San Francisco State University’s wrestling team battled their way through an intense season to return to the NCAA Division II Super Regionals tournament and picture NCAA D-II National Championships qualifications in their near future.
On Saturday, D-II wrestling programs across the nation will compete at the NCAA Super Regionals. The Gators are bracketed in the Super Regionals VI in Golden, Colorado with 10 wrestlers competing, one at each weight division.
Each wrestler must finish in the top three of their respective weight class in order to punch their ticket to the national championships.
Head coach Jason Welch discussed his approach to prepare the Gators for the task at hand. Welch mentioned how the team has deloaded and stepped off the gas pedal during their time off in order to peak at the right time. His focus has been to reinstill self-confidence in his wrestlers.
“I think sometimes people forget how much work they put in and how good they could be,” Welch said. “There’s like a self-limiting factor in there. It’s just reminding the guys like ‘there’s no reason why you can’t win this tournament.’”
Hayden Ancheta, sophomore wrestler, is making his super regionals debut and his confidence is through the roof heading into Colorado.
“My mindset going in is just the hay is in the barn,” Ancheta said. “I’ve done all the right things, I trust in my process. I have no regrets. I’m going to let it fly, wrestle like me, and I’m going to qualify for nationals and win.”
Kyle Botelho, senior wrestler, is in the twilight of his collegiate wrestling career. Botelho has qualified for the national championships the past two seasons and is ready to repeat for a third time.
“It’s one tournament at a time, one match at a time,” Botelho said. “I feel like this year, I’m the best version of myself. So, I feel like I could do a lot of damage at this tournament, and hopefully qualify for nationals and do better than I have in previous years.”
Welch is looking for a big upset in the bracket to provide extra fuel for the Gators.
“I think if we want to get a super high-performance result, we need someone to catch fire because I think that’s contagious,” Welch said. “We have a lot of guys who are steady right now and ready to get the job done, but we need someone who’s not supposed to win to win. If that happens, we blow the lid off the thing and everyone’s going to crush it.”
Welch believes that senior wrestler Kydyn Lima is a potential bracket buster. Lima only competed in the second half of the season due to surgery recovery and finished with a record of 8-0.
“I’ve been in deep waters before,” Lima said. “I think now’s my time. I’m just confident that all the opportunities that I’ve been given and taken have prepared me for this moment.”
The NCAA D-II Super Regionals VI start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.
