San Francisco State University Men's Wrestling

Jensen has become synonymous with the success of the San Francisco wrestling program. Since taking the reins prior to the 1983-84 season, Coach Jensen has maintained a tradition of excellence, with the Gators finishing among the nations elite in NCAA Division II wrestling on an annual basis. In 1997, Coach Jensen led the first-ever NCAA Division II national championship team at SF State, and has coached three Division I national qualifiers. Last season, for the 53rd straight year, the Gators had a wrestler qualify for the National Championships increasing the total of national qualifiers under Jensen's tenure to 122.  The Gators sent Sam Alnassiri and Fern Giron to South Dakota to participate in the National Championships as SF State finished in 41st place.   SF State also had two grapplers named to the NWCA All-Academic Team in Dylan Furtado and Gabe Fuentes.  At the inaugural RMAC Championships in Colorado Springs, Alnassiri and Giron each placed third.   In 2014-15, three grapplers qualified for the Nationals.   As a team at the NCAA Division II West Super Regional/RMAC Championships, the Gators finished in fourth place with 65 points out of 14 teams and finished third amongst Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.  They also finished ahead of two nationally ranked teams in Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State.  Nebraska-Kearney captured the regional title with 128.5 points followed by Western State with 117 and Colorado Mesa with 107. In 2013-14, three grapplers qualified for Nationals with Isaiah Hurtado earning All-American honors as he finished eighth at 133 to become the 62nd All-American coached by Lars Jensen. In 2012-13, Naveed Bagheri made his fourth appearance to the tournament and went on to grab the national championship title at 141, defeating Ryan Fillingame of Adams State 5-2 in overtime. With the victory, Naveed Bagheri picked up his third All-American honors after previously claiming the Super Regional 4/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 141 title. Isaiah Jimenez also joined Naveed Bagheri at the national championship tournament, placing fifth at 165 and also earn All-American status. Together the pair took a 10th place finish as a team--the highest placing in nearly 10 years--at the tournament. With SF States results the past four seasons, Coach Jensen has coached 10 individual national champions. Jensen also has coached 122 NCAA Championship qualifiers. He has had 55 conference champions and 65 All-Academic team members. Collectively as a team, SF State finished the past three campaigns 23-17 overall, 7-7 against RMAC opponents. The Gators finished 14-8 against Division II opponents and 10-9 against nationally ranked opponents.  Two seasons ago, SF State defeated Cal Poly for the first time in 40 years and this past season the Gators hosted the Mustangs in the first ever outdoor meet Grapple in the Plaza at 19th and Holloway. During the 2011-12 campaign, the Gators competed at the national championships after Julian Perez, Isaiah Jimenez and Dylan Phillipy all finished in the top three of the their respective weight classes at the Super Regional 4/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference meet. Isaiah Jimenez captured the individual title at 165, while Julian Perez (133) and Dylan Phillipy (149) took third and fourth, respectively. In 2010-11, a total of six Gator wrestlers qualified for the DII Championships, including Josh Nolan (157), Gene Choi (174) and Pierre Bondoc (125), along with Naveed Bagheri (141), Matt Thomas (149) and Isaiah Jimenez (165). Josh Nolan, who claimed the regional crown in his weight class, later garnered All-America honors, along with Naveed Bagheri and Gene Choi as the Purple and Gold finished 19th in the field of 41 schools. Coach Jensens athletes have also excelled in the classroom as 12 Gators earned All-Academic accolades the past two seasons from the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) giving Coach Jensen 63 Academic All-NWCA selections since his arrival at SF State. Four Gators also were named to the Academic All-RMAC Team. As a team, the Gators finished the 2011-12 campaign with a 5-9 record in dual-meet competition, featuring a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Division I nemesis CSU Bakersfield and a second straight appearance at the prestigious NWCA National Dual Meet in Springfield, Ill. The Gator grapplers have placed in the top 10 in the nation ten times and in the top 20 in the twenty times under Jensen's guidance. In addition to its 1997 national title, SF State also captured the Division II West Regional championship that same year and finished in the runner-up position on four other occasions. In all, Coach Jensens Gator squads have produced 39 Northern California Athletic Conference champions and 19 RMAC champions. He also guided six NCAC runner-up teams and two NCAC championship squads. Coach Jensen began his wrestling career at the College of San Mateo where he was named the teams outstanding wrestler for two seasons before transferring to SF State in 1977. A two-time letter-winner for the Gators, Coach Jensen qualified for the 1980 NCAA Division II Championships after capturing the West Regional title at 190 pounds. Later that year, he also participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Coach Jensen then made the transition to the coaching ranks, serving as SF State assistant varsity coach and junior varsity head coach from 1980-83. