave him a 3-2 lead after one period. There was no scoring in the second period and Lane secured a reversal and riding time in the final period for the win.
"After a tough semifinal bout against the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country, Tom showed a great deal of grit and determination by coming back and finishing third at one of the toughest tournaments," said Sioredas. "Tom has a fearless approach to the sport and that is a big part of his continued success."
Back in 2012, Cal Poly's Devon Lotito placed third at 133 pounds. Cal Poly's last champion at one of the top preseason collegiate tournaments was Ryan DesRoches at 174 pounds in 2011.
A two-time national qualifier, Lane is now 6-1 for the season. In 2017, Lane reached the quarterfinals at Las Vegas and finished one victory shy of placing. The Garden City, N.Y., native posted a 2-2 mark in the 2018 event.
Cal Poly finished 19th among 32 teams in the two-day tournament in the Las Vegas Convention Center's Hall N4, scoring 26 points. Nebraska won with 118 points, followed by Ohio State (109.5) and Arizona State (103).
Cal Poly takes a break for Fall Quarter finals and returns to action at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 15.
