EDMOND, Okla. – Three San Francisco State wrestlers retained their national rankings in the fourth NCAA Division II poll of the regular season, as released Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. Sophomore
Naveed Bagheri (Los Gatos, Calif./West Valley College) held on to the No. 3 position at 133 pounds,
Ben Lockett (San Francisco/George Washington HS) landed in the fourth spot at 141, while fellow classmate
Steve Franklin (Middletown, Calif./Santa Rosa JC) was ranked eighth at 285.
Bagheri (10-1) extended his winning streak to 10 matches after receiving a forfeit in the Gators’ last outing against Cal Poly on Jan. 14. He was the lone Gator to post a 3-0 record at the prestigious NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Jan. 9-10, defeating two opponents by major decision. Bagheri opened with a 13-4 triumph over Shane McQuade of then-No. 9 St. Cloud State, before downing Mercyhurst’s David Bolger. He then capped off his perfect day with a 6-2 decision over Laramie Shaffer of then-No. 8 Augustana (S.D.). Earlier in the month, Bagheri captured the individual title in his weight class at the Menlo Invitational on Jan. 3, outscoring four wrestlers by a combined score of 56-1.
Lockett, who tumbled three spots after earning the top ranking in the first three regular-season polls, is off to a 9-8 start this year, leading the team with 48 takedowns and 137 points in his 17 matches. Lockett now has 343 takedowns and 936 points for his career, which ranks third and fifth, respectively, on the school’s all-time charts. He has also moved into seventh place in SF State history with 159 career escapes. Recently, Lockett went 2-1 at the NWCA National Duals, including a 7-1 decision over Gabe Suarez of St. Cloud State.
Meanwhile, Franklin also slid a couple of notches after receiving a No. 6 ranking in the first three polls of the season. He tops the squad with 15 wins, including a 5-3 sudden victory over Jim Powers of Division I Cal Poly last Thursday. At the NWCA National Duals, he racked up a 2-1 mark, highlighted by his team-best seventh pin of the year against Mercyhurst’s Fred Hale. Franklin has placed in two tournaments as well, finishing second at the Menlo Invitational while turning in a third-place showing at the Fullerton Open on Nov. 21.
SF State dipped to 18th in the team poll with 24 points, edging out Grand Canyon (19th, 15 pts.) and Central Missouri (20th, 13 pts.). Defending national champion Nebraska-Omaha maintained its unanimous No. 1 ranking, receiving all eight first-place votes for a total of 160 points, while Newberry (S.C.), Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Minnesota State and Gannon (Pa.) rounded out the top five.
The Gators, under head coach Lars Jensen, return to the mat this weekend when they travel to the desert for the Grand Canyon Duals on Saturday, Jan. 23, in Phoenix, Ariz. SF State will take on its first two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents of the year, Colorado Mines and host Grand Canyon, sandwiched around a non-conference clash with Embry-Riddle.
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