EDMOND, Okla. – A total of four San Francisco State wrestlers received national rankings in the fifth NCAA Division II poll of the regular season, as released Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association. Three Gators, Naveed Bagheri (3^rd – 133 lbs.), Ben Lockett (4^th – 141 lbs.) and Steve Franklin  (8^th – 285 lbs.) maintained their positions from the previous poll, while Vince Bordi (197 lbs.) cracked the rankings for the first time this season, landing in the eighth spot as well.  

 

Bagheri has been white-hot of late, winning 19 straight bouts after a season-opening loss against Stanford on Nov. 25. The Los Gatos, Calif., native captured his second tournament title of the season at the California Collegiates on Jan. 30, where he earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors after outscoring four opponents by a combined score of 63-4. For his performance, Bagheri was also named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week. Last month, he was also victorious at the Menlo Invitational on Jan. 3 and was the lone SF State competitor to post a 3-0 record at the prestigious NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, Jan. 9-10. 

 

Lockett has compiled an 18-9 record thus far in 2009-10 and is coming off a third-place finish at the California Collegiates. He currently leads the team with 94 takedowns and 246 points in his 27 matches. In addition, Lockett now has 389 takedowns and 945 points for his career, which rank second and fourth, respectively, on the school's all-time charts. The San Francisco product has also moved into seventh place in SF State history with 164 career escapes.

 

Franklin successfully defended his heavyweight title at the California Collegiates where posted a 4-0 record, including three victories over Division I wrestlers to extend his winning streak to 12 bouts.  With his effort, the Middletown, Calif., product has 24 wins and 11 pins to his credit this season, both tops on the squad. In addition, Franklin now has 30 pins for his career, which ties Morris Johnson for second place in school history, just four behind Matt Blevin's standard of 34.

 

Bordi, meanwhile, is coming off a second-place showing at the California Collegiates and has placed in two other tournaments during the 2009-10 campaign, winning the Fullerton Open on Nov. 21, while finishing second at the Menlo Invitational on Jan. 3. The Manteca, Calif., native sports a 17-11 record so far this year and ranks second on the team with 38 escapes. 

 

SF State slipped to 19^th in the team poll with 22 points, just ahead of fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference member Grand Canyon (11 pts.). Defending national champion Nebraska-Omaha retained its unanimous No. 1 stature, receiving all eight first-place votes for a total of 160 points, while Newberry (S.C.), Upper Iowa, Pittsburgh-Johnstown and Wisconsin-Parkside rounded out the top five.