Bears Wrestling Travels to California for Big 12 Opener against Cal Baptist

Tuesday, December 30

Riverside, Calif.

3 p.m. MST | 2 p.m. PST

University of Northern Colorado

Cal Baptist

Jesus Ayala | UNC Athletics

12/28/2025 10:00:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. — After a brief holiday break, Northern Colorado wrestling is back in action and ready to open Big 12 Conference competition on the road. The Bears travel to Riverside, California, to take on Cal Baptist on Tuesday, December 30, with the dual scheduled for 3 p.m. MST inside Van Dyne Gym.

Northern Colorado enters conference play with momentum following an impressive 34–12 victory over Campbell in its home-opening dual. The win showcased the Bears' depth and firepower across the lineup, setting a strong tone as they shift focus to Big 12 competition.

LAST TIME OUT
The dual against Campbell began with a forfeit at 125 pounds, immediately giving the Bears a 6–0 advantage. At 133, freshman Aydan Thomas competed up a weight and battled closely before falling in a narrow 5–3 decision.

UNC responded emphatically at 141, where KJ Evans took control early and earned a 12–2 injury default victory. The momentum continued at 149 as Emilio Trujillo-Deen delivered a dominant performance, recording a 16–0 technical fall. Daishun Powe followed at 157 with a strong 16–8 major decision to keep the Bears rolling.

Another forfeit at 165 further extended Northern Colorado's lead, and Murphy Menke added to the scoring with a convincing 14–0 major decision at 174. At 184, Mahonri Rushton secured a solid 7–2 win, helping the Bears maintain their advantage.

Campbell earned points late in the dual with a pin at 197 and a decision at heavyweight, but the outcome was already well in hand as Northern Colorado closed out the dominant team victory.

With early-season success behind them, the Bears will look to carry that confidence into Big 12 action and begin conference competition on a strong note against Cal Baptist.

Fans can follow the dual live on TrackWrestling and stay up to date with coverage through the official UNC Wrestling social media channels.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the wrestling team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNCBearsWrestle), and Instagram (@UNCBearsWrestle).