The Aggies traveled to Idaho in hopes of beating one of the top programs in the country, but left with disappointment as they fell to Boise State 38-3 Saturday night at Bronco Gymnasium.
No. 11 Boise State, which boasts seven nationally ranked wrestlers – including four ranked in the top five, handed the Aggies their sixth loss of the season which dropped them to 7-6 on the year and 3-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference.
The Broncos improved to 14-3 on the year and 5-0 in Pacific 10 Conference.
“They’re a tough team,“ said coach Lennie Zalesky. “I think they deserve to be ranked even higher.“
All of the Broncos ranked wrestlers won on Saturday, with five of their nine wins coming by bonus point decisions.
The Aggies lone victory came from their only ranked wrestler in No. 18 Marcos Orozco at the 125-pound class. Orozco got a 3-0 decision against the Broncos‘ Alan Bartelli.
The Aggies‘ main goal right now is to get to full health before the Pac-10 Championships, Zalesky said.
“We’re a pretty tough team when we have our full lineup,” he said. “The goal is to go into the Pac-10 Championships with each of our 10 guys healthy. To get them healthy, we’re just going to have to give them some rest.“
UC Davis is almost at full strength. Nine of its 10 varsity wrestlers competed this weekend in Idaho, including the return of heavyweight wrestler Ricky Alcala.
The Aggies are looking to close out their conference record at .500 with a win over Cal Poly. The Mustangs come to the Pavilion on Sunday for UC Davis‘ final home dual of the year.
The Aggies will then have a few weeks to get ready for the Pac-10 Championships, which starts Mar. 1.
KYLE HYLAND can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
