FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 13, 2013

Cal Poly Adds Nine More Wrestlers to Recruiting Class

-- Cal Poly Wrestling --

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly head wrestling coach Brendan Buckley and Mustang director of athletics Don Oberhelman have announced the signings of seven more wrestlers to the National Letter of Intent and the addition of two others to the recruiting class who have been admitted to the university.

Righetti High School graduate Luke Wilson heads the newest class of wrestling signees. The three-year varsity football letter winner as a wide receiver captured a California state wrestling title at 152 pounds last March and a pair of CIF-Southern Section divisional crowns.

Wilson also is one of two Mustang recruits ranked in InterMatÂ’s top 100 list of high school seniors. Wilson is ranked No. 89 while Spencer Empey, announced as an NLI signee in November, is ranked No. 36.

The class includes five state place winners and two others who qualified for the state finals. The early class of three members announced in November included a three-time Nevada state champion, a state champion from Florida and a three-time state champion from Oregon.

“All of us at Cal Poly are excited about this next recruiting class,” said Buckley. “We filled various weight classes with guys that have been among the best in their respective states and several have done very well, nationally.  

“We feel each of them is a good fit for the type of program we are building here in San Luis Obispo,” Buckley added. “Furthermore, it goes without saying they are strong students who take their academics seriously and they will fit in very well on this campus.”

InterMat has ranked Cal PolyÂ’s recruiting class as the 25th best in Division I. Michigan leads the way, followed by Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Dakota State and Illinois.

The class, listed alphabetically:

A top-12 finisher at the California state finals (154 pounds) as a senior last March, Applegate also finished seventh in the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet and second at the CIF-Southern Section Southern Division finals en route to a 118-48 career win-loss record.

Applegate also won the Clovis Shootout, placed second at the South Coast League finals and third in the Five Counties Invitational.

As a junior, Applegate was a South Coast League champion, placed fourth in the CIF-Southern Section Central Division finals and seventh in the Five Counties Invitational. During the offseason, he placed second in the Americas Cup/Western States.

Applegate was runner-up in the South Coast League finals, fifth in the CIF-Southern Section Central Division and California state frosh-soph champion as a sophomore. He will study business at Cal Poly.

Espinosa is a three-time CIF-San Diego Section Division I champion, two-time CIF-San Diego Section Masters champion and three-time state meet qualifier, placing fourth last March and seventh in 2011.

He compiled a career prep record of 157-27 and Espinosa also is a former Brazilian Jiu Jitsu national champion and also participates in Mixed Martial Arts and boxing.

Hecht  posted a 49-8 record as a senior, finishing fourth in the state championship. He also placed first at the California Invitational Tournament and Santiago Shark Tank while finishing second in the Diablo Valley College Tournament. 

He placed third in the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1A Championship, fourth in the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet and was named National Scholar Athlete of the Year as presented by the U.S. Army. 

As a junior, Hecht was 25-17, finishing sixth in the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Division 1 North finals and placing in the top 12 at the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet. He placed second in the DVC Tournament and eighth at the CIT.

Hecht also was an offensive and defensive lineman on FranklinÂ’s football team.

A fourth-place finisher in the California state finals at 195 pounds last March, Johnson posted a career prep record of 137-47, including a 50-7 mark as a senior.

The four-year varsity letterman and team captain was a CIF-Southern Section divisional champion and Masters finalist, twice placing in the CIF-Southern Section individual finals.. 

A Southwestern League champion and voted league MVP by head coaches, Johnson was a finalist at the Doc B, Clinch Gear Tournament of Champions and the Raul Huerta Memorial

Johnson twice was a Southwestern League All-Academic Award recipient and was voted by his teammates as team MVP and Outstanding Wrestler two times as well. He was selected as Murrieta Valley High SchoolÂ’s Athlete of the year in May.

Johnson was a member of the 2012 California Junior National Greco and Freestyle Team at 195 pounds, placing in the top 10 in Greco. He also was a member of the California National Duels team and a Western Regional Greco Champion. Johnson lettered two years in football.

