Pearch, Lee Fall to Tough Opponents in NCAA Tournament
DETROIT -- Justin Pearch and Ronnie Lee both fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, being held this weekend at the Palace at Auburn Hills.
Pearch, the senior 141 pounder, fell in his first match in the championship bracket against No. 6 ranked Alex Tsirtsis in a 11-0 major decision and then was unable to gain any momentum in the consolation bracket as he fell in a 7-5 decision to Darren Kern of Bloomsberg College.
The Estacada, Ore. native finishes the season with a 29-9 record.
Lee, a redshirt freshman making his first tournament appearance, was also unsucessful in both of his tournament matches. Having made it into the tournament as an alternate at 174 lbs., Lee fell to the No. 2 seeded Kevin Gavin of Pittsburgh in the championship bracket by pin in 3:36 and by major decision to Daniel Burk of Northern Illinois in the consolation bracket.
Battling injury all year, Lee will return as one of the Ducks' top wrestlers in 2007-2008 after compiling an 18-18 record on the year.
With the losses, Oregon's wrestling season comes to an end with the Ducks having compiled a 6-10 record and an eigth place finish at the Pac-10 Tournament.
