Beavers Up Next for Oregon Wrestling
Oregon State (10-6, 6-2); Oregon State leads 73-25-2
Feb. 15, 2 p.m. ? Eugene, Ore. McArthur Court
Oregon (1-11, 0-6) will host Oregon State (10-6, 6-2) for the second Civil War this season on Sun. Feb. 15 at McArthur Court starting at 2 p.m. Oregon State is 10-6 overall; 6-2 in Pac-10 play. The Beaver’s only two losses in Pac-10 play came from No. 19 Arizona State on Jan. 16, in a close dual favoring the Sun Devils, 20-19 and Stanford on Feb. 7, in another one-point dual ending in an 18-17 loss for the Beavers. Oregon State has three ranked wrestlers in the top 20 by Intermat. They include sophomore Tony Hook at 149 at No. 19, junior Matt Ellis at 165 at No. 12 and senior Jed Pennell at 174 ranked No. 18. Ellis has earned his 12th straight victory after the conclusion of his last match a week ago. He currently leads Oregon State with a record of 23-6 overall and 9-3 in dual matches. Oregon State is led by head coach Joe Wells in his 13th season for the Beavers. He has complied a record of 135-83-1 during his tenure. Oregon State was nationally ranked for the first time this season at No. 22 a week ago, but was bumped to honorable mention the following week after a tough loss to Pac-10 foe Stanford.
THE LAST TIME VS. OSU
The Ducks traveled to Corvallis to face Oregon State at Gill Coliseum in the first of two civil war meetings this season on Sat. Dec. 14, 2003. The Beavers scored 16 straight points at the end of the dual to give Oregon State the victory over the Ducks, 23-18 in front of 1,132 fans. Freshman Cyle Hartzell made a name from himself as a Duck wrestler in his first dual meet of his career. At 149, Hartzell defeated Tony Hook in a decision victory, 7-6. Other victories came from senior Jason Harless at 133, Joey Bracamonte at 157 and Cody Parker at heavyweight.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
Senior Jason Harless is not only a senior leader but an inspiration to this year’s Duck team. Harless began the season on Dec. 13, 2003 against Oregon State after taking the first two tournaments off to continue to heal after his back surgery. He has continued to shine even though this season has been a rebuilding year for the team. Harless currently has a 13-6 overall record and leads the team in dual wins with seven at 133. He also leads the Ducks in dual major decisions with a record of 3-0 as well as the dual pin leader with two on the season. Harless leads Oregon will 30 team points in dual action. Harless also has the most pins in one season during his career with a total of four overall. Junior Luke Larwin has also been a leader on the team this season. Larwin has complied his best record of his career with 22-10, increasing his overall career record to 55-42 at 165. He is not the type of wrestler to destroy his opponents by a wide margin. Larwin leads the team with 16 decision wins overall this season. He has a 6-6 dual record, the best of his career and has capped 19 team points in dual play this season for the Ducks. Another leader this year is sophomore Chet McBee at 174. He has complied a record of 13-11 overall, that includes leading the team with six pins. McBee has progressed significantly over the past year as he has earned 13 victories, far more than last season. McBee is young and will continue to be a factor in the Ducks’ success in the years to come.
IN PAC-10 RANKINGS
The Ducks have six wrestlers in the rankings. Jason Harless moves to sixth at 133, Joey Bracamonte moves to fourth at 157, Luke Larwin stays in fourth at 165 as Matt Ellis of Oregon State continues to stay on top. Larwin leads the Ducks with a 22-10 record including three pins, two majors, and 16 decisions. Dustin Fisher is seventh at 184 and senior Jake Leair is sixth at 197. Rounding out the ranked Ducks is freshman Cody Parker. He moves up to fourth at heavyweight.
OREGON’S COACHING STAFF
Head coach Chuck Kearney heads into his sixth season as the man in charge. He has an overall record of 42-51 in his sixth season as Oregon’s head coach. Kearney is a former NCAA All-American and Pac-10 Champion at Oregon. He was the teams’ most valuable wrestler in 1988. The former Pac-10 champion accumulated 60 wins in two years at Oregon after competing his first two seasons at Oklahoma State. Rick Stewart continues in his sixth season as part of the stellar coaching staff at Oregon. Stewart, the four-time All-American and two-time national champion complied a 118-15 record at Oklahoma State. Jeremy Ensrud also is in his sixth season as an assistant coach. The Oregon graduate has kept busy as he has placed four times in the U.S. Opens in the freestyle competition and has placed twice at the Dave Schultz International tournament and capped a second place finish in 2001. Oregon graduate, Tony Overstake adds to the coaching staff this season as a volunteer assistant. Overstake finished his career in 2003 with an overall record of 89-46 and was the Pac-10 champion in the 2001-02 season.
UP NEXT FOR THE DUCKS
Oregon will head north to Portland State for its last dual of the season on Wed. Feb. 18 at Peter W. Stott Center starting at 7 p.m. The Pac-10 Tournament will start Sun. Feb. 29 in Tempe, Ariz.
