Freshman rises to the top of Cal Poly Wrestling
This is a cross-published piece with Mustang News, more information can be found here.
Redshirt freshman Zeth Romney has almost come out of nowhere and quickly rose into the spotlight this season, surprising the collegiate wrestling world, but not Cal Poly’s coaching staff.
Romney first gained recognition after placing third at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in late December, beating the likes of the eighth and fifth-ranked wrestlers in the 133-pound weight class.
“There’s a lot I can do, I have a long time here, and I’m excited to see how I can just, just grow as a wrestler and see what I can do,” Romney said.
But let’s backtrack a little. How exactly did Romney get this good so quickly?
The Simi Valley native was a Top 100 recruit coming out of high school, according to FloWrestling, and head coach Jon Sioredas recognized Romney’s talent early on.
“It just seemed to be a great fit from day one,” Sioredas said. “Zeth being a California kid and seeing the value and education and the area and what we’re doing here as a program, I think it just made too much sense.”
One of the first things the coaching staff did was attach a redshirt to Romney as a freshman to help him focus on adjusting to life away from his family, the team culture and really focus on staying composed in his matches.
“I think we just have the best team in the country, like, just teammate-wise,” Romney said. “We’re just a super close-knit group of guys and I just felt at home honestly right away.”
With Romney comfortable in his new environment, the coaching staff wanted him to move down to 133 pounds after appearing five times a 141 pounds in his first season.
Sioredas wanted Romney to try cutting that weight at a tournament in Vegas, and it didn’t necessarily go well.
“And honestly it didn’t feel good,” Sioredas said. “You know, his first response was, cutting weight sucks.”
The coaching staff immediately helped Romney get on a nutrition program to gradually decrease his weight.
“I feel great at this weight,” Romney said. “The right energy. I’m like, eating consistently good food, like, every day and working hard without having to overwork my body or anything.”
Since then, Romney has climbed his way up and is the No. 12 ranked 133-pounder in the nation, according to Intermat Wrestle, but those rankings are the last thing on Romney’s mind.
“It doesn’t matter what the number associated with me or who I’m wrestling,” Romney said. “More so just, like, becoming a better person and a better wrestler and just seeing how I can grow my craft.”
