Monday, December 2, 2013
Cal Poly Signs Six to National Letter of Intent
— Cal Poly Wrestling —
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Five wrestlers from California high schools who were state place winners last March and an Arizona state champion have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their wrestling careers at Cal Poly.
The announcement was made Monday by Mustang director of athletics Don Oberhelman and third-year Cal Poly wrestling coach Brendan Buckley.
“We are excited to announce the addition of six outstanding young men that will join us here next fall,” said Buckley. “Each of them have proven they are competitive at the state and national level and that they are terrific students.
“We expect them to fit in nicely with the type of culture that we have created here at Cal Poly in recent years and can’t wait to begin working with them,” Buckley added.
Glenn Farina, Arizona state champion at 132 pounds in Division I as a junior at Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe, also was sixth in the state meet as both a sophomore and freshman. He was 40-4 a year ago with a school-record 19 technical falls and 10 pins on the way to All-East Valley Tribune first-team honors and should wrestle at 141 at Cal Poly. He notched 38 two-point near falls and 172 takedowns in a single season.
Farina carries a 107-24 record into his senior season at Corona Del Sol. He was 34-11 with 13 pins as a freshman at 112 pounds, and posted a 33-9 sophomore mark with 12 pins at 126 pounds. Farina earned second-team All-East Valley Tribune honors as a freshman and sophomore.
Farina is ranked No. 20 at 132 pounds by USA Wrestling Magazine and was ranked in the top 20 at 126 pounds in 2012. He was 2013 Arizona Greco junior state champion and 2012 Arizona freestyle junior state runner-up.
A member of the National Honor Society, Farina has compiled a 3.84 grade-point average, has enrolled in Advance Placement/Honors Curriculum and is ranked 56th in his class of 637 students.
Topping the list of Golden State matmen coming to Cal Poly is Nick Fiegener, who was 57-3 as a junior at Folsom High School en route to a second-place state finish at 160 pounds. The four-time All-American was third in the National High School Coaches Association wrestling championships in Virginia last summer after placing second in the Doc Buchanan and first in the Tim Brown tourneys.
Placing first in the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Masters Meet last February, Fiegener was second at the 2012 Cadet Greco Roman Nationals and is a four-time All-American.
Fiegener wrestled for Mike Collier, who was coached by Buckley at UC Davis, at Folsom and is expected to compete at 184 at Cal Poly. He missed placing in the state meet as a sophomore by one victory.
Bryan Salinas of Northview High School, wrestling for former Cal Poly matman Bobby Bellamy, placed eighth in the state meet last year at 170 pounds and fourth as a sophomore at 145 pounds. The two-time San Gabriel Valley Tribune Wrestler of the Year is a cadet All-American in freestyle and Greco Roman and likely will wrestle at 165 pounds at Cal Poly.
Salinas won the Valle Vista League title for the third straight year and placed first in the CIF-Southern Section Central Division Finals and Masters Meet despite missing much of the regular season with a knee injury.
As a sophomore, Salinas won a Valle Vista League title, placed first in the CIF-Southern Section Southern Division finals and finished second in the Masters Meet en route to a fourth-place state meet. He won an NHSCA national title in the sophomore division and also placed third in the freshman division in 2011.
Johnny Beltran of Servite High School placed seventh at 182 pounds in the 2013 state prep finals at Bakersfield. He also finished second in the Five Counties Invitational last year and third in the Southwest Kickoff Classic a month ago.
The Trinity League title winner and Junior State Champion is expected to wrestle at 174 pounds at Cal Poly.
Cortes Morales of Clovis West placed seventh at 220 pounds in last year’s state meet. The two-time San Joaquin Valley champion placed second and fifth in the CIF-Central Section Masters Meet the last two years and ninth in 2011. He qualified for the state finals twice.
Last season, Morales won a title at the Zinkin, placed sixth in the Doc Buchanan and was seventh at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Abel Contreras was a seventh-place finisher in the state meet as well, competing at 132 pounds for Porterville High School. Contreras, who placed fourth in the Freak Show Las Vegas in 2013 and sixth in the Doc Buchanan Invitational in 2012, likely will wrestle at 141 pounds at Cal Poly.
The NLI early signing period for wrestling ended Nov. 20 and the regular signing period opens April 16 and ends August 1.
