Event: Stanford Duals
Teams: UC Davis vs. Drexel; Columbia; Stanford
Where: Burnham Pavilion – Palo Alto, Calif.
When: Saturday at noon; 2 p.m.; 4 p.m.
Who to Watch: Sophomore Barrett Abel was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing defeat at Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Sunday.
The Placerville, Calif. native picked up a 16-4 major decision win against the No. 13 Cowboys in the 149-pound weight class. Abel had a strong finish to the first half of the season this year, placing at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18. He looks to continue his success tomorrow in Palo Alto.
Did you know? Senior Marcos Orozco is ranked No. 15 in the country for the 125-weight class as he takes the mat this weekend at Burnham Pavilion.
Preview: UC Davis opened 2009 with a disappointing loss at the hands of the No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Aggies are hoping for better success at the Stanford Duals this Saturday.
UC Davis last competed at the Stanford Duals in the 2006-2007 season where they lost to No. 23 Lehigh and Columbia but defeated the Cardinal. The Aggies will not face a ranked opponent this weekend as they take on Drexel (3-7), Columbia (0-5) and Stanford (3-8).
Head coach Lennie Zalesky is excited about the meet, but worried about his team competing in three consecutive duals.
“I’m a little concerned with the length of the day because it’s hard on your body,” he said. “All three teams have at least one or two ranked wrestlers and should be tough.”
Zalesky is hoping for a strong response from his team.
“We want to go in and have a good performance and pick up some wins,” he said. “It will be a good test for our guys.”
– Kyle Hyland
