By Ed Martin, Editor
Isaiah at last spring's NCAA tournament.
Isaiah at last spring's NCAA tournament.

An NCAA national champion is coming to Fresno State this weekend, and this winner has a solid Lemoore connection. Two-time national wrestling champion Isaiah Martinez, and his Illinois teammates arrive in Fresno on Friday to take on a competent Bulldog team stacked with three former Tigers.

Friday night’s match is a Lemoore reunion of sorts as purple and gold are mixed in with Fresno State red and blue.

Former Tigers – now Bulldogs – include 2017 Lemoore champ Gary Joint, a freshman at 133 pounds, 174-pound Angel Solis, also a freshman, and senior Sean Williams, a state finalist while wrestling for Lemoore High School.

Friday’s 7 p.m. home opener in the Save Mart Center comes against one of the top major college wrestling programs in the country. The Big Ten squad is coming off a top-15 showing at the 2017 NCAA Championships, where Martinez lost his first college match in the finals.

Martinez, a three-time California State Champion, is also a three-time All American and two-time national champion at 165 pounds.

Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the Bulldog website.