Johnson plans to major in economics with a concentration in finance at Cal Poly.

Movahedi compiled a 117-29 record in his final three years of wrestling at Granada Hills Charter High School. He placed third in the California state finals at 182 pounds, his schoolÂ’s first state place winner, as a senior and posted a 2-2 mark in the state finals as a junior at 160 pounds.

During his senior season, Movahedi also placed third at the Doc Buchanan, first at the Newbury Park Invitational, first at the Tournament of Champions, first at the Sam De John (at San Fernando High School) and fourth at the Zinkin Classic en route to a 55-5 record. He was second at the USAW Nationals in Iowa.

Movahedi plans to major in psychology at Cal Poly.

Trent Noon, 174, Oakdale, CA (Oakdale High School/Clackamas Community College)

At Oakdale High School, Noon was a three-time state meet qualifier and two-time state medalist with a fifth-place finish at 171 pounds in 2011 and seventh place at 152 pounds in 2010.

Noon also placed fourth at the Doc B, fifth at Battle for the Belt in Temecula and claimed the California FILA state freestyle championship in freestyle.

At Clackamas Community College, Noon was a two-time NJCAA All-American, including a first-place finish in 2013 at 174 pounds in Des Moines, Iowa, leading Clackamas to a third-place national finish. Noon was 27-7 as a sophomore.

In his freshman season, Noon was a Region 18 runner-up, Best of the West runner-up and Mike Clock champion en route to a fourth-place NJCAA finish for All-America honors.

He will major in communication studies at Cal Poly.

A four-year varsity letter winner in wrestling at Ponderosa High School, Troquato was a two-time state meet qualifier, placing fourth in the 2013 finals.

Troquato was a CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Masters champion as a junior and placed fourth as a senior at 182 pounds. He finished seventh in the section finals as a junior.

Troquato was a team captain who posted a 51-3 record as a senior and was named to the All-Metro Wrestling team by the Mountain Democrat in Placerville. He plans to study kinesiology at Cal Poly.

Trujillo is a two-time California state meet place winner, finishing sixth as a junior at 120 pounds and fifth as a senior at 126 pounds.

A graduate of Bella Vista High School, where he claims to be the schoolÂ’s best chess player, Trujillo also is a two-time NHSCA All-American with a fifth place finish in the senior nationals and seventh at the sophomore nationals.

He was a Cadet freestyle state champion in 2010 and finished third in the Greco state junior division in 2012. 

Trujillo plans on majoring in business management at Cal Poly.

Wilson is a two-time state place winner and two-time national place winner who posted a 41-2 record as a senior at Righetti High School.

Wilson was first in the state meet as a senior at 152 pounds and eighth as a junior at 145 pounds. He earned a third in the NHSCA nationals as a senior and eighth as a junior, earning All-American honors.

His senior-year performance also included Pac 7 League, CIF-Southern Section Individual Finals and CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet championships.

Those accolades followed a sectional finals championship at 145 pounds his junior year. He also finished third at the Masters while, as a sophomore, he was second at the sectional finals and Masters Meet at 138 pounds, qualifying for the state finals.

Wilson will major in history at Cal Poly. His parents, Gary and Liz, both are Cal Poly graduates. Gary teaches history and coaches football at Righetti. 

Playing for his father, Luke Wilson was an All-CIF-Southern Section Northern Division wide receiver last fall, also earning All-Pac 7 first-team honors as a defensive back as a junior and senior. He was a three-year varsity letter winner in football.

The younger Wilson said he will likely play in the FCA All-Star Football Game, that pits All-Star seniors from San Luis Obispo County and Northern Santa Barbara County against each other, that takes place June 1 at Huyck Stadium in Lompoc.

