Teams: UC Davis at No. 19 Cal Poly; Cal State Bakersfield
Records: Aggies (3-10, 1-5); Mustangs (7-4, 4-2); Roadrunners (5-5, 2-4)
Where: Mott Gym – San Luis Obispo, Calif.; The Icardo Center – Bakersfield, Calif.
When: Friday at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 7 p.m.
Who to watch: Junior Barrett Abel has had a very strong year for the Aggies.
The 149-pound wrestler leads the team in wins this year with 18. He’s currently ranked No. 15 nationally in his weight class and No. 2 in the Pac-10.
The Diamond Springs, Calif. native had a very strong performance in the San Francisco State dual on Friday. The Aggies were down 22-18 going into his matchup. Abel was able to get a fall, giving the Aggies their third victory of the season.
Did you know? Cal Poly will be the fifth nationally ranked team that UC Davis has matched up against this year. The Mustangs are currently ranked No. 19 in the country. The Aggies have faced-off and lost to No. 4 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Lehigh, No. 12 Boise State, and No. 14 Oregon State so far this season.
Preview: The Aggies split their final two home duals of the season last weekend against San Francisco State and Stanford. They were able to squeak by the Gators on Friday night 24-22 thanks to Abel, but lost in a heartbreaker on Saturday night, 20-19 to the Cardinal.
The Aggies road to the Pac-10 Conference Tournament doesn’t get any easier from here.
UC Davis competes against two very strong Pac-10 opponents this weekend and will be looking to build some momentum heading into the league tournament.
They will have their hands full with the Mustangs who have won four of their last six duals.
Against the Roadrunners, the Aggies will be looking for some redemption. UC Davis fell at the hands of Cal State Bakersfield during the Menlo duals earlier this year.
– Kyle Hyland
