6 p.m. Thursday – No. 13 Menlo (3-0) at SOU (3-4)
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ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University men's wrestling team is back home at 6 p.m. Thursday to work on its 3-4 dual record against 13th-ranked Menlo (Calif.).

The Raiders, making a quick turnaround after Tuesday's contest at San Francisco State, have three remaining dates at Riehm Arena on their schedule – all against Cascade Conference opponents – and the Oaks (3-0) will be their last visitors this decade.

LAST TIME OUT: SOU's second straight tight loss was a 24-19 final that came down to the final match Tuesday at NCAA Division II foe SF State. Wins by decision for Beau Shatto (125) and by fall for Justin Coon (133) gave the Raiders an early 9-0 lead, and a major decision for Noah Talavera (165) gave them their final edge at 13-12. Trailing 21-13, a pin for Cylus Hoke (197) kept SOU alive before Gators heavyweight Justin Ramos clinched the win with a 2-1 decision that was decided by a riding time point.

IN THE RANKINGS: In the first NAIA coaches' poll of the regular season, released Nov. 21, the Raiders had two individuals ranked top-20 nationally in their weight classes: No. 12 Justin Coon (133) and No. 16 JJ Talavera (157). The next rankings will be released Thursday. In Tuesday's latest Cascade Conference polls, the Raiders were represented by Talavera at No. 2 in the 157 class and No. 6 Lorenzo Vasquez at 125.

BRIEFLY:

• SOU's wins leaders, JJ Talavera and Tanner Sallee, were not in the lineup at SF State. Talavera is 11-3 – making him 23-7 in his two-year Raider career – with five bonus-point victories and a 5-1 dual record. Sallee is 10-4 overall and 4-2 in duals in his first season, and is expected to return to the mat against Menlo.
• Freshman Noah Talavera improved to 3-1 in dual matches with his major decision against the Gators. He's earned bonus points in all five of his victories.
• Coon, last year's Cascade Conference 133-pound runner-up, owns SOU's other winning dual record at 2-1. He's also the only Raider in the lineup that was a regular last season, though he didn't debut until January.
• SOU 25th-year head coach Mike Ritchey is sitting on 233 career dual victories. He's No. 2 on the program's all-time list behind Bob Riehm, who totaled 270 wins.
• Since moving into the new Riehm Arena at Lithia Motors Pavilion last year, the Raiders have a 4-5 home record with a 2-0 mark this season. During the 2010s, they've gone 36-11 in Ashland.
• The Raiders are 26-8 in the head-to-head series against Menlo, which dates back to the 2001-02 season. The Oaks have taken five of the last six matchups, though that stretch was preceded by 15 straight SOU wins.

ABOUT MENLO: The Oaks are 3-0 in duals, having outscored Simpson (Calif.), Life Pacific (Calif.) and Vanguard (Calif.) a combined 137-6… In 2018-19, they were No. 2 in the team standings at the CCC Championships and No. 8 at the NAIA Championships… Anthony Orozco is a defending national champion and the NAIA's current top-ranked 184-pounder. Blaysen Terukina (133) is another returning All-American and is No. 2 in the NAIA poll, and three other Oaks in the lineup are nationally ranked: No. 4 Riley Siason (125), No. 10 Joseph Dominguez (149) and No. 19 Devin Everk (157).

COMING UP: SOU's last action before a brief holiday break will be Saturday at the Northwest Collegiate Duals in Albany. The Raiders' next home dual is scheduled for Jan. 11 against Warner Pacific, and their only other date in Ashland is Feb. 8 against Eastern Oregon.

SOU PROBABLE LINEUP (Overall/Dual record)
125 – Beau Shatto (4-7 / 2-5)
133 – Justin Coon (6-5 / 2-1)
141 – Matt Peterson (6-6 / 2-5)
149 – Jacky Hawkins (5-7 / 0-1)
157 – Nick Peterson (3-8 / 1-4)
165 – Noah Talavera (5-3 / 3-1)
174 – Tanner Sallee (10-4 / 4-2)
184 – Josh Hammers (6-8 / 2-4)
197 – Cylus Hoke (3-2 / 2-0)
285 – Tanner Clark (5-7 / 3-3)