ATHERTON, Calif. -- Vanguard men's wrestling took on Menlo College for the second time this season in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. Having lost at home but only by 14, the Blue and Gold entered Atherton with some optimism. However, the Lions picked up only two individual wins as the Oaks proved too much to handle, as Menlo won the dual 39-9. VU is now 4-4 in duals on the year with one to go.
What Happened? Mike Ruiz (SO/Orange, CA) started the dual for the Lions against Antonio Dacosta in the heavyweight class. No points were tallied in the first and Ruiz opened the scoring with an escape in the second, having started in the down position. Dacosta countered with an escape to start the third to tie the proceedings. Ruiz was close to holding onto the 1-1 scoreline to force sudden victory, but Dacosta made a takedown with under a minute to go in the third to steal a 3-1 decision victory. VU was open at 125 pounds, giving the Oaks six points and a 9-0 lead.
The Lions got their only wins in the next two duals, with Dominic De'Altonaga (SO/Poway, CA) picking up the first in the 133-pound dual. He took on Cristian Vasquez and got the first takedown, but Vasquez wriggled free for an escape to make it 2-1. A takedown for the Menlo wrestler gave Vasquez a 3-2 lead. Vasquez made an escape, having started in the down position in the second, but De'Altonaga would respond with an escape and a takedown. Vasquez made one last escape in the third, leveling the score at 5-5 after three periods. In sudden victory, De'Altonaga baited in Vasquez and flipped him over for a takedown to grab a 7-5 win.
Steven Kroesen (JR/Laguna Hills, CA) was in total control against Noah Messman in the 141-pound bout. He rolled away to an 8-2 lead before pulling Messman over onto his shoulder for the pin. That leveled the dual at 9-9, but that would be it for the positive decisions for VU.
Christopher Gaxiola and Bryant Avila (FR/Rialto, CA) had a good scrap in the 149-pound dual, but Gaxiola made the extra takedown to win 5-3. Abraham Del Toro pinned Philip Saucedo (FR/Riverside, CA) in the 157-pound matchup and Rysan Leong pinned Ruben Rodriguez (FR/Chula Vista, CA) in the 165-pound meeting. Maximus Zamora rolled over Luke Lussier (JR/Victorville, CA) 17-1 in the 174-pound bout, with VU losing six more points as the squad was open at 184-pound. Afton Silvis closed out the night by topping Steven Solis (FR/Heber, CA) 11-1.
What was Said? "Our guys competed really hard," said Head Coach Caleb Flores. "Our night was highlighted by Dominic getting an OT victory over a guy that beat him earlier in the year. Now, it's time to get ready for SF State."
What's Next? The Lions will play again tomorrow against San Francisco State at 11:00 a.m.
