Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State Wrestling opens practice
10/10/2017 7:00:00 PM | Wrestling
The return of Fresno State Wrestling continues to get closer by the day and Tuesday signaled another important milestone as the Bulldogs held their first official practice of the season.
FRESNO, Calif. - The return of Fresno State Wrestling continues to get closer by the day and Tuesday signaled another important milestone as the Bulldogs held their first official practice of the season.
"People in this area and in this community have fought hard to get wrestling back at Fresno State and I feel honored to help lead this out," said head coach Troy Steiner before the 'Dogs first practice.
Temporarily practicing in the Student Recreation Center until the team's wrestling room in the North Gym is complete later this season, the 'Dogs went through a full-squad workout as preparations for the season got underway.
"From a team standpoint, most of these guys have been here this summer working out and preparing for this season. We are about three-and-half weeks away from competition and the guys are excited, but we still have a lot of work to do," added Steiner.
This year's Bulldog roster will feature 19 student-athletes made up of 14 freshman, three sophomores and two juniors. Eight of the 'Dogs bring with them collegiate wrestling experience, including three who have wrestled at other Big 12 conference schools, while the other 11 Bulldogs arrive straight from the high school ranks.
Two local products, sophomore Isaiah Hokit and freshman AJ Nevills, who each started off their collegiate careers out east at Drexel University and Penn State, respectively, return home after each wrestled at nearby Clovis High School.
"I am excited to get back out and compete after a year off and cannot wait to get in front of the fans here," said Hokit.
Nevills echoed those sentiments, "Personally, I am very excited to be back out on the mat competing and we have a lot of fans who are excited to see what kind of team we have and we want to go out there and put on a show for them."
The Bulldogs kick off the season on Sat., Nov. 4 traveling to the Menlo Open before seeing their first dual meet action of the season a week later taking on a pair of Division II opponents in Nebraska-Kearney and San Francisco State on Nov. 11. The 'Dogs return home the following week to host Big 10 foe Illinois on Fri., Nov. 17 for their home opener at the Save Mart Center.
Season tickets to all six home duals are available by visiting GoBulldogs.com or by calling the Bulldog Ticket office at 559-278-3647. Single-match tickets go on sale starting Oct. 16.
Fresno State Wrestling's First Official Practice Quotes
Head Coach Troy Steiner
On having Central Valley roots to the program....
"It is important for one from a fan standpoint. We know our fan base is from here in the Valley and this is a hotbed of high school wrestling and want keep a majority of these kids from the Valley at Fresno State."
On facing challenges in year one....
"It is like life in a lot of ways, there are struggles. Bringing a new program back in this first year recruiting, we have nothing to sell, no facilities, no workout partners and a lot of it was Coach Silva and myself and really selling the vision of this program. These guys here now will always be very special to me, because they bought into our vision and trusted us to provide those resources for them. I feel like I have a lot of work to do to help them."
On helping the student-athletes reach success...
"They are great people and they want certain things out of the sport. They have high goals for themselves and it is my job to help get them there and guide them along the path. It is their journey and we are here to help guide them. I am honored they trust me and I will do everything I can to help them achieve all of their goals."
On having a motto for the program....
"A little bit, we want to have a Valley vision and we want to have a close family. I feel like you have to have a close family before you are every going to have success. When you get into tough times, you have to be able to count on each other and support one another and if you are not tight, you are going to break apart and you have nothing. We need to have a closeness and be able to hold each other accountable and pick each other up when we need to. A lot of these guys have known one another for a long time growing up here in the Valley so it was us more getting to know them and they let us in. It has been a neat process and I think we have a close knit group here that is going to fight for each other."
Sophomore Isaiah Hokit
On the return of Fresno State Wrestling after a 11-year hiatus....
"It is very exciting and being from this area, I know a lot of people are really excited about it coming back.I know we will get a lot of other people from around the state of California to come out and support as well."
On thinking about the 'Dogs home opener vs. Illinois on Nov. 17....
"We are so excited and expect a packed house and I have definitely thought about that over a million times and you can't help but think about it, we can't wait!"
On how he thinks the team will perform this season....
"We have some young talent and I think we can surprise some people. They are going to see what it is like to face some grown men at the Division I level, it is tough, but I think we will surprise some people."
Freshman AJ Nevills
On wrestling returning to Fresno State....
"From everyone I heard and talked to who is a fan of the sport of wrestling, they can hardly contain their excitement and it is humbling to see that. It makes me proud and we want to put on a show for them."
On thinking about the 'Dogs home opener vs. Illinois on Nov. 17....
"It's on the front of my mind everyday and I can't wait to get out there and compete."
On expectations this season....
"I do not put any expectations on us since we have a lot of room to grow. I just want everyone to go out there and wrestle hard and help the team as best as they can."
Thoughts on the 'Dogs schedule this season....
"We have a really tough schedule and I know I will face a lot of tough opponents and I know my teammates will face a lot of tough guys as well and we are excited for the challenge."
