The mats came down once again in Mott Athletics Center, as through the flurry of fall basketball and volleyball, Cal Poly Wrestling came to the forefront on Friday night.

Conference play for the wrestling team started earlier than normal in the Pac-12, but the change in schedule did not mean a shift in performance from the Mustangs.

Continuing an early run of strong performances in Mott Athletics Center, the Mustangs (1-1, 1-0 Pac-12) showed out on alumni weekend and took down Cal State Bakersfield (0-2, 0-1 Pac-12) 30-9 for a dominant start to their conference season. The Mustangs have a shifted lineup to begin the year, with new transfers and open starting spots giving Cal Poly a new look for the 2025-26 season.

The revamped lineup has already shown signs of success through two duals, but there have also been growing pains for the new squad.

“There was a lot of weights where we’re a little bit sloppy or holding back a little bit,” head coach Jon Sioredas said. “We’ve got some things to work on, for sure, so we’ll get back at it tomorrow and keep improving.”

Even with a performance that wasn’t up to the full standards of the team, Cal Poly cruised to victory on the back of both experienced and young wrestlers on the team.

Back at home, back to basics

Coming into Friday’s dual, the Roadrunners weren’t set to be a huge bump in the road for Cal Poly. 

Both teams came into the weekend having faced Purdue for their opening dual of the season, though Cal Poly’s 13-19 scoreline held a lot more promise than Cal State Bakersfield’s 3-39. 

That expectation became a reality, as even the 30-9 rout that Cal Poly put up on the Roadrunners left plenty of room for the Mustangs to improve moving forward.

Cal Poly’s next appearance on the mat will be at the Roadrunner Open next weekend at Cal State Bakersfield. Credit: Lloyd Esola / Mustang News

Key wrestlers on the team returned with stellar performances, including No. 26 redshirt junior Koda Holeman. The 125-pounder lit up the alumni weekend crowd in his bout, with the fans giving Holeman an extra boost against Richard Castro-Sandoval, an opponent that has wrestled him closely in years past. 

“It’s nice to look up in the stands and see my family and my grandparents and all them there supporting me,” Holeman said.

This year, Castro-Sandoval was no issue, and Holeman came away with a 11-3 major decision.

Veterans continued to shine, as No. 16 redshirt senior heavyweight Trevor Tinker piled onto the Mustang momentum with a pin. Tinker remains undefeated with wins in both of his bouts to begin the year.

Tinker is the longest tenured member of the Mustangs, providing a key veteran presence for the newer and younger members of the team. Wrestlers fitting both of those descriptions also had strong performances on Friday.

At 184 pounds, redshirt junior Ceasar Garza showed why he ranked No. 24 in the nation coming into the dual. He held control of the bout for its entirety, earning a 20-4 technical fall victory.

New addiitons to Cal Poly’s lineup have showed out so far this season, led by nationally ranked Cesar Garza at 184 pounds. Credit: Lloyd Esola / Mustang News

Coming to Cal Poly from Michigan State, Garza has already put in strong showings in his first two bouts, quickly becoming a new staple for the team.

Young Mustangs also put in work on Friday. Freshman Aiden Simmons stepped in at 141 pounds to win an impressive 4-2 decision.

Two weights up at 157 pounds, redshirt freshman Jagger French also put in a strong shift for the young Mustang core. His high scoring bout ended in a 22-10 major decision, rounding out a comfortable Cal Poly win.

“Our expectations are so darn high for these guys,” Sioredas said. “I think there’s some strategy we need to work on with him, and we’re going to take this match and get better.”

Looking forward

With one conference win already in hand, Cal Poly moves into a stretch of tournament play through the first few weeks of December.

Cal Poly is ranked No. 25 nationally in tournament settings, benefitting from strong individual wrestlers like Tinker and 2025 All-American Zeth Romney. The tournament will also give Cal Poly’s wrestlers more opportunities on the mat.

It’s a little bit more volume,” Sioredas said. “Hopefully we become better and better and just more opportunity, more mat time, which is what we need right now.”

Cal Poly will stay with their inland rivals, heading down to Bakersfield on Sunday, Nov. 23 for the Roadrunner Open.

After the local tournament, the Mustangs travel to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational from Dec. 5-6, where the team can fully showcase their improvement in the early part of the season.

“I think the development piece is what we specialize in,” Sioredas said. “When we’re in Vegas, it’s gonna be a totally different team.”