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Last fall, Cal Poly announced the signings of three wrestlers to the National Letter of Intent:

The trio of signees, listed alphabetically, with updated bios for their senior season:

Berridge is a four-time state qualifier and three-time state placer under head coach Russ Cozart at Brandon High School near Tampa Bay, Florida. Berridge has earned prep all-American honors from a number of organizations and was named an Asics Junior All-American. A Class 3A district and region champion in 2012 and 2013, Berridge captured the Florida state title last February at 170 pounds and placed fourth at 152 pounds as a junior, leading Brandon to the state team title. He was a runner-up at 145 as a sophomore in 2011. Berridge also finished eighth in the Super 32, was a 2011 Cadet Fargo All-American and placed second in the National High School Coaches Association nationals as a sophomore and junior, earning freshman All-America honors as well. Among colleges recruiting Berridge were Princeton, Maryland and Cal Poly. He is projected to wrestle at 174 or 184 pounds at Cal Poly and will major in business administration.

Empey is a three-time Nevada state champion under head coach Dan Barrazza at Reed High School, posting a career 165-14 record and twice earning Nevada High School Wrestler of the Year honors. He also is a four-time Nevada All-State Academic Team member. As a sophomore, Empey posted a perfect 50-0 record en route to winning a state championship and earned the Northern Nevada 4A Region Upper Weight Wrestler of the Year award. He followed that with an unblemished 45-0 mark on his way to a second straight state title as a junior. Empey also is a three-time Reno Tournament of Champions winner. He also was an offensive and defensive lineman on the Raiders football team as a sophomore and junior. Those two teams won 21 of 26 games. Empey has finished second in the National High School Coaches Association nationals three times and placed third in the Flonational Tournament at Drexel University last summer. He is a two-time Doc Buchanan champion and won the 2011 Reno Worlds. Empey chose Cal Poly because "I've always had a high standard for education. I need to get grades and then after that worry about athletics, and Cal Poly is a great school for that. That was a big criteria. Then obviously the wrestling part got me there, and Cal Poly is a top 20 school. The weather was great during my visit and I really felt comfortable with all the wrestlers and coaches. At the end of the day, you kind of have to go with what your heart feels and, for me, that was Cal Poly." Empey will major in general engineering at Cal Poly after graduating from Reed High School with an Honors Diploma. He is a National Honors Society member.

Schilling is a three-time Oregon state 4A champion and finished second as a junior while wrestling under head coach Steve Thorpe at Sweet Home High School. He won state titles at 103 pounds as a freshman, 112 pounds as a sophomore and 126 pounds as a senior, compiling a 184-4 career prep record. Schilling set school records for most falls in a season (45) and career (145) at Sweet Home. He also is a four-time state Greco-Roman and freestyle champion, holds the state record of 11 state titles and won gold medals in FILA Cadet and Junior divisions in Greco-Roman wrestling during a three-week cultural exchange visit to South Africa last summer. He also attended the northwest regional training camp at Oregon State, then trained and competed with the team that went to nationals in Fargo, N.D. After that, he attended the Santiam camp. Among other honors, he is a three-time national All-American, 2011 Greco-Roman national finalist and was named to the 2013 Wrestling USA National High School All-American Team. Schilling is a four-time Sweet Home scholar-athlete, was named to the Dairy Farmers of Oregon academic all-state team and is a National Honor Society member. Schilling played for the Huskies' football team last fall as a wide receiver and defensive back, twice earning team defensive MVP and all-league honors. He was recruited by Oregon State, Stanford, George Mason and other schools, choosing Cal Poly because "I liked the smaller school fit, coming from a small town. I didn't feel like I would get lost, and I wanted to stay on the West Coast, closer to my family." He also chose to be a Mustang because of Buckley, who was hired at Cal Poly prior to the 2011-12 season after 11 years at Columbia. "He's a great coach and I like his philosophies," Schilling said. "The kids put their academic goals as high as their athletic goals." Schilling plans to major in general engineering at Cal Poly.

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Eric Burdick
Associate Director of Athletics Communications
(Football, Baseball, Wrestling, Men's and Women's Golf, Men's and Women's Swimming SID)
Cal Poly
Mott Gym, Room 123
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407-0388
(805) 756-6550 (office)
(805) 550-3427 (cell)

(805) 756-2650 (fax)
eburdick@calpoly.edu

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