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter: @Fresno StateWRES
Instagram:Â fresnostatewrestling
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat:Â FSAthletics
"People in this area and in this community have fought hard to get wrestling back at Fresno State and I feel honored to help lead this out," said head coach Troy Steiner before the 'Dogs first practice.
Temporarily practicing in the Student Recreation Center until the team's wrestling room in the North Gym is complete later this season, the 'Dogs went through a full-squad workout as preparations for the season got underway.
"From a team standpoint, most of these guys have been here this summer working out and preparing for this season. We are about three-and-half weeks away from competition and the guys are excited, but we still have a lot of work to do," added Steiner.
This year's Bulldog roster will feature 19 student-athletes made up of 14 freshman, three sophomores and two juniors. Eight of the 'Dogs bring with them collegiate wrestling experience, including three who have wrestled at other Big 12 conference schools, while the other 11 Bulldogs arrive straight from the high school ranks.
Two local products, sophomore Isaiah Hokit and freshman AJ Nevills, who each started off their collegiate careers out east at Drexel University and Penn State, respectively, return home after each wrestled at nearby Clovis High School.
"I am excited to get back out and compete after a year off and cannot wait to get in front of the fans here," said Hokit.
Nevills echoed those sentiments, "Personally, I am very excited to be back out on the mat competing and we have a lot of fans who are excited to see what kind of team we have and we want to go out there and put on a show for them."
The Bulldogs kick off the season on Sat., Nov. 4 traveling to the Menlo Open before seeing their first dual meet action of the season a week later taking on a pair of Division II opponents in Nebraska-Kearney and San Francisco State on Nov. 11. The 'Dogs return home the following week to host Big 10 foe Illinois on Fri., Nov. 17 for their home opener at the Save Mart Center.
Season tickets to all six home duals are available by visiting GoBulldogs.com or by calling the Bulldog Ticket office at 559-278-3647. Single-match tickets go on sale starting Oct. 16.
Fresno State Wrestling's First Official Practice Quotes
Head Coach Troy Steiner
On having Central Valley roots to the program....
"It is important for one from a fan standpoint. We know our fan base is from here in the Valley and this is a hotbed of high school wrestling and want keep a majority of these kids from the Valley at Fresno State."
On facing challenges in year one....
"It is like life in a lot of ways, there are struggles. Bringing a new program back in this first year recruiting, we have nothing to sell, no facilities, no workout partners and a lot of it was Coach Silva and myself and really selling the vision of this program. These guys here now will always be very special to me, because they bought into our vision and trusted us to provide those resources for them. I feel like I have a lot of work to do to help them."
On helping the student-athletes reach success...
"They are great people and they want certain things out of the sport. They have high goals for themselves and it is my job to help get them there and guide them along the path. It is their journey and we are here to help guide them. I am honored they trust me and I will do everything I can to help them achieve all of their goals."
On having a motto for the program....
"A little bit, we want to have a Valley vision and we want to have a close family. I feel like you have to have a close family before you are every going to have success. When you get into tough times, you have to be able to count on each other and support one another and if you are not tight, you are going to break apart and you have nothing. We need to have a closeness and be able to hold each other accountable and pick each other up when we need to. A lot of these guys have known one another for a long time growing up here in the Valley so it was us more getting to know them and they let us in. It has been a neat process and I think we have a close knit group here that is going to fight for each other."
Sophomore Isaiah Hokit
On the return of Fresno State Wrestling after a 11-year hiatus....
"It is very exciting and being from this area, I know a lot of people are really excited about it coming back.I know we will get a lot of other people from around the state of California to come out and support as well."
On thinking about the 'Dogs home opener vs. Illinois on Nov. 17....
"We are so excited and expect a packed house and I have definitely thought about that over a million times and you can't help but think about it, we can't wait!"
On how he thinks the team will perform this season....
"We have some young talent and I think we can surprise some people. They are going to see what it is like to face some grown men at the Division I level, it is tough, but I think we will surprise some people."
Freshman AJ Nevills
On wrestling returning to Fresno State....
"From everyone I heard and talked to who is a fan of the sport of wrestling, they can hardly contain their excitement and it is humbling to see that. It makes me proud and we want to put on a show for them."
On thinking about the 'Dogs home opener vs. Illinois on Nov. 17....
"It's on the front of my mind everyday and I can't wait to get out there and compete."
On expectations this season....
"I do not put any expectations on us since we have a lot of room to grow. I just want everyone to go out there and wrestle hard and help the team as best as they can."
Thoughts on the 'Dogs schedule this season....
"We have a really tough schedule and I know I will face a lot of tough opponents and I know my teammates will face a lot of tough guys as well and we are excited for the challenge."
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:Â
Twitter: @Fresno StateWRES
Instagram:Â fresnostatewrestling
Facebook:Â FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat:Â FSAthletics
Players Mentioned
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