Pearch Reaches Finals of Pac-10 Tournament
BAKERSFIELD, Calif -- Justin Pearch reached the finals of the 141 lbs. bracket as he was the only Duck to advance past the quarterfinals of the championship bracket of the Pac-10 tournament, held Saturday on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield.
Pearch, seeded second in the bracket, will face the No. 1 seeded Derek Moore after his three match run. In his first match of the afternoon Pearch defeated Robert Galvan in a major decision, 16-5, and took out Teddy Astorga to reach the final with an 11-6 decision.
"Justin wrestled well tonight and he will be tested tomorrow," head coach Chuck Kearney said. "He will be facing a nationally ranked guy who will give him a national tournament type match."
Every other Duck was bounced from the championship bracket in the semifinals, but a few would rebound in the consolation bracket and still have an opportunity to gain the national tournament bid if they can continue their sucess tomorrow as the top three finishers will advance to the national tournament, along with four wildcards.
"I was pleased with how we rebounded tonight after some disappointing performances in the morning session," Kearney said. "Being this young as a team and having six placers, even if they did it the hard way, they gained championship experience."
Joey Lucas was the first Duck to survive to the second day of action after losing his opening match. The Hillsboro, Ore. native picked up the 6-2 decision victory over Arizona State's Shawn Jones. He willl face UC Davis' Robert Gaitan tomorrow in the morning session.
Jeremy McLaughlin had to battle a late rally by Stanford's Tyler Parker, but he was able to maintain the advantage for a 4-3 victory.
The Ducks had a strong showing in the upper weight classes consolations as Ronnie Lee, Brysen French and Chris Dearmon stayed alive for day two matches.
Lee, the redshirt freshman who just returned to the lineup off of a broken leg, took a 6-4 lead with :30 left in his match with a takedown and was able to hold off Cal State Fullerton's Ryan Budd for the 6-5 victory.
"I was impressed with the courage that Lee showed, being so young and coming off of a major injury," Kearney said. "To step out there and get those major decisions is a real tribute to the character he has."
French, after a tight quarterfinal match in the championship bracket in which he fell 4-3, rebounded in the consolation with a victory over Boise State's Luke Smith, seeded fifth in the tournament, securing the major decision, 15-5.
Dearmon, who had been pinned in his first match by former Duck Cody Parker, also bounced back to gain the 10-3 decision over Stanford's Phil Doerner.
The Ducks enter the second day tied for 8th place in the team standings with 49.5 points.
The second and final day of the Pac-10 tournament will begin at 11 a.m. PST tomorrow with the consolation semifinals.
For complete brackets, see the downloads section.
Pearch, seeded second in the bracket, will face the No. 1 seeded Derek Moore after his three match run. In his first match of the afternoon Pearch defeated Robert Galvan in a major decision, 16-5, and took out Teddy Astorga to reach the final with an 11-6 decision.
"Justin wrestled well tonight and he will be tested tomorrow," head coach Chuck Kearney said. "He will be facing a nationally ranked guy who will give him a national tournament type match."
Every other Duck was bounced from the championship bracket in the semifinals, but a few would rebound in the consolation bracket and still have an opportunity to gain the national tournament bid if they can continue their sucess tomorrow as the top three finishers will advance to the national tournament, along with four wildcards.
"I was pleased with how we rebounded tonight after some disappointing performances in the morning session," Kearney said. "Being this young as a team and having six placers, even if they did it the hard way, they gained championship experience."
Joey Lucas was the first Duck to survive to the second day of action after losing his opening match. The Hillsboro, Ore. native picked up the 6-2 decision victory over Arizona State's Shawn Jones. He willl face UC Davis' Robert Gaitan tomorrow in the morning session.
Jeremy McLaughlin had to battle a late rally by Stanford's Tyler Parker, but he was able to maintain the advantage for a 4-3 victory.
The Ducks had a strong showing in the upper weight classes consolations as Ronnie Lee, Brysen French and Chris Dearmon stayed alive for day two matches.
Lee, the redshirt freshman who just returned to the lineup off of a broken leg, took a 6-4 lead with :30 left in his match with a takedown and was able to hold off Cal State Fullerton's Ryan Budd for the 6-5 victory.
"I was impressed with the courage that Lee showed, being so young and coming off of a major injury," Kearney said. "To step out there and get those major decisions is a real tribute to the character he has."
French, after a tight quarterfinal match in the championship bracket in which he fell 4-3, rebounded in the consolation with a victory over Boise State's Luke Smith, seeded fifth in the tournament, securing the major decision, 15-5.
Dearmon, who had been pinned in his first match by former Duck Cody Parker, also bounced back to gain the 10-3 decision over Stanford's Phil Doerner.
The Ducks enter the second day tied for 8th place in the team standings with 49.5 points.
The second and final day of the Pac-10 tournament will begin at 11 a.m. PST tomorrow with the consolation semifinals.
For complete brackets, see the downloads section.
