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Davis

Davis, California

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Wrestling Preview

Teams: UC Davis at No. 24 Oregon State

Records: Aggies, 0-6; Beavers, 12-1

Where: Gil Coliseum – Corvallis, Ore.

When: Friday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: No. 13 junior heavyweight Ricky Alcala was one of the few bright spots for the Aggies last weekend at the Virginia duals. The Arvin, Calif. native went 3-0 for UC Davis, including a pin against Bucknell’s Connor Sweeney.

Alcala is one of the few returning Aggie starters. After a strong performance last year, he finds himself as one of the top heavyweights in the country as he looks to lead this young Aggies team into Pacific-10 Conference play.

Did you know? There will be more than one Zalesky at the Oregon State dual. Beavers coach Jim Zalesky is the younger brother of UC Davis coach Lennie Zalesky. Jim leads the sibling rivalry 3-2, but Lennie has the most recent victory. The Aggies upset the Beavers last year at the Pavilion.

Preview: UC Davis is looking to build off a tough weekend in Hampton, Va. where they dropped their first three duals and did not advance to the second day.

The competition doesn’t get easier for the Aggies this Friday. They’ll face one of the hottest teams in the country as the Beavers are currently riding an 11-dual winning streak. UC Davis will need to have all its veterans ready to go, especially ranked wrestlers Alcala and juniors Brandon Low and Barrett Abel.

Zalesky does not get into a big sibling rivalry with his brother. He would rather see his team compete well against a strong program.

“I don’t think a lot about it,” Zalesky said. “I always pull for him except when we face off. I’m more worried about beating a quality team like Oregon State.”

– Kyle Hyland

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