The SF State wrestling team saw the emergence of Pacifico Garcia to the national spotlight and the end of the line for senior Donald Lockett during the 2004-2005 season.

“We didn’t have a very good dual meet season,” said head coach Lars Jensen, “but by the end of the season, everybody was wrestling well.”

The Gators recorded a 1-12 dual meet record in Jensen’s 22nd year as head coach. But the team’s dual meet record didn’t reflect how good they were.

“The dual meet record isn’t really important,” Jensen said. “Dual meets I don’t care about. I really care about regionals and nationals.”

And regionals and nationals were where the Gators wrestled their best, placing sixth at regionals and tying for eleventh place at nationals. The team also placed fifth in the California Collegiate Wrestling Invitational on February 5.

“(The season) went by real fast,” said Lockett, who wrestled in the 141-pound weight class. “We finished eleventh as a team in the nation, so I think we did alright as a team.”

Team co-captain Garcia, a junior, blossomed from a prospect with potential, but lacking good results, to an all-out wrestling machine in the 149-pound weight class. He went from being unranked at the beginning of the year to finishing the regular season fourth in the nation in the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll.

Garcia, a liberal studies major, placed first at the California Collegiate Wrestling Invitational regionals on February 26. At nationals, he won the 149-pound title on March 12 after not qualifying last year. He finished the year with a 33-7 overall record.

“The team, I think, had a successful season,” Garcia said. “We got experience this year and that’s going to be big next year.”

Liberal studies major Lockett, the team’s other co-captain, ended his wrestling career as one of the best wrestlers ever at SF State. He placed first at the California Collegiates and at regionals, but placed third at nationals, losing to the eventual national champion for the second straight year. Lockett was runner-up in the 133-pound weight class in 2004.

“I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to accomplish,” Lockett said. “It didn’t end the way I wanted it. It just didn’t happen.”

Over his four years as a Gator wrestler, Lockett tallied a 95-50 record, finishing the 2005 regular season ranked first in his weight class after compiling a 41-7 record. A two-time all-American and three-time academic all-American, Lockett was named this year’s Most Outstanding Wrestler at the California Collegiates and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Year.

“I went from a walk-on to a national contender, but things didn’t go the way I wanted,” said Lockett, who will graduate in May. “If I ever believed what people told me I couldn’t do, I wouldn’t do anything.”

Along with Lockett, the Gators will lose two other seniors in Jaime Alvarez and Scott Oda.
Alvarez, who wrestles in the 157-pound weight class with Oda, totaled a 12-18 record this year and made the trip to nationals for the first time in his career. Alvarez, junior Eric Fitzpatrick and sophomore Brian Watanabe were also named academic all-Americans this year.

“Donald was a terrific leader,” Garcia said. “He’s been the one I wrestled the longest.

“It’s too bad we’re losing that leadership. I learned a lot from him. I’m sure he’ll be around next year.”

Assistant coaches Joey Bareng and Drew Dunbar also had successful first years. Bareng and Dunbar, both former Gator wrestlers, ended their wrestling careers last year and made the transition to coaching this season.

“They helped out a lot,” Jensen said. “They’re closer in age, so they can work with the student-athletes a lot more in that regard. Most of my assistant coaches have wrestled for me, so they know the system.”

Including this year, Jensen has coached 86 national qualifiers, 50 all-Americans, 28 academic all-Americans, nine individual national champions and one team national champion, the only one in school history.

“I think coach Jensen did a really good job in preparing us,” Garcia said. “His practice structure during January, February and March prepared us physically and mentally. I give props to Jensen for that.”

Although the Gators will lose Lockett, Jensen said he expects a good group of recruits for next season along with this year’s returning wrestlers, including Fitzpatrick, Watanabe and Mikhail Higa.

“Lockett is irreplaceable,” Jensen said. “But we got his brother and a junior college all-American coming here.”

Garcia will also return next season, looking to successfully defend his national title and repeat at next year’s nationals.

“I’m definitely enjoying this moment and this title,” Garcia said, “but I want to prove something. It’s very rare, and I want to go out a winner.

“It’s going to tough cause the top five are coming back next year. I know I can beat them. I have one title and I would love another one.”