Canyon Drops Matches To D-I Foes

Saturday, November 17

GCU Arena

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Arizona State

Tyrell Fortune pins ASU All-American Levi Cooper.

11/17/2012 2:48:00 PM | Wrestling

Fortune pins ASU All-American

Grand Canyon, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division II, lost a pair of dual meets to Division-I foes at GCU Arena Saturday.

The Antelopes (0-2) fell 25-10 to CSU Bakersfield before dropping a 42-6 decision to Arizona State.

GCU is wrestling the first semester of the season without two of its three returning All-Americans. Celic Bell (197) and Bobby Ward (149), eighth and third in the nation last year, respectively, will return to the lineup second semester.

“In reality, we wrestled two Division I teams that came in here 6-1. They’re two good schools,” said GCU coach R.C. LaHaye. “A lot of weights we were just out-manned. No excuses, they were better than us tonight, but, with that said, it’s a long way until March.

“Our team has to get tougher, meaner and more disciplined. We got slapped in the face and it’s pretty embarrassing right now. We’ll use this as a learning experience and respond.”

Grand Canyon University junior heavyweight Tyrell Fortune went 2-0 on the day and improved to 11-0 on the season. He pinned Arizona State All-American Levi Cooper in 4:32 for the Antelopes lone win against the Sun Devils.

“That was a big win. (Cooper) beat him a couple of years ago, a good payback,” said LaHaye.

Against CSU Bakersfield, GCU got its first win at 184 when Brett Sanchez defeated Reuben Franklin 3-0.

Bakersfield won the first five matches, but GCU went on a run of its own, taking the next three. Following Sanchez, 197-class sophomore Eric Fan, in his first match of the season, defeated Frankie Hurtado 10-5. Fortune won 12-4 over Sam Cervantes, to cut the Roadrunners lead to 19-10.

In the marquee’ match of the dual, defending national champion Kyle McCrite lost 9-5 to CSU Bakersfield’s Tyler Iwamura, ranked No. 18 in Division I. It was a rematch from last week’s Roadrunner Open 125-class title match, also won by Iwamura.

To start the day at the arena, Arizona State beat CSU Bakersfield 29-10.

GCU is off until a Dec. 7 dual meet at Antelope Gymnasium against Embry-Riddle.

ASU 42, GCU 6
CSUB 25, GCU 10
ASU 29, CSUB 10