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education in January 1981, a single subject teaching credential in Physical Education in May 1982 and a masters in physical education in May 1987, all from SF State. Following the 1983-84 season (his first season as head coach of the Gators), Coach Jensen was selected as Amateur Wrestling Rookie Coach of the Year and has been honored as a conference Coach of the Year five times. He was also named the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year twice and was voted as the NCAA Div. II Coach of the Year in 1997. In May 2009, Jensen was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame and recently was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 18, 2013 and now has been inducted into six different Hall of Fames. Coach Jensen has been married to the former Chanda Sams for over 20 years and the couple have two children, Brendan and Lara. The Jensens reside in El Granada, Calif.   Lars Jensen Head Wrestling Coach Now entering his 34th season as head coach at his alma mater, Lars Jensen has become synonymous with the success of the San Francisco wrestling program. Since taking the reins prior to the 1983-84 season, Coach Jensen has maintained a tradition of excellence, with the Gators finishing among the nations elite in NCAA Division II wrestling on an annual basis. In 1997, Coach Jensen led the first-ever NCAA Division II national championship team at SF State, and has coached three Division I national qualifiers. Last season, for the 53rd straight year, the Gators had a wrestler qualify for the National Championships increasing the total of national qualifiers under Jensen's tenure to 122.  The Gators sent Sam Alnassiri and Fern Giron to South Dakota to participate in the National Championships as SF State finished in 41st place.   SF State also had two grapplers named to the NWCA All-Academic Team in Dylan Furtado and Gabe Fuentes.  At the inaugural RMAC Championships in Colorado Springs, Alnassiri and Giron each placed third.   In 2014-15, three grapplers qualified for the Nationals.   As a team at the NCAA Division II West Super Regional/RMAC Championships, the Gators finished in fourth place with 65 points out of 14 teams and finished third amongst Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.  They also finished ahead of two nationally ranked teams in Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State.  Nebraska-Kearney captured the regional title with 128.5 points followed by Western State with 117 and Colorado Mesa with 107. In 2013-14, three grapplers qualified for Nationals with Isaiah Hurtado earning All-American honors as he finished eighth at 133 to become the 62nd All-American coached by Lars Jensen. In 2012-13, Naveed Bagheri made his fourth appearance to the tournament and went on to grab the national championship title at 141, defeating Ryan Fillingame of Adams State 5-2 in overtime. With the victory, Naveed Bagheri picked up his third All-American honors after previously claiming the Super Regional 4/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 141 title. Isaiah Jimenez also joined Naveed Bagheri at the national championship tournament, placing fifth at 165 and also earn All-American status. Together the pair took a 10th place finish as a team--the highest placing in nearly 10 years--at the tournament. With SF States results the past four seasons, Coach Jensen has coached 10 individual national champions. Jensen also has coached 122 NCAA Championship qualifiers. He has had 55 conference champions and 65 All-Academic team members. Collectively as a team, SF State finished the past three campaigns 23-17 overall, 7-7 against RMAC opponents. The Gators finished 14-8 against Division II opponents and 10-9 against nationally ranked opponents.  