AJ Ferrari of CSUB finished third at NCAA Championships

In the NCAA Division I wrestling championships held recently in Philadelphia, AJ Ferrari from Cal State Bakersfield finished in third place. Ferrari, competing at 197 pounds, was seeded third in the tournament. He faced a tough opponent in the semifinals, losing to Iowa's Stephen Buchanan, who was seeded second, with a score of 3-0. After this loss, Ferrari quickly focused on the consolation bracket. On Saturday, he secured two victories. He first defeated Joseph Novak from Wyoming with a close score of 5-3 in the 197-pound consolation semifinal. Ferrari then faced Michigan's Jacob Cardenas, the top seed in his category, and won the match 2-0. With these wins, Ferrari ended the tournament with a record of 5-1, making him an NCAA All-American. This marks his first year competing for CSUB, and he finished the season with an impressive overall record of 22-1. His third-place finish is notable, as it is the best result for a CSUB wrestler since Stephen Neal won his titles in 1999. Ferrari is the first CSUB wrestler to achieve All-American status in NCAA Division I since 2014. This year, he was one of three wrestlers representing CSUB at the NCAA tournament. Senior heavyweight Jake Andrews managed to secure one victory, while Richard Castro-Sandoval unfortunately did not win any matches. CSUB had not qualified any wrestlers for the NCAA tournament in 2024, breaking a 50-year streak of representation.