Fresno State Athletics
Wrestling Weekly Release Jan. 31
1/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 30, 2000
Fresno State Wrestling Rolls Against Embry-Riddle
The Bulldogs racked up another dual match victory as they defeated Embry-Riddle 30-6 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. Fresno State did not come out of the gates quickly in this match-up, losing the first two matches at 141 and 149 pounds. The always reliable Tim Cornish (Sr., Manhattan, N.Y.) got the pendulum to swing the `Dogs way as Cornish inched out a tough 4-2 overtime victory. Momentum of the pendulum just kept going to the `Dogs as they rattled off seven straight, after the Cornish decision. Derrick Hayes (Jr., Seaside, Calif) and Jonte Davis (Sr., Fresno, Calif) both added impressive wins to their season's total. Hayes got his first technical fall victory and Davis walked away with his second major decision win. The Bulldogs, with the win, are now 9-5.
Fresno State Grapplers Feel the Heat
No. 13 Arizona State handed the Bulldogs their sixth defeat of the season with a 24-11 loss. In a blink of an eye, The `Dogs lost their first two matches and were down 10-0 to the nationally ranked Sun Devils. Tim Cornish (Sr., Manhattan, N.Y.) tried to resurrect the Bulldogs again with an 11-6 victory over Nick Frost. The resurrection was short lived when Steve Blackford, the fourth ranked wrestler at 165 pounds, got a major decision win over Eddie Gifford (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev.). Dan Jackson (So., Kingsburg, Calif.), Tom Gohde (Jr., Bozeman, Mont.) and No. 6 Paris Ruiz (Sr., Fresno, Calif.) all got wins for the `Dogs, but it was not enough to hold off the fiery Sun Devils. The Bulldogs will next travel to their central valley rivals, No. 18 Cal State Bakersfield for a mid-week dual match on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
No. 25 Fresno State Wrestling takes the Boxers to the Mat
The Bulldogs opened their road trip to the Pacific Northwest with a successful win over Pacific University 34-3 in Portland, Ore. Lead by No. 7 Paris Ruiz (Sr., Fresno, Calif.), the `Dogs went straight for the jugular as nine out of ten Bulldog wrestlers got victories. Ruiz chalked up another major decision (11, leads team). But not to be undone, Ralph Lopez (Fr., Fresno, Calif.) took out his opponent with a first period technical fall win 18-2. The final act seemed to save the best for last as Grant Harrington (So., Visalia, Calif.) recorded his first pin of the season..
A Bulldog Leaves the Pack
Michael Zardo (So., Salinas, Calif.), a reserved fixture for the Fresno State Bulldog Wrestling Team at 149 pounds has taken leave of his student-athlete status. Zardo bostered a 3-4 record with the `Dogs this season as he participated in the All-California Tournament in Fullerton, Calif. and the UC Davis Tournament in Davis, Calif. The former 149 pound Bulldog reserve was a walk-on to the team back in 1998, he is currently majoring in Enology. Zardo leaves the Bulldogs with a overall collegiate record of 3-6.
Beep, Beep Here Come the No. 18 Roadrunners
The freeway 99 rivalry continues... Cal State Bakersfield (7-4) is currently ranked 18th in the nation by InterMat Wrestling... they have in their arsenal five Top 20 wrestlers, lead by Senior Lionel Halsey (No. 5 at 184 lbs.)... In the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the Roadrunners took fourth out of 47 teams.
Dennis DeLiddo
Head Coach - 19th season
Dennis DeLiddo has gained national respect the old fashioned way.
He's earned it.
In 19 seasons, DeLiddo has completely rebuilt a once struggling program and turned it into a national powerhouse. And he's done it the only way he knows--through hard work, perseverance and dedication. DeLiddo took over a Fresno State program in 1982 that had not seen a winning season in over a decade. But it didn't take long for him to shift the focus from simply posting winning records to grabbing conference titles and national rankings. Today, DeLiddo has Fresno State wrestling at its highest level ever. Fresno State has captured eight consecutive top 25 NCAA finishes while winning seven straight Western Athletic Conference championships. DeLiddo's highlights are many. He was named WAC Coach of the Year in four of the past seven seasons. He nabbed win No. 200 four years ago. Not long after that, he sent a school-record eight wrestlers to the 1994 NCAA Championships (he has sent seven wrestlers five times) while winning another WAC title. In 1993, DeLiddo was runner-up for the National Coach of the Year award, when he led Fresno State to a best-ever eighth-place finish at the NCAA's and its first WAC title. The previous year Fresno State nabbed their third top 25 finish and racked up a 19-1 dual meet record. His first conference title came in 1985, his fourth year as coach, when Fresno State was a member of the PCAA.
The 1999 season saw coach DeLiddo guided his team to its seventh consecutive Western Athletic Conference team title and he garnished his first national champion wrestler in Stephen Abas at 125 pounds. DeLiddo is far and away the only Fresno State wrestling coach to lead his team to seven consecutive conference titles and the second coach to have developed a Division I national champion here at Fresno State. During his 18 years at the helm, DeLiddo has produced 23 All-Americans, 52 individual conference champions, and has placed the Bulldogs at every NCAA meet since his second season in 1983. In addition, he has coached nine of the ten winningest wrestlers in school history. His 244-125-5 (.661) career record makes him the winningest coach in Fresno State history.
Prior to coming to Fresno State, DeLiddo built nearby Clovis High School into a valley powerhouse. His 145-7-1 record over ten years there included three consecutive state titles from 1974 to 1976.
