Wrestlers Clash With #6 Sooners and #1 Cowboys
OREGON THIS WEEK ? Oregon (5-7, 2-5) takes a break from the Pac-10 schedule and travels to the Midwest to take on No. 6 Oklahoma (Fri., 5:30 p.m.) and 2004 NCAA champ and No. 1 Oklahoma State (Sat., 5 p.m.). Saturday’s match against OSU will be available on the O-Zone.
LAST WEEK ? The Ducks went 1-2 last weekend, defeating Stanford and falling to Cal State Fullerton and No. 16 Arizona State. Against Stanford, the Ducks got a decision victory at 165 from junior Joey Bracamonte in the last match of the day, giving Oregon the victory. Against ASU, the Ducks and Sun Devils won five matches a piece. Senior Scott Barker dominated No. 7-ranked and two-time Pac-10 champ, Ryan Bader (7-0, dec.).
KEY MATCHUPS THIS WEEKEND ? Between the Sooners (12-4) and Cowboys (14-0), 16* wrestlers with national rankings are slated to take to the mat this weekend, including six ranked No. 1 or No. 2. Barker (197) will face No. 1 Jake Rosholt of OSU for a second time this season. Earlier this year, Rosholt pinned Barker in the finals of the Reno Tourney of Champions. Barker will also wrestle OU’s No. 14 Joel Flaggert. Junior Shane Webster will make the jump up to 184 this weekend, swapping places with junior Chet McBee. Webster ?ranked eighth at 174 ? will face No. 14-ranked Justin Dyer of OU. Junior Martin Mitchell will have a chance to jump into the rankings by facing the Cowboys No. 2 Nathan Morgan. Bracamonte will face Johny Hendricks (No. 3) of Oklahoma State. *Rankings according to recent InterMat poll.
HEAD COACH CHUCK KEARNEY ? Chuck Kearney enters his seventh season as head coach after serving as an assistant at the University of Oregon under long-time coach Ron Finley. Kearney, a former NCAA All-American and Pac-10 champion at Oregon, is a motivator and a technician who believes the hard work and discipline needed to win Pacific-10 and NCAA titles also guarantee success in life. As Oregon’s sixth wrestling head coach since the program began in 1954, Kearney has been up to the task of coaching his alma mater.
"The University of Oregon has presented me with a unique challenge and exciting opportunity," Kearney said. "Every coach’s goal is to build a strong, solid program. It has taken some time, but the foundation is now where I envisioned it to be when I started. As a program, we try to recruit not only talented wrestlers, but good individuals who succeed on and off the mat."
The Oregon native has recruited classes ranked in the top 25 in the country seven of the last 12 seasons, including one that was ranked as high as No. 4 nationally. During his tenure as an assistant and head coach at Oregon, the Ducks have seen some of their most successful years, with a 110-83-4 (.570) overall record. Oregon has finished lower than fourth place in the Pac-10 only three times and has reached as high as No. 14 nationally twice as well. In the five years Kearney has been head coach, Oregon has qualified wrestlers for the NCAA Championships 27 times. In 2002-03, he guided his team to a second-place finish at the Pac-10 Championships, helped qualify eight of his wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and led the team to a 24th-place national finish.
"Our goal is to always be among the top 10 schools in the country and to be in a position to contend for a national title," Kearney said. "Obviously, sacrifices and a unified team effort must be made to reach this goal, but I believe in our student-athletes and feel honored to be associated with them. The time is now and we’re ready."
IMMEDIATE IMPACT ? Senior transfer Scott Baker has made a tremendous impact on the Oregon wrestling program. Barker is 26-4 on the season, winning 13 of his matches by way of pin. The St. Louis, Mo. native won the 197 title at the Cowboy Open and SOC Best of the West and finished second at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Barker also leads the team with 53 team-points and is 7-4 against current top-20 opponents. Barker transferred to Oregon from the University of Missouri where he was a two-time All-American and finished second at the NCAA Championships as a junior.
REDSHIRT RETURNEES ? After redshirting last season, juniors Martin Mitchell and Webster have made an expected impact. As sophomores, Mitchell went 18-9 and recorded a team-high nine pins, and Webster finished sixth at the NCAA Championships en route to All-America honors. So far this season, both wrestlers have combined for a 30-7 overall record and have scored 53 of Oregon’s 219 team points.
TITLE WINNERS ? At the Cowboy Open, three Ducks took home first-place titles. Barker (197), Webster (174) and Bracamonte (165). Consolation third-place winners included; Skyler Woods (141), Chet McBee (184), Chris Dearmon (Hwt.) and Martin Mitchell (131). At the SOC Best of the West Tournament, Barker (197), Webster (174) and Bracamonte (165) did it again, winning first-place. At Reno, Barker placed second and at the Midlands, he placed fifth.
INJURY REPORT ? Due to an ear injury, sophomore Cyle Hartzell (149) will miss the remainder of the season. Hartzell is expected to seek a medical redshirt. The Redmond native finishes the year with a 9-4 overall record and 2-1 dual mark. Freshman and Eugene native Nick Cautrell’s (149) time table for a possible return after suffering a shoulder injury has yet to be determined.
PIN NATION ? As a team, the Ducks have already recorded 47 pins on the season. Last season, Oregon recorded a total of 34. Barker leads the team with 13, followed by Bracamonte (10) and Mitchell (9).
ALL-TIME MARKS ? Numerous Ducks are staking their claim on the all-time record books. Barker is tied for sixth for single-season pins with 13. Bracamonte is tied for tenth (10 pins). Mitchell ranks seventh for career pins with 20.
TEAM LEADERS ? Barker leads the team with 26 wins, followed by Bracamonte (20) and Webster (16). Barker also leads the team in pins with 13. Webster ranks first with five technical falls and six major decisions. Chet McBee leads the team with nine wins by way of decision. Barker leads the team with 53 team points.
NATIONAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS ? Several wrestling publications release national individual rankings. InterMat ranks Webster (8th-174), Bracamonte (17th-165), Barker (5th-197). *Ranking reflect highest national ranking.
PAC-10 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS ? The following Ducks are ranked among the top six in the conference at their respective weights. Martin Mitchell (6th - 133), Skyler Woods (5th - 141), Joey Bracamonte (1st - 165), Shane Wesbter (2nd - 174), Scott Barker (1st - 197), Cody Parker (5th - Hwt.)
LOCAL TALENT ? The Ducks boast 21 wrestlers from the state of Oregon. Of those, Nate Gipson, Jeremy McLaughlin and Webster hail from powerhouse Crater High School. Steve Johnson (Sheldon HS), Elliott Tracy (Sheldon), Nick Cautrell (Churchill HS) and Elias Soto (Churchill) all hail from Eugene.
CLUTCH ? Down 21-19 against Stanford heading into the final match, Bracamonte came through with a clutch win, defeating Scott Loescher by decision, 7-3, and giving Oregon the dual victory. Bracamonte is currently 20-3 on the year, good for an .869 winning percentage and already equaling last season’s total win output.
PAC-10 CHAMPIONS? ? In 2002, the Ducks placed second at the Pac-10 Championships with three wrestlers taking home first place crowns (Shaun Williams-125, current assistant coach Tony Overstake-157 and Eugene Harris-165). The 2004-05 squad could be in position to match that feat with Barker and Bracamonte ranked No. 1 in their respective classes and Wesbter ranked No. 2.
