Naveed Bagheri Named to Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco State freshman Naveed Bagheri (Los Gatos, Calif., Los Gatos HS, West Valley JC) was selected to the Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Third Team, according to the magazine’s May issue. Bagheri was just one of four Division II wrestlers among the publication’s 60 honorees.

Bagheri compiled a 27-12 record during the 2008-09 campaign, garnering All-America accolades after a fifth-place finish in the 133-pound weight class at the NCAA Division II Championships on March 14. The Los Gatos, Calif., native was also named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year after capturing the individual title in his weight class at the NCAA Division II West Regional/RMAC Championships on Feb. 28. In addition, Bagheri, who was recently voted SF State’s Freshman Male Athlete of the Year, established a new Gator single-season record with 44 two-point near falls, which already ranks seventh on the school’s career list.

SF State posted a 9-6 mark in dual-meet competition this past season, its highest victory total since the 1997-98 season. At the NCAA Division II Championships, the Gators placed 13th, with the quartet of Bagheri, Steve Franklin (Middletown, Calif., Middletown HS, Santa Rosa JC), Ben Lockett (San Francisco, George Washington HS) and Curtis Schurkamp (Escalon, Calif., Escalon, Cal State Fullerton) receiving All-America distinction.