EDMOND, Okla. – San Francisco State wrestlers
Naveed Bagheri (Los Gatos, Calif., West Valley College) and
Vince Bordi (Manteca, Calif./Manteca HS) received national rankings in the seventh NCAA Division II poll of the 2009-10 campaign, as released Wednesday by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Bagheri maintained his season-long No. 3 ranking at 133 pounds, while Bordi re-enters the poll at No. 7 in the 197-pound weight class.
Bagheri successfully defended his Super Region IV/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title from a year ago after defeating three opponents at the regional championships on Feb. 27 in Alamosa, Colo. Bagheri, the top seed in his division, opened with a 12-2 triumph by major decision over No. 8 Chris Rubalcaba of Mesa State, followed by a 4-2 decision over Fort Hays State’s fifth-seeded Travis Kuhn. The Los Gatos, Calif., native then eked out a 1-0 victory in the finals over No. 2 seed Todd Wilcox of Grand Canyon to retain the crown.
On Jan. 30, Bagheri captured the individual championship at the California Collegiates, where he earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors after outscoring four adversaries by a combined score of 63-4. For his performance, Bagheri was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 2. Earlier, 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.
Bordi, meanwhile, makes his second appearance in the polls this year after earning a No. 8 ranking on Feb. 3. The Manteca, Calif., product placed second in his weight class at the regional meet, posting a 2-1 mark to raise his overall record to 21-12. Bordi, who ranks second on the squad with 51 takedowns and 45 escapes so far this season, captured the individual title at the Fullerton Open on Nov. 21, while logging a pair of runner-up performances at the Menlo Invitational (Jan. 3) and California Collegiates (Jan. 30).
SF State jumped two spots to 16th in the team poll with 39 points, edging North Carolina-Pembroke (38 pts.), fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference member Grand Canyon (27 pts.), Minnesota State-Moorhead (19 pts.) and Kutztown (16 pts.).
Nebraska-Omaha retained its unanimous No. 1 stature for the 15
th straight poll over a two-year stretch, receiving all eight first-place votes for a total of 160 points. The Mavericks captured the Super Regional II title and qualified all 10 individuals for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, which they will play host to on March 12-13 at Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha, Neb.
Naveed Bagheri has been ranked No. 3 nationally all season at 133.
Super Region I champion Newberry (S.C.) kept its No. 2 ranking, while Super Region III winner Augustana (S.D.), Wisconsin-Parkside and St. Cloud State rounded out the top five.
By finishing in at least the top four of their respective weight classes at the Super Region IV/RMAC meet, Bagheri and Bordi advance to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, joining Gator teammates Josh Nolan (149), Zach Jimenez (184) and Steve Franklin (285). Jimenez and Franklin placed second at regionals, while Nolan took third.
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