Two seasons ago, SF State defeated Cal Poly for the first time in 40 years and this past season the Gators hosted the Mustangs in the first ever outdoor meet Grapple in the Plaza at 19th and Holloway. During the 2011-12 campaign, the Gators competed at the national championships after Julian Perez, Isaiah Jimenez and Dylan Phillipy all finished in the top three of the their respective weight classes at the Super Regional 4/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference meet. Isaiah Jimenez captured the individual title at 165, while Julian Perez (133) and Dylan Phillipy (149) took third and fourth, respectively. In 2010-11, a total of six Gator wrestlers qualified for the DII Championships, including Josh Nolan (157), Gene Choi (174) and Pierre Bondoc (125), along with Naveed Bagheri (141), Matt Thomas (149) and Isaiah Jimenez (165). Josh Nolan, who claimed the regional crown in his weight class, later garnered All-America honors, along with Naveed Bagheri and Gene Choi as the Purple and Gold finished 19th in the field of 41 schools. Coach Jensens athletes have also excelled in the classroom as 12 Gators earned All-Academic accolades the past two seasons from the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) giving Coach Jensen 63 Academic All-NWCA selections since his arrival at SF State. Four Gators also were named to the Academic All-RMAC Team. As a team, the Gators finished the 2011-12 campaign with a 5-9 record in dual-meet competition, featuring a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Division I nemesis CSU Bakersfield and a second straight appearance at the prestigious NWCA National Dual Meet in Springfield, Ill. The Gator grapplers have placed in the top 10 in the nation ten times and in the top 20 in the twenty times under Jensen's guidance. In addition to its 1997 national title, SF State also captured the Division II West Regional championship that same year and finished in the runner-up position on four other occasions. In all, Coach Jensens Gator squads have produced 39 Northern California Athletic Conference champions and 19 RMAC champions. He also guided six NCAC runner-up teams and two NCAC championship squads. Coach Jensen began his wrestling career at the College of San Mateo where he was named the teams outstanding wrestler for two seasons before transferring to SF State in 1977. A two-time letter-winner for the Gators, Coach Jensen qualified for the 1980 NCAA Division II Championships after capturing the West Regional title at 190 pounds. Later that year, he also participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Coach Jensen then made the transition to the coaching ranks, serving as SF State assistant varsity coach and junior varsity head coach from 1980-83. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education in January 1981, a single subject teaching credential in Physical Education in May 1982 and a masters in physical education in May 1987, all from SF State. Following the 1983-84 season (his first season as head coach of the Gators), Coach Jensen was selected as Amateur Wrestling Rookie Coach of the Year and has been honored as a conference Coach of the Year five times. He was also named the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year twice and was voted as the NCAA Div. II Coach of the Year in 1997. In May 2009, Jensen was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame and recently was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 18, 2013 and now has been inducted into six different Hall of Fames. Coach Jensen has been married to the former Chanda Sams for over 20 years and the couple have two children, Brendan and Lara. The Jensens reside in El Granada, Calif.  

Jimenez went 24-9 with five pins en route to a fifth place finish at the 2013 NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships to earn All-American status at 165. Jimenez and his teammate, Naveed Bagheri, led the Gators to a 10th place finish at Nationals.  He is currently sixth all-time in takedowns and eighth in points scored and finished 86-65 to finish eighth all-time on the Gator all-time wins list.    During the 2011-12 season, Jimenez was named the SF State Gator Male Student-Athlete of the Year while capturing the individual title at 165 at the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV/Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships.  He also earned All-RMAC First Team honors.    In 2010-11, Jimenez had a breakout season earning his first of three-straight berths to the National Championships after a third place finish at the Super Regionals.  Earlier in his sophomore season, Jimenez scored a key 4-3 decision over Garrett Schaner of Stanford to help propel the Gators' 18-16 upset over the Cardinal.    He was a four-time letter winner at Palma High School in Salinas, Calif.  He was a three-time Tri-Country Athletic League Champion and was named the team's Most Valuable Wrestler on three occasions.    Jimenez resides in El Granada and has as Bachelor's of Science Degree from SF State in Kinesiology and is currently ranking on Master's Degree in Sports Administration from Concordia-Irvine. Isaiah Jimenez, Assistant Coach